California Area Car Rentals For <25 Year Old?
 

Planning a 6-7 day trip to California with the GF next month, thought it would be fun to rent a car and drive the Pacific Coast Highway (bucket list!), hit up LA, San Diego, San Francisco etc.

Only problem is I'm 24, and I heard that USA car rental places add crazy surcharges on drivers under 25 who want to rent a car. I don't plan on getting anything fancy, probably a small SUV/crossover or midsize car.

Does anyone know a company - preferably a larger "chain" rental business - that charges the lowest (or none at all) surcharge for younger drivers? If you could tell me how much you paid that would help as well.

Thanks in advance!

This link might help...
https://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/htm.../agePopUp.html

www.silvercar.com

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BFNYMPCG <----- Use that referral code too when you reserve so we both get $25 usd prepaid visa card after your rental is completed.

And in case you're wondering, no, I'm not just recommending you this just for the visa (although I'd be pissed if you used the service but didn't use the code).

I used Silvercar when I went to LA during Christmas. It was $39 dollars/day back then. The deal was $39 dollars/day for new members. Now the new member special is 30% off. Regular price is $69/day. No surcharge for under 25, must be 22 to rent.

I got picked up at LAX and was driven to their lot from the terminal where I picked a 2017 A4. All you had to do was a damage check, give them your id and credit card, scan the qr code with the app and off you go. I was out of there with no hassle within 10 minutes. Mind you it was an A4 with moonroof, heated leather seats, bluetooth, in-car wifi, navigation, 252hp AWD with 7-Speed S-Tronic for you to fuck around on Mulholland.

When I rented from Dollar in Orlando 2 weeks ago, I paid roughly $40 for a FUCKING SHITBOX YARIS WITH NO KEYLESS ENTRY. I HAD MANUALLY FUCKING OPEN MY DOORS LIKE SOME GHETTO PEASANT. No navigation or else I have to pay $10 a day of some shit. So not only do I get a shitty 4 speed auto Yaris, with cloth seats, and having to hold my phone to use GPS, I got tacked $27/day surcharge for being under 25 years old. Did I mention the fact it was a fucking Yaris? Oh, and the service was absolute fucking garbage. It took me half an hour to leave the area, waiting in line to do paper work, waiting in line to leave the lot.

Save yourself the hassle and go with Silvercar. You'll thank me later.

Does your employer book travel for business? I'm well past 25 now, but back when I was <25 and travelling for work, the surcharge was waived. Most employers will let you use their corporate rate code for personal travel. Policies may have changed since then but it's worth a try.


How did you find their service? Last time I was in LA, I used Sixt - they have some decent luxury cars (some C and E class MB's, A4's, 3/5 series etc) but their check in experience was horrible. They pushed upgrades pretty hard, and used scare tactics to sell insurance, roadside assistance, tolls, etc. I vowed never to go with Sixt again after that experience.

If you have a corporate account set-up with Hertz/Budget/Enterprise, most of them will waive young driver + 1 additional driver fee (depending on your corporate account's volume).

Prices for rental cars fluctuate like crazy depending on time of year. People have rented CLAs for 10 bucks a day and people have also rented Mirages for 80 bucks a day. :derp:

Theres no scare tactics with Silvercar because there are no upgrades. Audi A4s fully loaded, nothing else to add. No hidden fees and all that bs. Tolls was charged by a per-use basis, and you choose ahead of time when you make your reservation whether or not you need insurance.

^I tried Silvercar and was very impressed by them. No extra charges, etc. The 30% off deal makes them competitive with other rental companies, plus the car is much better than what you usually get.

I used an Amex for insurance, and they didn't bat an eye. Picked up the car (this was back in 2015, so a 2015 S-Line), set the Google-powered nav and off I went. Great for long-distance driving, and tons of fun on curvy Texas back roads. Was awesome on the 85-mph speed limited section of the Texas Interstate.