The car hire for novice drivers is possible, depending on the company with which we hire rental service. Unfortunately, there is no general regulation when defining the car rental of a new driver, so it is each company that is responsible for defining the minimum age and conditions.
In this case, we analyze the usual conditions and obligations derived from renting a car for 18, 19, or 20 years.
What is the minimum age to rent a car?
The minimum age to rent a vehicle is 18 years old; the law allows renting a vehicle from the day we obtain the license. However, it does not oblige companies to allow new drivers to rent their fleet; that’s why many companies apply restrictions to inexperienced drivers.
In any case, the legal minimum age to rent a car in Lahore or any other city is 18 years old; when a person is of legal age and has obtained a type B card, they will be allowed to request a car rental service anywhere of the national territory.
Rent a vehicle with less than a year of license
As we said, some car rental companies apply some restrictions since the Law allows it. The most common is that these companies put conditions in relation to the age of the driver. However, others take into account previous experience.
There are car rental companies that do not allow the rental of their vehicles with less than one year of experience. Car rental with less than one year of the license is not allowed by some companies, which see a very high risk in this type of rental.
Requirements to rent a car with 18, 19, or 20 years
The companies that do allow the rental of vehicles to novice drivers usually require a series of conditions from the owner, the most common are the following:
• To be over 18 years old
• Have a valid type B card
• Have a valid credit card
• Paying a surcharge for being a young driver
Obviously, the first three requirements are common to any driver requesting a vehicle rental, however, the fourth condition is applicable only to novice drivers.
The rental companies that allow renting vehicles to people of 18, 19, or 20 years old usually apply a dangerous clause that slightly increases the rental price, although surcharges can also be applied to the deposit or force the driver to take out special insurance.
Restriction of vehicles to novice drivers
Another very common case is the rental restrictions of certain vehicles. Many companies veto certain types of vehicles to people with little experience, dividing their fleet into vehicles allowed at any age, vehicles available from 21 years with at least two years of experience, and vehicles from 25 years with at least three years of experience.
It is very important that you check the availability of vehicles before making the rental if you are not over 25 years old and want to rent a car.
Recommendations for novice drivers before renting
Our main advice is that you compare several companies before renting; as we said, rental cases in novice drivers are not regulated, and therefore, each company applies its own rules and conditions, so it is important that you make sure that The company allows you to rent a vehicle with your age and experience, as well as the surcharges that may apply to you for being a new driver.
In any case, always reject abusive clauses; some companies take advantage of the inexperience of some drivers to raise rental rates indiscriminately.
What insurance to hire if I rent a car as a new driver
If you rent a vehicle when you are 18, 19, or 20 years old, or you do not have at least two years of experience at the wheel, you will surely have to pay a supplement or take out an insurance policy that is more expensive than the usual ones.
As we saw, there are companies that establish a minimum age to rent a car. Sometimes, the minimum rental age for a car is 20 years old; in other cases, the car rental for young people of 19 years establishes the minimum age, not being able to rent people of 18 years, in these cases, it is impossible to ensure the service since the rental company itself prohibits it.
For cases in which the company provides rental cars to new people, the insurance offers they offer are the same as those over 20 years of age. You have from the most basic policy with third-party insurance to full risk. We always recommend taking the full risk, even if it is an increase in the final price, it is always cheaper than if you have an incident and you have to pay the expenses yourself.