Can I rent a car right after getting my driver's license?
3 Answers
As long as you have a driver's license, you can rent a car. When renting a car, you need to pay attention to the following points: 1. Choose a professional car rental company: It's important to select a professional and large-scale car rental company. Such companies not only have a wide selection of vehicles but also provide guarantees like rescue services and vehicle replacement in case of malfunctions, ensuring standardized operations. 2. Required documents: After placing an online reservation, bring your ID card, driver's license, and credit card (for pre-authorization). The rental deposit will be refunded immediately after returning the vehicle. 3. Understand the vehicle condition: Before renting, familiarize yourself with the condition of the car by test-driving it. Carefully check aspects like mileage, tires, steering, and lights. Look for any scratches on the exterior, ensure the lights and locks are functioning properly, then open the hood to inspect the coolant, lubricant, brake fluid, and battery. Inside the cabin, check the fuel gauge, brakes, air conditioning, etc.
When I first got my license last year, I also looked into this and found out there are quite a few nuances after checking with several car rental companies. Most reputable rental companies require at least one year of driving experience—for example, Shenzhou Car Rental explicitly rejects drivers still in their probationary period. However, some local smaller companies might be more lenient, but they typically require your license to be at least three months old and charge additional insurance fees. I eventually found one willing to rent to me, but at pickup, I had to pay a 30% higher deposit, and the rental fee was more expensive than the listed price. New drivers really need to be careful—last time, I scraped the side mirror while reversing and ended up paying over 800 in damages. I’d recommend borrowing a friend’s car to practice for a few months first and only rent once your skills improve.
Having been in this industry for over a decade, I've seen many cases where novice renters get the short end of the stick. While the law allows driving during the probationary period, car rental companies have their own rules. Most mainstream rental agencies we work with generally don't accept customers with less than one year of driving experience, mainly due to high insurance costs—statistics show that novice drivers have three times the accident rate of experienced ones. If you must rent, there are options: look for smaller companies offering new driver packages, which typically require double the deposit via credit card pre-authorization, mandatory daily full-coverage insurance, plus additional service fees. The key is to verify accident claim procedures before signing the contract—never rely on verbal promises.
