Driving and renting a car in the Netherlands and Belgium with a license that is less than 1 year old

Question

I will be going to a festival in Belgium next year. I'm going with 3 other friends. We all hold valid driving license, but mine will be 3 days shy of 1 year since I got it (edit: i'm 28 so age is not an issue).

We will be staying at a hotel in the Netherlands and will be traveling to Belgium every day.

My friends all have licences that are over 8 years old, however they don't want to drive since they will be drinking.

I don't drink at all so the concensus it's that I will be the designated driver when we come back from the festival.

I have more practice than them behind the wheel since I drive every day. None of them owns a car or drives for that matter and I would feel safer, to be honest, if I were the one driving.

However most rental companies required a minimum of 1 year since the license was obtained.

Do you know any companies in the Netherlands (or Belgium) that would rent me a car? I didn't think it will be an issue with 3 days before the year it's up, but my friend pointed out that it might still be a problem.

This could really make or break this trip so any help would be great.

I did check the policies on all the major car companies in both the Amsterdam airport and the Brussels airport hence the question.

However I'm thinking maybe some smaller local companies might make an exception.

Answer 1

Yes, it seems that some (at least one) company makes an exception. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Autohopper, it's just the one that's around the corner from where I live.

From https://www.autohopper.nl/veelgestelde-vragen

Mag ik bij jullie een auto huren als ik nog geen 21 ben of nog geen jaar mijn rijbewijs heb?

Ja, dat kan. Een geldig rijbewijs is voldoende om een auto bij ons te huren. Dus ook als je nog maar kort je rijbewijs hebt, kan je een auto huren. Je kan alleen het eigen risico (€ 600,-) niet afkopen als je nog geen jaar je rijbewijs hebt.

Google Translate:

Can I rent a car with you if I am not 21 or have my driving license for less than a year?

Yes, that's possible. A valid driver's license is sufficient to rent a car from us. So even if you have only recently got your driving license, you can rent a car. You can not buy off the deductible / excess (€ 600) if you have your driving license for less than a year.