Can You Rent an Exotic Car at 18?

Eighteen is the minimum age to rent from Prometheus, so yes, you can rent an exotic car at 18. You need a valid driver's license and full coverage insurance in your own name. A larger deposit may apply under 25. Nothing else is on the list of requirements.

Here is what that looks like on a Saturday in Costa Mesa. A black Lamborghini Huracan Spyder pulls up outside your apartment with the roof already down. We walk around the car with you and photograph the front bumper, the rear diffuser, and the windshield. You sign, take the key, and press the start button. The V10 starts up right behind your seat. Your license says 18, and nobody at the handoff asks about it again.

What you need at 18

The requirements don't change with your age. Here is the full list.

• You're 18 or older.
• You hold a valid driver's license. A regular Class C license from any US state works.
• You carry full coverage insurance in your own name.
• You leave a security deposit on your card. A larger deposit may apply under 25.

No special license is needed for any car in the fleet. The black Huracan Spyder makes 602 horsepower through all four wheels. It reaches 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Those numbers are the same for an 18 year old as they are for anyone else behind the wheel.

At 18, your insurance is usually harder to sort out than your age.

Whose name is on your insurance

A lot of 18 year olds are still on a parent's car insurance. Our rule asks for full coverage insurance in your own name. So the first step is a call to your insurance company before you pick a car. Ask whose name the policy is in, and then ask if it covers a rental car that isn't listed on your declarations page.

That second question is about non-owner vehicle coverage. It means your policy also covers a car you don't own. The policy also can't carry an exotic or high-value exclusion. It can't have a value cap that rules the car out either.

Once your policy checks out, the white Rolls Royce Cullinan can meet you in La Jolla. Its white paint and Tiffany blue and white cabin are close in color, so the inside matches the outside. Drive it down Torrey Pines Road past the Salk Institute toward the Cove. The 6.75 liter V12 makes 563 horsepower, and almost none of its sound reaches the cabin.

The insurance call before you rent an exotic car at 18

Before every rental, we call your insurance company and speak with an agent on a recorded line. We confirm your policy is active and extends to a rental vehicle. We confirm it has no exclusion that rules the car out, and then we confirm the limits and the deductible you gave us.

I can't tell you ahead of time whether your policy covers a Cullinan. Only your insurance company can answer that question, and that is the reason the call comes first. Non-owner coverage also isn't something you can buy for one weekend. It's already in your policy or it isn't.

Your credit card won't fill the gap. Most card benefits exclude cars worth more than $50k to $75k, and that rules out the fleet.

When the call clears, look at the Cullinan's rear seats. They sit higher than the front seats, which is a layout Rolls Royce calls Pavilion Seating. The figure on the hood is the Spirit of Ecstasy, and it folds down into the body at the touch of a button.

Which car fits a first rental

At 18, the choice is often between a car that seats two and a car that seats your friends. The car you pick decides who rides with you.

The grey BMW M3 Competition xDrive is the car for four doors and a real back seat. It makes 503 horsepower from a twin turbo six. All-wheel drive sends power to the front wheels only when the rear tires slip. So it pulls away from a light on Washington Boulevard in Culver City with no wheelspin. From outside, people see a grey BMW, and the red leather seats only show when you open the door.

The gold Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon AMG G63 seats five. You sit high and upright with a flat hood in front of you. Small indicator pods on the front fenders mark exactly where the car ends, so it's easy to park. The gold looks close to champagne in the shade and fully metallic in the sun. Park it near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and strangers stop to take pictures of it.

The Huracan Spyder seats two, and its fabric roof folds away in 17 seconds. With the roof down, the V10 is no longer behind glass. It sounds much louder than it does with the roof up.

Prom, graduation and an 18th birthday

Prom, graduation and an 18th birthday are common reasons for a first rental at 18. A week or two of notice covers most dates. Prom season, summer weekends and holiday weekends go first, so book earlier for those.

If a friend wants to drive, they go on the contract as an additional driver before the rental starts. They pass the same license and insurance check you did, and we call their insurance company too.

For graduation, family often flies in. The gold G63 can wait at the arrivals curb at Ontario Airport when their flight lands. Five people fit inside, and the luggage goes in the tall cargo area behind the back seat. The side exhausts rumble at idle, and the nose lifts when you press the gas pedal hard.

The cost of a luxury car rental for 18 year olds

Every number below comes from the car's own listing.

• BMW M3 Competition xDrive, grey over red, $495 a day, $1,000 deposit, $5 per extra mile
• Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon AMG G63, gold over black and red, $695 a day, $1,000 deposit, $3 per extra mile
• Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, black over red, $1,195 a day, $1,000 deposit, $4 per extra mile
• Rolls Royce Cullinan, white over Tiffany blue and white, $1,595 a day, $2,000 deposit, $3 per extra mile

Every car includes 100 miles a day. A 2 day rental pools them into 200 miles total. The deposits above are the standard figures, and a larger one may apply under 25. Rentals of 3 to 4 days take 10% off the daily rate automatically.

The deposit is a hold on your card, not a charge. It's released after the car comes back in the condition it left. Delivery is quoted by address when you book.

The Huracan Spyder is the one to keep out after dark. Its black paint and red cabin show best at night under the lights of a restaurant entrance in Costa Mesa. With the roof down, the red seats are the brightest thing in the car.

If something goes wrong

If the car is damaged, tell us right away. Your own insurance covers damage, subject to your deductible. The deposit covers small things like a curbed wheel. The photos from the handoff are the record of the car's condition when it left.

Track use, racing and off-road driving aren't permitted on any car in the fleet. That includes the G63, even with its four-wheel drive. The G63 stays on paved roads for the whole rental, and so does every other car.

So make the insurance call before you choose a car. If the policy is in your name and covers a rental car, you get the same Huracan key as any other client. The age on your license is the easy part of the booking.