Everything you need to know to rent a vehicle in Canada

Driving in Canada on a foreign licence

As a tourist, you can usually rent a vehicle and drive with a valid driver’s licence from your home country. An international driving permit (IDP) or an official translation is usually needed for driver’s licences that are not in English or French. You have to show a valid passport as a secondary form of identification at check out.

Generally, you can use your international licence for up to 90 days (though this varies depending on the province). If you’re a temporary resident—for instance, a Working Holiday permit holder—you will have to exchange your international licence for a driver’s licence issued by your province or territory of residence. Look up the applicable rules for your province for more details on the process:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

If your home country doesn’t have an agreement with Canada to exchange your licence, you will have to take a driving test in order to be issued a Canadian driver’s licence.

Minimum age to rent a car in Canada

To rent a car, you usually have to be at least 20 or 21 years old. In Quebec only, Hertz has a minimum age of 18. A “young driver fee” (around CA$30/day) usually applies to renters between 21 and 25 years old—insurance companies state that drivers under 25 get into more accidents than other age groups.