Rockgurl

I've cancelled my order for my new car for various reasons, massive insurance being one of them. Just wanted to ask, as I am going to wait to get my US license before I get a car...how do you take a US driving test if you have no car? In England you hire a driving instructor to drive you to the test and give you a lesson on the way, and then you can use their car for the test. Can you do that in America?

supernav

Some states you can get a *learner's permit* to drive provsionally in the meantime. If not, most will have a friend drive them to the DMV and then use that car. Simple as that. <br>
-= nav =-

Patrick

You can drive on your UK license for a year although most states give you 30 days to get a license once you become a resident. If you hire a car (which you can on your UK license) you can take the test in that!

Patrick

Rockgurl

I am actually thinking about hiring a car now, as it's no more expensive than buying one if you take insurance into consideration. In fact it works out cheaper to hire with inclusive insurance than it does to buy a car and get your own insurance, at least it will until I get a US license.


==

To buy a Ford Focus : $300/month
Insurance : $500-700/month!

Total = astronomical ($800-1000)

==

To hire : $583 + insurance included!

Total = $583

==

Duh! No brainer!

Can anyone recommend a hire place? At the moment in England I've been using Easycar for the last 6 months and they were brilliant. I want something similar where you can book online and change or extend the booking online as needed. I'm looking at Dollar.com right now as they have a hire place right in the airport.

Pimpbot

We always use Enterprise for our car hire needs in AZ. Dont hire it at Sky Harbor though, as they throw on another 30% to the charge.

Maggs

Hi

I've used Enterprise a lot too. They have been very good and efficient. They will even come and take you to the rental office to collect your hire car and also take you home when you've finished renting. The last time I rented (about 4 weeks ago) I had a small Dodge Neon and it cost $200 for a week. The time before that was a Ford Focus Sedan and that was also $200 for the week. This included insurance and break down recovery. Each time I used my UK drivers licenct to hire the cars with no problem.

Maggie

superpat

I use Hertz all the time - the company I work for has a deal with them. Service is good - the only time I ever had a problem is when I left my driving licence at home - you absolutely, positively cannot rent a car without a licence. They don't even accept a fax unless it's from DVLA. I couldn't even begin to figure out how to raise someone in Swansea at midnight to fax a copy of my driving licence!

But I digress... The caveat with renting is that the cars tend to be pretty crappy - mechanically sound and all that, but crappy in the way that only a US Ford Escort or a Chevy Cavalier can be. The only decent car I ever rented was a Mazda Protege. This may or may not be important to you... We had a Chevy Cavalier for 3 weeks when we arrived until Karen bought a VW Passat - merging onto freeways in the Cavalier was terrifying - foot flat on the floor, pushing against the steering wheel to try to encourage the thing to go a bit faster :scared:

Cheers,

Pat

Rockgurl

Thanks all...I'll check out those other rental companies.

I've been using Easycar in the UK since the summer and I think they're brilliant. I've got a brand new Vauxhall Corsa, 3 door, which only had 1500 on the clock when I got it. It was in perfect condition and has a CD player with sterring wheel controls and A/C (unusual in the UK). You can renew or make any changes right online and it's been so convenient.

There was no point keeping on my old car because it's MOT was due in July, as was the insurance and I knew I was leaving soon so it made sense to rent. Now I am only staying in AZ for 6-8 months, buying a car seems a waste of money so I'll be renting again. Maybe by then I'll have accrued some kind of US driving history.

Webbie

Yep. Did exactly that here in NC.
Three lessons - took the test after the third and passed easily using the driving school car (a Pontiac Grand Prix !)

Not sure if this is possible in all states though.
Best to get the yellow pages and call a few of them. (Get some prices for the lessons as well - some of them do try to rip you off)

Webbie.

Rockgurl

Thanks Webbie...that's good to know.

OK...this is weird. On dollar.com, from Dec 2 to 24, I was quoted $348 (about £225). But when I go to the UK equivalent site, dollar.co.uk, it quotes me £515 for the same period! Why? The American site says I can use my UK license, so what's the difference? I'm still picking up the same car from the same place for the same length of time. Weird!

NC Penguin

I bet the American site thinks you will be a visitor to the US but you will be a resident. British visitors are welcome to drive in the US on their foreign license because they do not establish residency in the US.

In your case, you'll become resident (rent an apartment), so you have to follow the AZ DMV rules for residents.

I strongly recommend having a set of wheels to practise in prior to taking your US test.



NC Penguin

Ash UK/US

Here in Michigan...

I had to take a theory test to obtain a learners permit... I had to have this at least 30 days before I could take a road test. I then found a driving school that gave adult lessons (many only teach kids) It cost $310 for six hours I was expected to take these in 2 hourly segments. I also drove hubby's car between the lessons. The 30 min road test cost $45 plus I could pay another $60 to use their car for the test...however I just used hubby's car.

By the way I found 3 driving instructors that would give adult lessons and the one I used was the cheaper of the 3

Ash

smiler125

Where do you are at those rates please?

smiler125

If someone lends me a car and insures it under their insurance for any driver, would it cost more as I don't have a U.K licence. Would he even have to tell his insurance that I don't have a U.S licence, as it's a any driver policy and I would be able to drive legally for 30 days?

Thanks

Englishmum

Another idea is to rent from:

http://www.rentawreck.com (although I've never used them!).

Apparently the cars are not wrecks at all, I guess they're mostly 6 months +

It might be worthwhile asking if there is a reduced rate (from any car rental company you intend renting a car from) for a long-term rental? You would just need to take the car back from time to time for servicing and they save as they don't have to keep sprucing the car up each time the car is returned. Also they don't have it sitting in the car park in quiet times and not bringing any revenue in if it's out on long-term rental. It might also be worth investigating whether or not you might be able to get a cheaper rate with an the AA (AAA in the States) and they might honour a British AA membership card perhaps.

When I took my driving test in New Jersey I produced my driving licences from the UK and from Singapore, although in Singapore I'd also obtained an International Driving Permit from the AA there just before leaving for the States. The clerk was only interested in the British one, even though I hadn't lived there for over 5 years.

It seems that UK licence holders don't need to do a 'practical' test - I don't know any Brits here who had to drive during their test - it was just an eyesight test and answering about 30 questions on a touch-tone computer screen. In New Jersey new residents have 60 days to take a driving test when they move into the State, although every State has its own different requirements.

Smiler: I asked our insurance brokers about having relatives using our car when they visit us in the States. They said that anyone is allowed to use our car with our permission, but I guess it's only meant for short-term only and anything more than a month might be pushing it a bit! The last thing you want is to get in an accident and the insurance company then says it's considered null and void... :scared: