Driving a rented car in the U.S. as a 23 year old with a german driver's license

Question

I know it will most likely depend on the specific rules of the rental company, but is it generally possible in the U.S. for a 23 year old person with a german driver's license to either

1. rent a car themselves or
2. drive a car, that a friend of the age 25 or older rented

Furthermore, I read that additional surcharges may be applied, if a driver is under the age of 25. So is it allowed, to let a friend who is over the age of 25 rent the car, but then let someone drive who is under the age of 25, to get around the surcharges? If so, what would that mean regarding insurance of the car for the duration of the rental?

tl;dr:

Basically, my question is: Is someone else other than the renter usually also allowed to drive the car and if so, regarding the surcharges is the driver or the renter the relevant party here?

Furthermore, would I need an international driver's license for renting and/or driving or would the german one suffice?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer 1

rent a car themselves or

Yes. Every rental website will ask for your age and in most cases they will give you car. They may charge you extra for it, but that's it. I had no problem finding cars for a 23 year old on Avis (which was the only one I tried)

drive a car, that a friend of the age 25 or older rented

Any additional driver will have to be registered and almost all rental companies charge extra for a second driver. That charge may depend on the age of the driver. Put your info in the website and see what you get.

Furthermore, would I need an international driver's license for renting and/or driving or would the german one suffice?

The german one is fine.

to get around the surcharges?

You can not get around the surcharge since all driver must be listed and paid for. Keep in mind the official renter is typically the ONLY person that is allowed to pick and drop off the car, so the 25-year old has to be show up in person (with their credit card).

... what would that mean regarding insurance of the car for the duration of the rental?

Insurance is good topic to research carefully. It's one of the biggest money makers for rental car companies and they try to sneak it in at the last minute at extortionary prices. This can easily double your rental price ! Rules around this are quite complicated and I recommend reading terms and conditions very carefully. Often you are covered through your primary insurance in Germany (if you have one) and/or through the credit card but that depends a lot on the details.