The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has expressed concern that arbitrary age conditions imposed by UK car hire firms are unfairly penalising some drivers.
The road safety organisation has conducted a study which revealed the UK’s leading vehicle rental companies all impose conditions or outright bans on younger drivers, even for the smallest cars. The IAM points out that while teenage drivers are a known high-risk group, that risk drops dramatically after six months driving experience and even more so for drivers in their early 20s. Government data has shown a steady decline in serious accidents involving young drivers since the turn of the millennium.
Earlier this month the IAM contacted a range of leading UK car hire firms to investigate their age limit policies. The research found that policies towards age limits drivers vary dramatically across the vehicle rental industry.
Enterprise has a minimum age policy of 25, with no exceptions, while Hertz also has a lower limit of 25 but will hire smaller cars to 23-24 year olds for a surcharge. Both Travelsupermarket and Thrifty will only insure 21-24 year olds for a surcharge, in the case of the latter this comes out at an extra £25+VAT per day. Europcar has a minimum age of 22, but this can vary from branch to branch, while National has the same minimum age limit as well as a £27.08 plus tax surcharge for under-25s. Sixt has a national lower age limit of 25, but some branches were prepared to hire a car to 21-24 year olds for an addition £36 per day. Some were even more confusing, with Avis having a minimum age of 17, with a surcharge applied to drivers aged 17-24, but the requirement for a full driving licence to have been held for three years, thereby effectively ruling out drivers aged under-20.
Conversely, very few car hire firms impose an upper age limit, or conditions on older drivers aged over 70. Enterprise, Europcar, Avis, and Sixt reported no upper age limit. National’s maximum age limit varies by location, but its upper age policy is officially for 100. For Travelsupermarket and Hertz the upper age limit is 75, although Hertz will waive this on production of a doctor’s letter and a confirmation of current car insurance, while Thrifty apply a £12+VAT surcharge on the over-70s.
The IAM feels that drivers in their early 20s with a good driving record, membership of a reputable motoring body, or who have proof of additional training, are getting a raw deal from the car hire industry.
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research for the road safety organisation, said: “We are not suggesting that inexperienced or teenage drivers should be let loose with a powerful hire car. But younger 20-somethings shouldn’t be penalised to such a degree with expensive premium charges. Safe young drivers could be a potentially fruitful market as the economy picks up. The rise in the popularity of City Car Clubs which do allow 19 year olds to drive shows that demand is out there. Car hire companies should be commissioning research and looking at their real world claims history to see if the age limit can be reduced. It’s a small part of the overall traffic mix on our roads but reviewing the age limit would remove what appears to be a fundamental unfairness for safe young people in their early twenties.”
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