Mike Carroll of Leominster was helping his son organize a trip to San Francisco in mid-June to watch the Red Sox play the Giants when he ran into a brick wall.
The flight out was no problem and he was able to get tickets for his son and a friend to two of the series' three games. But an excursion to Pebble Beach wasn't so easy to arrange as Carroll's usual rental car company, Avis, said it wouldn't rent to anyone under 25. Greg Carroll is 24.
''I find this rather incredible," his dad said in an e-mail seeking advice. ''I expected renters under a certain age might have to pay a premium, but never expected that they just cannot rent cars period. It sounds like age discrimination to me."
Avis is not alone. Hertz and Budget also have policies prohibiting rentals to anyone under 25, except in certain special situations or in certain states. New York, for example, has a law requiring companies to rent to drivers under 25, who can be assessed surcharges. According to Hertz, Michigan has a similar law.
Exceptions are also often made for so-called underage drivers who are renting as part of a corporation's discount program or on official business for the US government.
''Insurance statistics demonstrate that persons under the age of 25 pose significantly higher risk of accidents involving personal injury and property damage," said Alice Pereira, a spokeswoman for Avis.
''Based on this data, we have made a business decision in managing our liability exposure."
Hertz follows a similar policy. ''As a self-insurer, Hertz must bear the risk for these drivers," the company's policy says.
''This is a burden that Hertz cannot bear and, for competitive reasons, neither can nor should be borne by all of its other renters."
Not all insurers shy away from youthful drivers, however. In most big cities, it's fairly easy to find as many as a half-dozen companies that will rent to someone under 25 and cover the added risk by assessing a daily insurance surcharge on the driver.
In smaller, out-of-the-way locations, however, younger drivers may be out of luck.
Most of the companies that do rent to younger drivers generally won't let them take advantage of special discounts, and many refuse to rent them expensive car models like convertibles, sports cars, and sport utility vehicles.
For a young driver looking to rent a car, it probably makes sense to go to an online travel agent like Orbitz, Travelocity, or Expedia and find the best rate available for the desired dates of travel. Then check to see whether the company offering the rate also rents to drivers under 25 and what their daily surcharge is.
It takes a little time sorting through the options, but the checking process can be done through the travel agent websites.
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