My husband and I plan on driving from Budapest, Hungary, to Romania (and back) in May 2026. Because of age it appears they won't rent us a car in Romania. Trying to find online information has not been easy and I am wondering if anyone has done this recently. Concerns--- 1. can the Hungarian rental be taken into Romania
2. any issues/need to know in advance for the border crossing process & requirements/fees
3. how available are gas stations in more rural Romania & will they take credit cards
4. are toll road vignettes for Hungary on all their rental cars & good throughout Hungary
We always get International Driver's Licenses, but is there anything else we require & might not be thinking of, that others are aware of? If anyone has driven there recently we would appreciate any notable insights, or "out of the ordinary" things you might have encountered. I always like to be prepared and avoid 'hidden surprises' as much as possible.
Thank you all in advance.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
13254 posts
senior driver and surcharge
Maximum age in Hungary is 90 years. All senior driver rentals where the driver is aged 70-90 years are on request only. Customer must make arrangements directly with counter. For drivers aged 70-90 years, there is a surcharge of EUR15.00 per day, with a maximium of EUR75.00.
driving restrictions
Dollar/Thrifty vehicles cannot be driven into and/or dropped off any African, Asian or Middle-East countries, nor in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine or any island. Dollar/Thrifty vehicles may be driven into Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. At some countries category restriction may apply. Note: An additional fee of €44.45 (including tax) per rental applies if you wish to drive abroad.
EDIT- This is not to endorse a particular rental agency, but to demonstrate there are options on how it could be done.
Above from the Dollar rent a car site. Looks like you can rent in Hungary and go to Romania, but there are some extra fees and hoops.
This is some of the 'fine print' when renting from Dollar in Romania
renter qualifications
At time of rental the driver must present a valid National Driver's license which has been held for at least 1 year. An International Driver's Permit (IDP) is recommended for Non-European renters. All U.S. citizens must present the IDP together with their National Driving license in Romania. Drivers must be a minimum of 21 years of age for most vehicles, please check special Vehicle Requirements. Renters 21-24 are charged EUR8.00 per day, EUR56.00 per week, EUR80.00 per month/max. Renters 71 years of age or olderare charged EUR8.00 per day, EUR56.00 per week, EUR80.00 per month/max
Posted by
Washington DC
30099 posts
You might contact one or more of the car-rental consolidators that have been mentioned on this forum: AutoEurope, Gemut and Kemwel. I'd expect that to be easier than hitting a bunch of individual rental-car websites. The usual comment about using those consolidators is that you will not pay more and might actually save a bit of money. (I'm just reporting on what I've read on this forum; I've never rented a car in Europe myself.)
Posted by
TX, USA
5897 posts
I just did a trial run through Autoeurope.com, telling them I wanted to pick up and return in Bucharest for a week, and that I am 71. That took me to Hertz, where I could rent an automatic for $413 (plus insurance options). I added full coverage for $12/day for a total of $510, picking up and returning to the airport.
Fine print said minimum driver age is 21 and maximum age is 99. 🤷🏻♀️
You might run into either a higher cost - or a complete inability - to pick up in one location and drop in another. I did not check that.
Edit: You might message kmkwoo. They recently rented in Romania and could tell you what they did.