Compare car hire in USA

• Min. age required to hire a car: Usually 21
• Which side of the road: Right
• Credit card requirements: Most prefer credit cards, but some accept debit cards

Any additional requirements: An International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended

You’ll find a wide selection of big-name car hire companies based in most major American airports such as Los Angeles International (LAX), Miami International (MIA) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK).

They include Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, National, Payless, Sixt and Thrifty. While opening hours vary, they tend to be long. Many offer after-hours returns too.

If you don’t need to hire a car as soon as you land, you can pick one up later in your trip from most city centres. Familiar brands like Budget and Enterprise have numerous branches in many cities, so there’s plenty of choice.

For an extended trip, whether it’s a few weeks or a few months, consider booking a long-term hire car. It’ll make easy work of travel, save you from having to deal with public transport and can be cheaper than other transport options.

And if you’re planning a one-way road trip across America, you’ll have no trouble collecting a hire car at your starting point and dropping it off at the finish line. This way, there’s no need to waste time circling back.

Drive a hire car in the USA and you might see long stretches of open road, bustling city traffic and six-lane highways – all in one day. And while there’s plenty of variety in driving conditions from one state to the next, you can be confident that most roads here will be spacious, well-maintained and safe. After all, driving is a big part of the culture in the USA.

There are four important things to note about driving in the USA. One, you’ll find yourself on the right-hand side of the road. Two, your rental will be an automatic (manual transmission isn’t really a thing in the States). Three, speed limits vary across states. And four, roundabouts are somewhat rare.

Indeed, instead of roundabouts, roads in the USA feature four-way junctions, which can take a little getting used to. As you approach a junction, you’ll need to come to a stop. Then it’s a matter of ‘first to arrive, first to drive’ for who goes first. If more than one car arrives at the same time, the car on the right will generally have right of way.

Parking is plentiful throughout the USA, with some slight variations depending on where you’re staying. For instance, in New York, you'll often find metered parking and parking garages, while in Los Angeles, valet parking is common at hotels. In suburban areas and shopping malls, parking is often free, but do watch out for time limits.