Renting a car at 19 is possible, but your options are narrow. Only New York and Michigan legally require rental companies to serve drivers under 20, and Hertz voluntarily rents to 19-year-olds in Alabama and Nebraska. Everywhere else in the United States, the traditional counters are closed to you unless you’re traveling on government orders, and your realistic path is a peer-to-peer platform like Turo or a campus Zipcar.
Where Traditional Rental Counters Will Serve You
New York’s General Business Law bars rental agencies from refusing service to anyone 18 or older solely because of age, as long as insurance coverage for that age group is available. Michigan reaches the same result through its civil rights law, which treats rental counters as public accommodations covered by its age discrimination rules. In both states, the major companies rent to 19-year-olds because they have to.
Two other states widen the door slightly at one company. Hertz lists Alabama and Nebraska as states where it rents to drivers as young as 19, separate from the New York and Michigan mandates.1Hertz. Age Restrictions and Exceptions
Here’s where each major company sets its floor:
- Hertz rents at 20 nationwide, dropping to 18 in New York and Michigan and 19 in Alabama and Nebraska.1Hertz. Age Restrictions and Exceptions
- Enterprise rents at 21 nationwide, dropping to 18 in New York and Michigan. Government employees on official orders can rent at 18 in any state.2Enterprise Rent-A-Car. What Are Your Age Requirements for Renting
- Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Sixt use a 21 minimum in most states, with the same New York and Michigan exceptions.
- Dollar sets its minimum at 20 in most locations.
If you’re 19 and you aren’t in one of those four states or traveling on government orders, no traditional counter will hand you keys. Skip to the Turo and Zipcar section.
What It Will Cost You
Being allowed to rent isn’t the same as being charged a normal rate. Every major agency adds a daily young renter fee for drivers under 21, and the numbers are large enough to reshape your budget.
Enterprise charges $36.50 per day in Michigan and $64.75 per day in New York for drivers 18 to 20.2Enterprise Rent-A-Car. What Are Your Age Requirements for Renting Over a seven-day rental in New York, that’s about $453 tacked onto the base rate before taxes. Hertz and the other majors charge comparable amounts, though the exact figure varies by location and vehicle class. The fee is a per-day line item on the invoice and it isn’t negotiable at the counter.
Once you hit 21, the surcharge at most companies drops to roughly $15 to $30 a day, and it disappears at 25. At 19, you’re in the most expensive age bracket the industry recognizes.
Waivers Worth Knowing About
USAA members eligible for USAA insurance can rent from Hertz, Avis, and Budget with the underage driver fee waived for ages 18 through 24. Enterprise, Alamo, and National also participate in the USAA program, but their fee waiver only starts at 21.3USAA. USAA Member Car Rental Discounts AAA membership waives the Hertz young renter fee only for members 20 to 24, so it does nothing for you at 19.4AAA National. AAA Exclusive Car Rental Deals
Without a USAA connection, there’s no widely available program that eliminates the fee at a traditional counter.
Turo and Zipcar for Everyone Else
Peer-to-peer platforms operate outside the traditional rental industry’s age floors and are usually the only path for a 19-year-old outside the four states listed above.
Turo takes bookings starting at 18, which makes it the most broadly accessible option. You’ll pay a young driver fee that varies by trip length and other factors, and you can’t book vehicles with a total market value over $20,000 until you turn 21.5Turo Support. Booking a Car That cap steers you toward older or more modest cars, but it’s still access.
Zipcar’s rules for members under 21 are narrower. University members can use Zipcar vehicles, but only those located on their campus or at other locations their school has specifically arranged with Zipcar.6Zipcar. Rules of Vehicle Use If your college participates, it works well for local errands and short trips. It won’t get you across a state line.
Government and Military Travel
Active-duty service members and government employees traveling on official orders can rent at 18 from participating companies under the U.S. Government Rental Car Program, regardless of which state they’re in.2Enterprise Rent-A-Car. What Are Your Age Requirements for Renting Bring the travel orders to the counter. If the company still applies a young driver fee for renters 18 to 20, it’s reimbursable through the Defense Travel Management Office.7Defense Travel Management Office. Rental Car Program
This exception is limited to official travel. Personal trips don’t qualify for the government rate or the fee waiver, even if you’re in uniform.
What to Bring When You’re 19
Your license needs to have been active for at least one year. A newly issued license or a learner’s permit won’t get you a car. If you carry your own auto insurance, bring proof; otherwise plan on buying a collision damage waiver at the counter, typically $15 to $30 per day on top of the young driver surcharge.
A major credit card in your own name is by far the smoothest way to pay. The company places a hold of roughly $200 to $500 to cover damage and incidentals, and that hold ties up your available credit until you return the car. Debit cards are accepted at some locations, but the paperwork gets heavier. Enterprise, for instance, asks debit users at most non-airport locations to produce a utility bill with no past-due balance plus a secondary document like a cell phone bill or paycheck, dated within the last 30 days, showing your current address. If your bills run through a parent or you live in a dorm, that stack is hard to assemble.
Insurance Gotchas
Your own auto policy usually extends the same coverage to a rental. If your personal policy doesn’t include collision or comprehensive, those gaps travel with you. If you’re listed on a parent’s policy, whether the rental is covered depends on the specific policy terms, so call the insurer before you show up. With no auto insurance at all, the rental company will supply state-minimum liability, which pays for damage you do to other people and their property but not to the rental car itself.
Vehicles You Can’t Rent Yet
Even where you can rent, what you can drive is limited. Expect to be capped at economy, compact, and mid-size sedans, plus some standard SUVs and minivans.8SIXT. Young Driver Car Rental Luxury and specialty categories require the renter to be at least 25. So do 15-passenger vans at Avis and most competitors, which catches a lot of group road trips off guard.9Avis Rent A Car. Save On 15-Passenger Van Rental For a van, you’ll need someone 25 or older to be the primary renter.