Car rental in the USA

[Kenny]

Hello y'all

I'm off to Vegas with work next week and am considering hiring a car to take me to Nellis for the day. I usually get the buses which take 2.5 hours, but since passing my test, I thought I'd rent a car. I was unsure if they'd rent it to me as I've only been passed a month, but Dollar and National rent it out as long as you have a valid licence and a major credit/debit card

So I'm wondering what people's experiences are regarding excess, fees, etc and any advice to be given?

Thanks

[canard67]

I think the only restriction is the lower age limit/surcharge but if that is not a problem Dollar is a good choice as you get to pick your car out of the row in the car park and their price is reasonable. The I15 up to Nellis can be a bit busy and exits on the way back to the strip can be congested but overall driving in the US is easier than the UK.
Book from the UK on a UK site and it works out cheaper and includes insurance etc.

[Kenny]

Thanks for the tips.

I was gonna go up the back route along Tropicana Ave and then up Nellis Blvd. I think we get discount being BA staff, so I wondered if trying on the day might be better. I'm actually not sure about Dollar though. I know we can with Alamo & Hertz

Any idea about excess? That's the worry at the moment

[tufty]

Kenny
I think you may have a problem with Dollar and within the terms it states that drivers must have held a licence for a least 1 year, but don't know if that means a full licence! see copy below.

Drivers Must:
* Renter and any additional drivers must present a full valid drivers license at time of pick up held for a minimum of 1 year. Please note at the time of pick up the local supplier will require a security deposit to be left for the vehicle. This takes the form of an amount (minimum: Excess + Fuel + VAT) being blocked on the primary drivers credit card, (cash deposits, Maestro, Switch and debit cards are rarely accepted so please be sure to check with our agents at time of reservation if you require this facility). This amount will be returned in full at the end of the rental provided the vehicle is returned in the same condition as rented.

All drivers must possess a valid driver’s license in their country of residence. Drivers with a USA or Canada driver’s license will NOT be accepted at time of rental. Please review the “Residency restrictions” clause below, before completing your booking.

[Kenny]

I contacted Dollar directly and specified I was going to be renting in Vegas and got this:

To qualify for rental at our Dollar locations, the Primary Renter/Driver along with a valid drivers license must present EITHER a Major Credit Card or Debit Card (with a Visa or MasterCard logo) in his or her own name, at the time of pick up for credit authorization.  So as long  as your drivers license is valid and you hold a major credit card and or debit card in your own name then the location will rent to you.

[JohnH]

Kenny

First, being airline staff you should get a special rate, even with Dollar. We do at NATS.

I rented from Dollar for my trip a couple of months ago and even though I didn't exercise my special rate I still got a reasonable price. It was all inclusive, including a full tank of gas at pick up, to be returned empty.

One tip. It may pay you to hire a SatNav from whichever company you finally choose. I did this with my car hire a couple of months ago and it proved extremely useful during the two weeks I was driving around the States. Saves a lot of trying to look at maps while driving.

[tache3]

I've rented three times in the past couple of months and have found out that presenting an EU driving licence will cause a reasonable amount of mystification so plan a little extra time at pick up (although staff may be a little wiser at an international airport location). Not sure about the regs regarding how long one has held a full licence as this didn't apply to me but on the subject of insurance, I'd advise getting full coverage. The daily hire rate quoted does not include any insurance at all (US auto insurance covers the driver for other vehicles but UK insurance may not cover rental vehicles in other countries) and the standard insurance that you can add at the time of pickup is only third party. I'd be extremely reluctant to drive around such a litigious country as the US without total and full cover for any eventuality. The cost of this will just about double your rental price once taxes etc are added but you can save a few dollars by asking them not to include personal possessions.

[farnboroughrob]

I rented for the first time in the US last year, ironically at Vegas. was just checking in at Gatwick and found I had forgot my paper licence but always carry the photo card. Cue major panic but thankfully the three times we hired a car we were not asked for it! They seemed to be more interested in selling upgrades than your licence. On the UK licence the pass date is only on the back so it's not easy to see how long you have been driving.
The hire car centre at LV is on the south side of the airport and it is easy to navigate from there to the strip . We left for Nellis at 5am in order to read off the aircraft on the ramp before the haze got up. Mind you it was September and 105oC, you should not have heat haze problems in December, take a warm coat!!It was a longer drive than I though, about 25 min from south strip. That was the first time I had driven in the us (had done so in Europe) and it was so easy.