John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions For Visitors To The USA And Canada - Where can I drive a rented car?

Most US car rental operators allow you to drive anywhere in the main part of the USA, except perhaps in Manhattan Island (in New York City).

Most car rental companies include clauses in their rental agreements forbidding you from driving their vehicles on unpaved roads, although in road construction (road works) areas you cannot possibly avoid doing this. Driving on an unpaved road will void CDW/LDW and all insurance.

Most car rental operators allow you to drive into Canada and back again, but you do need to check this since some do not allow it. I believe that Dollar may not allow it. We have taken a rental car from the USA into Canada and back into the USA on several occasions without any problems.

None of the car rental operators allow you to take their cars into Mexico. Some may not allow you to drive into Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and/or Alaska. US and Canadian citizens who wish to take their own cars into Mexico have to make special arrangements with insurance brokers in the southwest of the USA; this is the main reason why car rental companies won't let you take their cars into Mexico.

If you plan to drive a car rented in Canada into the USA and back again, check that this is ok with the car rental company. Sverker Forsberg of Uppsala, Sweden, kindly sent me this message:

I noticed you mentioning that you don't know whether it is possible to drive a car rented in Canada in the USA. My wife and I did this in 1992. We rented a car in Toronto (Avis or Hertz, I can't remember) and drove it mostly in USA (as far as California) and when needed we also got the service we required from the rental company. We returned the car to Toronto.
If you pick up a rental car from one location and return it to another then the company will normally impose a "drop-off" charge. This will depend on the distance between the two places, and can be a considerable sum. In some cases there is no drop-off charge made between two places in the same state, especially within Florida and between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but you would need to check this carefully.

Companies who rent RV's (recreational vehicles, motorhomes) often impose more restrictions regarding where their vehicles can be driven. For example, many prohibit taking their vehicles through Death Valley.

There's a lot more information on the Car Rental page.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.
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Most recently modified 26-Mar-01