International Driver's Permit - USA

Does anyone have any information on this? I last drove in the USA six years ago and didn't need anything other than my driving license/passport/credit card to rent a car.

On the UK gov website it says a IDP1949 is required to drive in the USA. When I search around the internet I get conflicting answers. Most sites seem to agree it depends on which state(s) you are driving in. As an example I am driving within Montana, and I have found websites saying an IDP is needed and ones saying it is not.

The US gov website directs you to contact each state to find out. There is a link to the individual states DMV website, but within I cannot find any answers for the states I am visiting.

Has anyone drove in the USA lately and know a bit more about the IDP situation? I am driving in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

[buns]

I hired a car this month (May 2024)
All Ipresented a Full Driving Licence - photo type, not the old paper one - and a credit card. I also got my cousin on the rental agreeing and all they needed to see was his photo driving licence.

Buns

Ive always taken one but havent been asked. but the cost is so little and it takes 5 minutes at the post office you may as well get one.

Essentially the IDP is a translation of the driving licence.

As long as your plastic driving licence is in English it serves no purpose in the USA.

Rental companies as stated above only as for a licence and credit card.

As an aside you can no longer get them from a Post Office, rather selected shops with PayPoint.
https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/get-an-idp

Definitely not needed. There was a brief period (I want to say sometime around 2008-2010) when the Florida State Legislature decreed that any non-US issued driving licence needed an International Driving Permit... to translate the English on the licence to... English (in the case of a UK licence).

The law did not last very long at all. I still got one when it was in place though as all you need is a prang "fender-bender" in the USA & the other driver instructs his lawyer. The instant they found out you did not have an IDP your insurance would have been invalid - and we have all read horror stories about lawyers + medical fees in the USA.

When the law was in place we presented our IDP's when picking up the Alamo car - they did not even look at them.

Have rented cars in Florida at least once a year [bar the pandemic ones] and all they are interested is your online check-in, a valid credit card & driving licence photocard.

I’ve used, and still use my pink paper licence with Hertz for years with no problems.

You just have to make sure you have a valid photo ID in the car when driving just in case you get stopped by the sheriffs.

David

I think the best thing for it is to contact the hire car firm directly, though I will be surprised if an IDP is required or asked for.

Have rented cars in Florida at least once a year [bar the pandemic ones] and all they are interested is your online check-in, a valid credit card & driving licence photocard.

Sounds right from my experience. They weren't even interested in seeing the check code sheet you can obtain from the DVLA's website that shows any penatly points and what types of vehicle you're licenced to drive after they did away with the counterpart elements, something the government at the time were adamant was required for hiring cars abroad.