Rental car age limits

If you're age 69 or older and planning to rent a car in Europe this summer, make sure you find an agency that allows you to rent and drive a car. A reader recently raised this question:

"I am 73 years old, with an excellent driving record; I am planning to visit Europe next summer, and I will need a rental car to get to some places I want to see. I have heard that I may not be able to rent a car from the larger rental agencies because of my age. Is this true? And is there an age limit on the option of buying a car, using it for a few weeks, then reselling it to the leasing agency?"

For most of Europe, my reader will be in luck. According to the latest compilation I could find, senior travelers of any age can rent cars in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

A few countries, however, impose constraints on some senior travelers:

• Denmark: Some rental agencies impose a maximum age of 80.
• Czech Republic, Greece: Some rental agencies impose a maximum age of 70.
• Poland, Slovakia, and Turkey: Some rental agencies apply an age limit of 70 to some car classes.
• U.K.: Some rental agencies apply an extra fee for travelers age 70 or older; some rental agencies apply a maximum age limit of 69 on some car classes.

And rental agencies in three countries ban some senior driving entirely: In Ireland (Republic), some rental agencies apply an extra fee for travelers age 70 or older; travelers over 75 can't rent at all. In Israel, travelers over age 75 can't rent at all, and in Romania, the cut-off age is 70.

Even if you qualify by virtue of age, however, approval to rent is always contingent on an evaluation of your apparent ability to drive safely and possibly a check of your driving records. If a rental agent concludes that you are likely to have problems driving due to age (or for any other reason), he or she can deny access to a rental car. (That condition, by the way, applies to rentals anywhere, not just in Europe.)

Except in the three countries with absolute limits (Ireland, Israel, and Romania), you can probably arrange a rental regardless of your age. However, you may be limited to some rental companies and you may not be able to rent all kinds of cars.

As far as I can tell, age limits apply to renting, not driving. If you rent in a country without an age limit, you can drive into an adjacent country that does have a limit, provided your rental contract allows such cross-border trips. Check to make sure.

Hertz, Avis, and other big multinationals have told me they have no corporate age limits anywhere, but that some local franchisees may establish limits. And be careful of discount websites that may not be able to get the right info on senior rentals.

Clearly, given these circumstances, it's critical that you make sure you're eligible to rent before you make final arrangements. Nothing could be worse than arriving at the rental counter, planning to start a driving tour, only to be told, "Sorry, you're too old." When you reserve, make sure to give your age to the agent (or enter it on the website).

If you aren't sure about an online agency, consider renting through Auto Europe, a wholesaler that contracts with many suppliers. Spokespeople tell me it can usually arrange deals with agencies that will rent to older seniors.

And, as my reader indicated, the "French lease" buyback program imposes no maximum age limit. However, it's expensive for rentals of less than three weeks, and you have to pay stiff fees for delivery and return outside France.