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Whether it’s for convenience, flexibility, or just sharing the driving load, many travelers choose to add another driver to their car rental contracts. Before hitting the road, it’s wise to take a moment to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of rental car additional driver policies, laws, and fees.
Insurance
Does my insurance cover an additional driver on a rental car?
Whether your auto insurance covers an additional driver on a rental car depends on several factors. These include the coverage limitations of your policy and the added driver’s relationship to you.
If your car insurance provides rental car coverage and the extra driver is listed on your policy, they’re probably covered too. Additional drivers under 20 years old or with poor driving records may be excluded from rental car coverage, even if listed on the policy.
If you’re unsure, check with your insurance company to clarify what coverage extends to rental cars and additional drivers.
Does credit card rental insurance cover additional drivers on a rental car?
Many credit cards include rental car insurance coverage. Whether the coverage extends to additional drivers depends on the terms and conditions of the card’s rental car insurance. Check the card’s benefits summary on its website or app.
Even though your credit card may offer car rental coverage, make sure you fully understand the limitations and exclusions before relying solely on it. Savvy travelers often use credit card rental car coverage as secondary insurance in case their auto insurance company denies a claim.
Pickups
Additional drivers can’t pick up a rental car without the primary driver present. Car rental companies require most authorized extra drivers to appear at the rental counter along with the primary renter.
Even if the extra driver doesn’t need to show a license, they still can’t pick up the rental car without the primary renter.
Returns
If they’re authorized to drive the vehicle, additional drivers can return a rental car without the primary renter.
Age and License Requirements
All rental car companies require that additional drivers have a valid driver’s license and meet minimum age requirements for renting a car.
You must be at least 20 years old to be an additional driver on a car rental reservation, although this depends on the rental company’s policies. If you’re under 25 years of age, expect to pay both an underage driver fee and an additional driver fee.
How to add another driver in the middle of your car rental
If you’ve already picked up the rental car and need to add an additional driver, simply find and visit the company’s closest location. The new driver will need to show a valid driver’s license and meet age requirements.
You won’t be able to add the new driver to your reservation online. If the additional driver you’re adding is your spouse or domestic partner, though, a simple phone call will usually suffice.
Do you always need to list an additional driver on your rental agreement?
In most cases, if you plan to let another person drive your rental car who is not a spouse or domestic partner, they should be listed on the contract as an additional driver. Exceptions exist, as explained below.
Allowing a person who’s not an authorized additional driver to drive your rental vehicle is never a good idea. If there’s an accident, the rental company will void the rental agreement and cancel any insurance. This means you’ll be responsible for all damages to the rental car, the other vehicle or property, and any medical costs due to injuries.
Fees
An additional driver fee is a charge levied by car rental companies for anyone authorized to drive the vehicle other than the primary renter. This extra fee covers the additional insurance risk associated with having multiple drivers.
How to get a free additional driver on your car rental
At $10 per day or more, car rental additional driver fees can add up quickly. Luckily, there are some strategies you can use to avoid paying a charge when you add another driver to your rental.
This section discusses state laws regarding extra driver fees. It also covers car rental companies that don’t charge for some additional drivers, and everything else you need to know.
States that prohibit or limit fees
Some state statutes don’t allow car rental companies to charge fees for certain additional drivers. A few states put caps on the fee amounts.
California
California forbids extra driver fees for the primary renter’s spouse, child, sibling, parent, grandparent, or legal ward. Car rental companies also can’t charge additional driver fees for the renter’s employer or co-worker.
Tip: Make sure that you list all additional drivers on the rental agreement, including spouses and other relatives. California allows car rental companies to charge twice the normal fee if a person not named on the contract has been driving the rental vehicle.
Nevada
Nevada state law limits the amount car rental companies can charge for additional drivers. Adjusted annually for inflation, the current cap is about $15 per day. In Nevada, car rental companies can charge this fee for any additional driver, including the primary driver’s spouse.
New York
New York state law caps additional driver fees on car rentals at $5 per day. Rental companies in New York can’t charge a fee for the renter’s spouse or business associates.
Other states
In the states listed below, certain authorized drivers are automatically exempt from additional driver fees. The primary renter’s spouse, employer, employee, or co-worker don’t have to appear in person or show on the rental contract to be covered. In fact, you shouldn’t list them on the contract or the rental company might try to charge you.
The states where these rules apply are:
Car Rental Companies with Free Additional Driver Policies
This section highlights car rental companies don’t charge an additional driver fee for certain drivers. You’ll also find current additional driver fees for major rental agencies.
Alamo
Alamo charges $15 per day for each additional driver.
The rental agreement automatically covers the primary driver’s spouse or domestic partner. These drivers don’t have to appear in person when picking up the vehicle.
Avis
Avis charges $13 per day for additional drivers, with a maximum of $65 per rental.
The Avis additional driver policy is the most generous in the industry. It waives fees for the primary renter’s spouse, life partner, extended family members, and friends.
Spouses and life partners don’t need to be present at the time of rental to be authorized to drive the vehicle. Extended family members and friends must present a valid driver’s license at the rental counter.
Budget
The Budget car rental additional driver fee is $13 per day, with a maximum charge of $65 per reservation. Spouses and domestic partners are free additional drivers on Budget reservations.
Dollar
The Dollar car rental additional driver fee varies by location and timing of the reservation.
Members of Dollar’s Express Rewards program are free additional drivers on any reservation, as are spouses and domestic partners. Dollar also doesn’t charge additional driver fees for renters on official government business.
Enterprise
The Enterprise car rental additional driver fee is $15 per day. Spouses and domestic partners are free and don’t have to appear at the rental counter.
Fox Rent-A-Car
At most of its locations, Fox charges $12.99 per day for additional drivers. The renter’s spouse or domestic partner is free.
Hertz
Hertz assesses a fee of $13.50 per day for each additional driver, with a maximum of $189 per rental. The fee is waived for spouses of primary renters who are members of its Gold Plus Rewards program, AAA, or USAA.
National
The National car rental additional driver fee is $15 per day. Spouses and domestic partners are free and don’t have to appear at the rental counter or be listed on the contract.
Sixt
Sixt’s additional driver fee varies by location and season. You can add one additional driver for free if you’re a Gold or Platinum member of Sixt’s loyalty program. Fees are charged for all other additional drivers, including spouses.
Thrifty
The Thrifty car rental additional driver fee varies by location.
Thrifty doesn’t charge an additional driver fee for spouses or domestic partners of its Blue Chip Rewards members. You can also add anyone else who is a Blue Chip member to your car rental for free.
Memberships with free additional drivers
The membership discount codes for the organizations listed below include free additional drivers.
AAA
Hertz waives the additional driver fee for drivers who are also AAA members, and for spouses or domestic partners of AAA members (a separate AAA membership is not required for spouses or partners).
AARP
Avis allows AARP members to add one additional driver for free.
Costco
Costco members get the additional driver fee waived on Avis and Budget rentals in the US, and on Alamo and Enterprise rentals in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Ireland and Spain.
Additional drivers don’t have to be Costco members, but they must present a valid driver’s license and major credit card in their name at the rental counter.
USAA
USAA has discount codes for one free additional driver on rentals from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz.
Members of USAA, and their USAA-covered family members are automatically considered authorized drivers and never have to pay additional driver fees.
- Avis USAA rentals: use AWD number A177232.
- Budget USAA rentals: use BCD number Y126501.
- Enterprise USAA rentals: book from this page and use promo code USAA Member Program.
- Hertz USAA rentals: use CDP number 77694.
US Government and Military
Government employees and members of the military traveling on official business can add free additional drivers to car rentals with all major rental agencies.
The minimum age for additional drivers on government car rentals is 18 years old. Most rental car companies waive the underage driver fee if the rental is for official business.
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