Renting a car in the US with UK license & US passport...

Hi everyone!

Looking for some advice about renting a car on my next trip over to the US.  I am a US citizen & have been living in the UK for almost 6 years (ILR).  I have a UK drivers license.

My husband (UKC) and I are travelling to the US in September and will be hiring a car.  He will be renting it as the credit card is in his name, however I will be doing the bulk of the driving as the additional driver.  I'm nervous about it being confusing to the person at the rental counter that I have a UK license but a US passport... Has anyone encountered any problems with this?

Thanks for any help!
 

No problem! The rental company don't need to see your passport, and the good news is that if you prepay in the UK you will get a better deal. Try moneysupermarket.com.

Absolutely no problem - just remember to take the paper counterpart as well as the photocard license.

I've been renting cars for years; the best deal I found recently was a prepaid from Auto Europe. Absolutely no issues whatsoever, and generally excellent reviews. If you sign up for their email newsletter, you get a 5% discount off the quoted rate.

http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/

Thanks for your replies!

I'm surprised you don't have to show your passport!  I was under the impression we would need to show our passports as ID on top of showing our licenses... I'm just so paranoid about getting to the counter and the person serving us being confused by my US passport / UK license!  

What about international driving licences?  Most things I've read have said they are not necessary, but some companies seem to require them...

What about international driving licences?  Most things I've read have said they are not necessary, but some companies seem to require them...

My understanding of international driving licences is that they're basically just a translation of your licence to other languages and that's not always necessary.

I've rented cars in Europe with my US license without an international driving license and had no problems. Not sure about a UK licence in the US, but my instincts say it wouldn't be necessary.

If you do get an international driving licence, be sure to keep it with your driving licence (the one it's translating). It's no good on its own.

I've never been asked for an international license in the US - mainly that's if you have a license that's not in English, or in a language that uses a different alphabet (Russian, for example).

Would not bother, and would not worry about that.

In fact, I've found that there are much better deals for UK residents (with UK licenses) than for US residents when renting in the US.  Insurance is typically included, which is not the case for US residents.