Topic 7: Renting a Car in Los Angeles for Under 21 Year-Olds

By  //  October 5, 2022

If you are traveling to Los Angeles, California, and do not want to use the cumbersome public transport, renting a car is the way to go. Whether you are from the United States or abroad, renting a vehicle is a relatively easy process that will save you from all the inconveniences faced by public transport which aren’t that popular here.

Under 21 car rental Los Angeles services are always available for those who are ready to get a vehicle and drive right away from a required spot or airport. Renting a proper car, however, requires a few things to be put together on your part. Only when you are completely set will you be able to enjoy the safe driving experience of Los Angeles. Let’s check the main points you can take into account when renting a car in LA, according to Carngo.

Tips on how to rent a car

Beyond the convenience of driving at your own time, under 21 car rental Los Angeles services give those in this category a few other advantages:

 For starters, let’s start with the convenience and freedom;

It gives you a certain sense of comfort because you don’t have to think about rubbing elbows with other people on a bus, for example.

It is also a lot cheaper than using public transport during the duration of your stay.

The rates at rental companies operate on a per-day basis as well as the allotted time. They do not change irrespective of the distance and time spent. This contrasts with using a taxi, which could be as much as ten times as expensive.

Yes, there is just certain freedom that comes with driving on your own. The feeling that young drivers under the age of 21 long for but cannot get by using public transport.

The Los Angeles car rental process

Before you even arrive in Los Angeles, the entire renting process must already be figured out and finalized. This way, there will be no problems between you and the rental company you are doing business with.

The rental process will always consist of two parts; meeting all the requirements, and the actual process. With these two things figured out, all that will be left is for you to pick up the car at the dealership.

Meeting all the requirements 

As you travel to Los Angeles from any place, be it within the US or from outside, there are a few things drivers need to have. Including several essential documents that every dealer should ask for. Failure to meet these requirements and provide any of these documents will result in the denial of your request to rent a car. In fact, without the following requirements, you will not even be able to move forward in the process.

The age limit 

In the past, renting a car in the US required you to be at least 25 years old. It was possible to rent a car at a younger age, but that would incur fees in addition to your rental agreement.

The younger you were, the higher the fees you would receive. Meaning that the youngest age at which you could rent a car was 21. Since then age limit has dropped to 20, which is now the consensus age limit for car rentals. However, renting a car at this age will bring about some extra fees, so you have to expect that.

An international driving license 

This requirement is probably the most obvious aspect of getting a car rental agreement from a dealer, as you will need to drive the vehicle around. However, there is more to it than that. For starters, the license has to be valid, meaning it has not expired.

International visitors’ licenses have to be in working order and have translations to English if said person is from a country that doesn’t speak the language. An International driving permit will most likely suffice if a license is unavailable.

Additional documents

These are usually for visitors from abroad, who will need to be said documents at all times. The passport, for example, is the most important document foreign visitors can have as it is their main form of Identification.  Other related documents will also be required of you, including an assortment of visas.

Credit card

In Los Angeles as well as the entire US, all car rental companies will only accept payment in the form of credit cards. As such, all other forms of payment will fall by the wayside, so you must ensure that your credit is good. International visitors will pretty much go through the same thing, except the process is longer if their bank is foreign.

Final process

With all the above things in order, you can finally rent the car. Fortunately, online platforms allow you to compare multiple dealerships and find the one that meets your standards. With the dealer set, you can choose the right car, figure out the duration in which you will have it, sort out the insurance aspect, and pay the allotted rent, usually paid per day.

Once all these things are settled, you have to make a copy of the rental agreement to ensure that upon arrival at the airport, the proof of the deal is in hand. Finally, all that will be left now is for you to drive off with the car.

Conclusion

The internet has made the process easier for those under 21 year-olds who have to pay an additional fee for renting a vehicle. Whoever is seeking a rental car needs to be prepared even before the rental agreement is signed. A further example of this is that for navigation to be considered a requirement, the vehicle has to have it.

International visitors have to purchase local sim cards to ensure that they have functioning communication. All of this means that you have to be prepared from when you rent the car to when you return it.