State law allows you to rent, but local providers make it difficult. New York law prohibits auto rental agencies from denying the request of anyone age 18 or older solely because of age, but only if insurance for drivers that age is available. Many luxury car rental companies don’t rent to those younger than 23 or 30.
If no insurer covers 21-year-olds for Lamborghinis, then the rental company can still refuse to rent you a car. Even if insurance is available, the rental company can charge you the actual extra insurance cost. A company that violates the law knowingly can be fined up to $500.
Exotic car rental firms have their own rules. One New York City Lamborghini renter wants 23 but will also check your driving record. Another New York firm wants 24, and Hertz’s Dream Collection requires you to be 25. Peer-to-peer car rental firm Turo requires 30 for cars valued above $85,000. Payment matters, too. At Hertz’s Dream Collection, you must show a credit card in the same name as the license. Debit cards aren’t accepted at pickup. It pays to call ahead.
Full-coverage Policy
Age is only half of it. Exotic firms often require that you have a full-coverage policy (liability, comprehensive and collision) on a car in your name, transferable to the rental. If you only have liability insurance, upgrade it at least 24 hours before renting.
Your firm wants to make sure your coverage transfers to its car, so it asks for your license and your insurance papers. And some firms will check with your insurer to be sure coverage does transfer, since it doesn’t with every insurance firm. Small or obscure ones may not. Nationally known firms like State Farm, Geico, Progressive or Allstate typically will, though. Centurion and Platinum rental protection from American Express seems to satisfy some firms. But verify ahead of time.
How Much You Pay to Rent
Then there’s the money. How much you pay to rent varies by the make and model and how long you’ll have it. One New York City exotic firm says its Lamborghinis can run up to $2,500 a day. And expect to pay a damage deposit. It can run $1,000 or more. Cash is better: Unlike a card hold, it gets refunded as soon as you return the car undamaged. With a credit-card hold, you’ll typically have to wait three to five business days before your bank releases the funds. Bank holidays may extend that time.
That deposit covers small damage your insurance won’t, like scuffs to wheels or tiny dents in doors. One firm charges $300 per scuffed wheel, $500 per damaged tire and $1,000 or more for body repair. If any damage does occur, the damage money comes out of your deposit. If a wheel scuff costs $300, and if you filed a claim with your insurer, you could end up losing more by paying a higher premium when you renew the policy. These cars are worth $75,000 to $500,000. One firm sees a direct link between how high the deposit is and how carefully you drive the car, so it urges you to treat the car like your own.
Timing rules, too, can surprise. Some firms won’t allow hourly rentals, since there’s too much demand for whole days. One exotic firm has a two-day minimum on weekends, three on holiday weekends like July 4th. But it allows one-day rentals, usually Monday through Thursday, when demand drops. Why the minimums? A single-day weekend booking can mean turning down a two- or three-day weekend rental request and the significantly more revenue that goes with it. If a car is still free that Friday to Sunday, they may offer one day.
A big note about booking: It’s a commitment. One New York exotic-car rental firm keeps a non-refundable 10% holding deposit once you book, but you can cancel the whole thing without an extra penalty if you do so with at least two weeks’ notice. Any early returns or bad weather means you don’t get any refund.
Exotic car rental firms also watch the miles. One New York firm includes 125 free miles per day, while another allows 100 every 24 hours. Overshoot those free miles, and it can hurt. At the first firm, that can cost $2.50 to $6.95 extra per mile, depending on the car.
So, if you’re 21 and up for this, contact your auto insurance company about adding full coverage to your policy first. Then call exotic-car rental firms in the city, or elsewhere. One Miami exotic car rental firm rents Lamborghinis at 21, Urus or Huracán from $1,295 a day. This may not be uniform. Another Miami exotic-car rental firm, at least, wants anyone renting a Lamborghini to be 25 with a clean record. Plus, Florida adds $2 a day for the first 30 days.