Can you rent a Car with a Suspended License? Policy for 2023

No! You cannot rent a car with a suspended license. Driving a car with a suspended license is considered a criminal offense in the US. In case, if you are found driving a car without holding a valid driving license you might have to pay penalties including fines and jail.

In States, your driving license is not considered valid if it is suspended or restricted. Hence, if you are searching for can you rent a car with a suspended license? then you are not entitled to rent or drive a car. Rental companies aligning with government rules, will not allow you to rent a car with a suspended license.

Rental car companies follow the state\’s federal law in the US and hence no car rental company will offer suspended license holders to legally drive a car.

If authorities found anybody driving a rented car with a suspended license, the company would end up caught in legal trouble. However, you might as well end up paying heavy penalties and it may also get your license revoked permanently.

In case while driving with a suspended license and you get involved in an accident you can be charged with a criminal offence.

What is a Suspended License?

Renters often ask the rental company what they think about this query; “can you rent a car with a suspended license?”, because there are many reasons why a renter’s driver’s license could be suspended.

There are various reasons why a renter’s driving license got suspended. The reason is when a driver is ignorant about the traffic rules or commits a legal traffic offense, the Department of motor vehicles(DMV) in such cases suspends the driver’s license. This means the drivers cannot legally drive a vehicle.

Travelers with expired, suspended, and revoked driving licenses are not allowed to drive individual cars or rent a vehicle from a rental company. To legally drive a vehicle, you need to hold a valid government-issued document. If your driving license is in any of these categories, you will need to either get your license renewed or pay penalties to get your license back. It is essential to drive safely and legally, according to the rule; it is established by authorities.

License Suspension Reasons

If you are still curious to know, “Can you rent a car with a suspended license?” then please consider the list of reasons for your license suspension?

License suspensions due to driving

Driving without insurance
Driving under the influence (DUI)
Reckless driving

License suspension due to Finance

Missing child support payments
Failure to pay for traffic tickets
Failure to pay financial obligations from an accident
The subject of a civil suit from an accident
Failure to pay student loans (in Iowa, Montana, and Oklahoma)

Other reasons for license suspension

Illegal use of a license
Excessive points on your license.
Fleeing from a police officer
Failure to appear in court on time
Missing school for a learner permit and driver\’s license.

Can You Rent a Car with a Restricted License

Can You Rent a Car with a Restricted Licence

No! In most cases, you can’t rent a car. However, many car rental companies will allow you to rent a car if your license is not suspended, expired, revoked, or invalid.

Many car rental companies in the US allow a restricted license to rent a car, but it is important to note your query on whether can you rent a car with a restricted license. Not in all states you will get a permit to drive with a restricted license. For this, you may need to contact them before your trip and coordinate with the supplier to know if they allow car rental on a restricted license and in what situations and conditions.

However, if you are allowed to rent a car, you must have a valid driver’s license, a credit card, and insurance, and usually minimum age considered by rental companies to rent a car is 25.

You must own a valid driving license, please do not carry a photocopy with you. Car rental companies before renting perform DMV check on the renter’s driving license to check if the license if valid, not expired, revoked, or suspended.

What is a Restricted License?

A restricted driver\’s license is a type of driving license that comes with many restrictions on where and when a person can drive his car. A restricted driver\’s license is different from a regular driver’s license as it places specific rules and restrictions on the driver. These licenses are only given in some special situations. However, people who are curious to know, can you rent a car with a restricted license are granted some special occasions when they can drive their car: –

For their work-related purpose.
To seek immediate medical attention, or attend doctor’s appointments.
For their court hearings or counseling appointments.
People who are responsible for taking a child to school or transporting a dependent to a caregiver.

Note: Restricted licenses are evaluated on an incident basis, and some limitations and conditions may differ according to individual circumstances.

What Policies of Rental Car Companies with Restricted and Suspended licenses?

In States, most rental companies won’t be able to rent you a car if your answer to “Can you rent a car with a suspended license? is Yes!”, if you don’t have a valid license as restricted license is legally not permitted to drive.

The following information will give you insights into how major car rental companies in the US handle driver\’s licenses:

Budget: All renters at Budget are required to have a current driver\’s license.
Enterprise: Enterprise does not accept learner\’s permits or temporary licenses because it checks the renter\’s license from their home state.
Avis: At the time of rental and throughout the rental period, Avis requires drivers to have valid license.
Thrifty: Thrifty does accept temporary licenses, but renters must present a valid driver\’s license at the time of rental.
Hertz: Hertz demands a valid driver\’s permit from the tenant\’s home state or country to be introduced during the rental interaction.
Dollar: At the time of rental, all tenants must present a valid driver\’s license, and Dollar will even accept temporary licenses.
National: Public rental company requires a legitimate official driver\’s permit with an unmistakable image of the renter, and it should be presently valid.
Alamo: Alamo demands renters have a legitimate license and being used permit, not accepting an expired or short-term licence.
Note: It is important to contact suppliers to know more about the conditions of whether can you rent a car with a restricted license.; As these policies may vary between location and rental agreements of different companies.

Will you Need an International Driving Permit in the US?

Visitors to the United States who have non-English licenses will require an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive, but it\’s important to remember that state regulations may differ. In most cases, an IDP is not required to drive in the United States for travelers who hold licenses from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand.