Language: English
Guides to the rental desk rules: what documents to bring, the minimum and young driver age, paying by debit or credit card and adding a second driver.
Guides: 4
To rent a car, bring a valid licence held over 1 year, a photo ID and a card in the main driver's name. Here is each step from booking to return.
HyreCar Editorial TeamUpdated Oct 27, 20267 min read
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Most problems at a rental desk start before the trip: a licence the desk does not accept, a driver too young for the car class, a debit card where the company asks for a credit card, or a second driver who was never added to the contract. These guides take those rules one at a time and explain them before you book.
The guides under Age and documents cover what to bring to the desk, the minimum age to rent a car and what drivers under 25 often pay on top of the price. The guides under Payment and drivers cover renting with a debit card, how a deposit is held on a card and who is allowed to drive the car you rented.
The rules come in two layers. National law decides which licences are valid and how old a person must be to drive at all. Each rental company then adds its own conditions in its rental terms, and those conditions differ from company to company and sometimes from one car class to the next. Where a guide states a rule, it names the body that sets it. Where the answer depends on the company, it says so and shows which part of the rental terms to read.
For a single destination, the country page sums up its driving rules in short form. These guides explain one rule in depth and compare it across countries. Use the topic buttons below to narrow the list.
Newest first. Narrow down by subtopic:
Payment and driversCan I rent a car for someone else? Not really: only drivers named in the contract may drive, and many companies ask for 2 years with a full licence.
HyreCar Editorial TeamOct 27, 20268 min read
Age and documentsThe standard EU car licence age is 18, but many rental companies set a higher minimum and charge drivers under 25 extra. Here is how the two rules fit.
HyreCar Editorial TeamOct 27, 20268 min read
Age and documentsTo rent a car, bring a valid licence held over 1 year, a photo ID and a card in the main driver's name. Here is each step from booking to return.
HyreCar Editorial TeamOct 27, 20267 min read
Payment and driversCan you rent a car with a debit card? Some companies allow it, but 76% of Irish renters had to show a credit card for the security hold. How it works.
HyreCar Editorial TeamOct 27, 20267 min read
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No. The pattern is similar, but each country's law decides which driving licences are valid there, and each rental company adds its own conditions on age, cards and deposits. Two companies at the same airport can ask for different things, so the rental terms of the offer you book are the ones that count at the desk.
Both. The law of the country sets the floor, such as the licences it accepts from foreign drivers. The rental company sets the rest in its rental terms, for example a minimum age above the legal driving age, a minimum time since the licence was issued, or a credit card for the deposit.
Before you pay. The terms list the age limits, accepted cards, deposit, documents and extra driver fees for that exact offer. Read at the desk, they leave no time to fix a missing document, a card in the wrong name or a second driver who was never added to the booking.