On what conditions can I rent an SUV?

College's out for summer and I want to take a road trip across a chunk of the US, but my little sedan isn't built for that kind of mileage or rough terrain if I end up somewhere off the main highways. Thinking about renting an SUV instead, something that can actually handle a few hundred miles a day without falling apart. Only issue is I just turned 21 and got my license fairly recently. Will rental places even let me take out something like that?

Man, 21 feels old enough to rent whatever you want, turns out that's not really how it works. Most of the big names will actually take you at 21, that part's fine, it's more about which vehicles you're allowed to touch at that age. A bunch of companies just flat out block full size SUVs for anyone under 25, doesn't matter what you book online. Call ahead or dig through the fine print first, since the site won't always tell you that until you're standing at the counter.

Yeah the age restrictions on the vehicle itself are only half the surprise honestly, the other half usually hits you at the counter once they start going through the paperwork. Insurance coverage gets weird under 25 too, some companies just flat out make you buy their coverage since your own policy or credit card protection doesn't always kick in at that age. On top of that there's a young driver fee added daily for anyone under 25, no matter what car you end up with. You can read up on the young driver fee here https://carturtle.com/blog/young-driver-fee . Goes over which companies charge it, how much it usually runs, and a few ways people get around it or knock it down. That fee alone can double the price of the rental by the time you're actually signing the paperwork.