What you need to rent a car in the US

Driving licence

The main driver must present a valid, unexpired driving licence in their own name at the counter, physically — a photo of it on your phone is not accepted. The licence must have been held for a minimum period, commonly one year, and must not be provisional, learner or restricted.

Visitors from outside the United States may generally rent on a valid licence from their home country. If that licence is not in English or does not use the Latin alphabet, carry an International Driving Permit alongside it — the IDP is a translation, never a substitute for the licence itself. A small number of locations require an IDP regardless of language; tell us where you are licensed and we will confirm before you book.

Most suppliers also ask to see your passport, and many ask international renters for return travel details.

Driver age and young-driver surcharges

The usual minimum age at US suppliers is 21, and in most states drivers aged 21 to 24 pay a young-driver surcharge charged per rental day by the supplier. The surcharge is real money over a two-week trip, and it is a common reason a quoted "daily rate" bears little resemblance to the final bill.

• Drivers 21–24 are commonly restricted to smaller classes — premium, luxury, full-size SUV, specialty and convertible categories are often excluded outright
• A few states set different minimums, and a limited number of locations rent from 18 under extra conditions
• Some corporate and military rates waive the surcharge entirely; if you may be eligible, say so when you request the quote

Tell your agent the main driver’s age at quote stage. If we know it, the surcharge is inside the total you are shown rather than a number you meet at the counter.

Payment cards

Bring a physical credit card in the main driver’s name if you possibly can. It is the most widely accepted method, across the widest range of classes, and usually attracts the smallest deposit. A card in a spouse’s or parent’s name will not be accepted, even with them present.

Debit card rentals

Debit cards are a common reason a rental fails at the counter. Policy is set per supplier and frequently per location. Depending on where you are picking up, you may face any combination of:

• A larger security deposit than a credit card would attract
• A credit check at the counter, which some suppliers run before releasing a car
• Proof of return travel — a printed or digital onward flight itinerary in your name
• Additional identification, sometimes two forms, sometimes including a recent utility bill
• Restrictions on which classes you may rent, with premium and large SUVs commonly excluded
• An outright refusal, most often at airport locations

Prepaid cards, virtual cards and cash are not accepted as the pickup payment method at the overwhelming majority of US locations, whatever they may be accepted for at return.

If you will not have a credit card in the main driver’s name, tell us before we book. This is a rule we confirm with the specific location in writing, because arriving to a refusal is expensive, and another supplier nearby may have different rules.

Security deposits and authorisation holds

At pickup, the supplier places an authorisation hold on your card covering the estimated rental cost plus a deposit. The amount depends on the supplier, the location, the vehicle class and your payment method; premium classes and debit cards attract the largest holds.

The hold is not a charge, but it is not free either: it reduces your available credit or, on a debit card, removes real money from your balance for the duration of the rental. Release timing is controlled by your bank, not by the rental supplier and not by Odovera, and commonly takes several business days after you return the car — longer over weekends and holidays.

We confirm the expected hold for your specific booking before you approve it, so that you can plan around it.

Additional drivers

Anyone who drives the car must be listed on the rental agreement and present their own licence at the counter. An unlisted driver behind the wheel typically voids the supplier’s coverage entirely, which is a much larger problem than the fee would have been.

Additional drivers usually carry a per-day fee. Spouses and domestic partners are exempt in some states and with some suppliers; corporate rates often include one free additional driver. Tell us who is driving and we will put them on the reservation and in the quote.

Insurance and damage waivers

Coverage is sold and underwritten by the rental supplier or a third-party insurer. Odovera does not sell insurance, is not an insurer and cannot advise you on what cover you need. What we can do is tell you what the supplier offers at your location, what each product costs per day, and what the supplier’s own terms say about your liability.

Before you travel, it is worth checking two things you may already have: your personal car insurance policy, which in the US often extends to rentals, and your credit card’s rental benefits, which frequently include collision cover when the rental is paid on that card. Many travellers buy at the counter what they already own.

Fuel policies

The standard is full-to-full: you collect a full tank and return it full, and if you do not, the supplier refuels at its own rate plus a service charge, which is almost always more expensive than the petrol station outside the airport. Prepaid fuel is convenient and only good value if you return genuinely empty. Keep the receipt from your final fill — it is the best evidence you will have in a refuelling dispute.

Electric rentals work the same way but on state of charge, and the return threshold varies by supplier. We put the EV return rule on the quote in writing.

Tolls

Large parts of Florida, Texas, the Northeast and metro Atlanta run cashless tolling with no cash lane at all. Every supplier sells a transponder product and the pricing models genuinely differ — a flat daily fee whether or not you use a toll road, a fee only on days you do, or pass-through tolls plus an administration charge per toll. On a short trip with two toll crossings, the wrong product can cost more than the tolls.

Unpaid tolls are billed to the supplier and passed to you later with an administration fee attached, so ignoring the question is the most expensive option of all. Tell us your route and we will quote the toll product alongside the car.

Mileage, borders and prohibited use

Most US rentals include unlimited mileage within the United States, but not all — specialty vehicles, some local rates and some one-ways carry caps. Cross-border travel is restricted: driving into Canada is permitted by many suppliers with prior notice, and driving into Mexico is prohibited by most outright and requires separate Mexican insurance where it is allowed at all.

Nearly every US rental agreement also prohibits driving on unpaved roads, towing without an approved package, off-road use, and taking the car onto a beach. Breaching these voids coverage. If your trip involves any of them, tell us and we will look for a supplier whose terms permit it, and tell you if we cannot find one.

One-way rentals

One-ways are widely available and the drop fee varies enormously — for the same route on the same dates, one supplier may charge nothing and another a substantial fee. This is the single case where shopping suppliers properly pays for itself, and it is exactly the work we do before quoting you.