You can rent a car and drive in Germany with your US driver’s license for your first 6 months in Germany. Non-EU residents have to get a German license after six months. Depending on from which state in the US you got your drivers license you simply can apply for the German license and you get one for free, for some states you have to make a written test, and some have to make a full test, including the driving part. The US embassy has a list of the lucky states: http://germany.usembassy.gov/a...
