There is no additional driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner. Other individuals will incur a per-day fee. Avis and Budget currently charge $13 per day at most locations but cap the fee at $65 per rental.
Additional Driver Fee In California
There is no additional driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner. Other individuals will incur a per-day fee. Avis and Budget currently charge $13 per day at most locations but cap the fee at $65 per rental.
Additional Driver Fee In California
There is a daily charge for all additional drivers, but if you are a member of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, the fee is waived for a spouse or domestic partner. At corporate and participating licensee locations, the additional fee is approximately $13.50 per day with a maximum of $189.00 per rental for each additional driver.
Costco: Members get a free additional driver at Alamo and Enterprise when booked with the Costco discount code at locations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, and Spain. At Avis and Budget, the Costco code only kills the additional driver fee in the United States.
With a little bit of planning, you can avoid paying a fee when you need to add a second driver to your rental contract. Customers of Silvercar always get a free pass, as do spouses or domestic partners when renting from Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, or Fox, and in numerous states by law. If none of these situations apply, then you can often avoid the fee by joining a frequent renter program or using a membership discount code. Be sure to calculate all costs before booking.
If you're planning on a road trip through the US, sometimes sharing the driving can be a good idea. Particularly on long journeys, adding an additional driver to your booking can help you stay alert on the road. While some car rental companies charge a fee to add an additional driver, in some cases there is no fee for "authorized drivers".
If you rent a car with most major car rental companies in the United States, the renter's spouse, employer/employee (if traveling on company business), or companions of physically impaired customers may be considered an authorized driver. Authorized drivers do not always need to be present at the time of pick-up, and may not need to sign the additional driver form.
Additional drivers will still need to meet the same age requirements, and be able to present a valid driver's license. It is important to check the terms and conditions as some car rental companies may require authorized drivers to be present at the time of pick-up.
All of our car rental partners don't charge a fee for additional drivers renting in California as long as they meet all of the requirements. If the drivers are aged under 25, then they may have to pay an underage surcharge. You can add as many drivers as you want as long as they fit in your rental car. Below is the fee for additional drivers.
Thrifty LIS coverage provides you with up to US$1 million combined single limit of liability protection should bodily injury and property damage claims be made against you by people injured in an accident involving the Thrifty car (on rentals in CA and FL up to $2,000,000 combined single limit for liability protection only). LIS, in combination with liability protection which may otherwise be provided by Thrifty, safeguards your insurance policy and/or your personal assets for up to the first $1 million should such claims be made against you. LIS also provides you with up to $1,000,000 in coverage for combined bodily injury and/or property damage claims, should you be harmed by an uninsured/underinsured driver. Prices vary by location. Pricing of LIS for a specific rental will be provided at time of reservation. LIS is not available on rentals in Canada."
For instance, some agencies charge for any additional driver, but the spouse can drive free. Car rental additional driver policies also vary by country, state or province, and even individual agency locations.
In the US, there are some states that allow a spouse to be automatically added as an additional driver without paying any fees. They include California, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, and Wisconsin. In spite of this, many companies still want your spouse present at the car with photo ID and drivers license.
National rental car charges $12 per day on average for an additional driver, but the price will fluctuate based on the location from which you rent the car. While the corporate policy allows businesses to add an additional driver for free, your spouse will need to sign up for the Emerald Club loyalty program if you want the fee waived.
Again, some rental car agencies in the US automatically allow for a spouse to be authorized based on state law, they are California, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, and Wisconsin. In New York State, an additional driver fee is capped at $3 per day.
Anytime you book through a third-party travel website, you may be giving up these privileges. This could mean being charged for the additional driver despite being a loyalty program member. You may also not be eligible for any loyalty program points if you booked through a travel website.
Some agencies are licensee owned locations, some are owned by their parent companies, so be sure to read your contract and the fine print about additional drivers. For instance, if you specifically list them on the contract, you could be paying for an additional driver despite them being allowed to drive for free by state law or company policy.
Budget, Avis and Enterprise do not charge a fee for an additional driver who is your spouse or domestic partner. And if you are renting under a business discount code, you may be able to have business colleagues as additional drivers.
Also, look for other ways to save beyond the additional driver fee. Use credit card points to lower your total bill and remember that roundtrip bookings can be cheaper than one-way rentals. And check out our guide to saving money on your car rentals, including tips like checking for hidden fees, such as toll passes. These strategies can help lower your overall costs, even with additional drivers.
Certain memberships offer extra car rental perks, including getting the additional driver fee waived. AAA, for example, is known for its roadside assistance services. But becoming a member also gives you access to a waived additional driver fee at Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty, as long as both you and the other driver are members. On top of that, AAA members can also get the young-driver fee waived if any driver is under 25 years old.
Yes, we allow for up to 9 additional drivers per booking. The additional driver (s) will need to have their license verified at the SIXT branch when the vehicles is picked up or at some point during the rental contract. If you have Gold, Platinum or Diamond status with SIXT, you can add one additional driver free of charge (US residents only).
I've heard rumours that there are no charges for additional drivers on (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);)(function()ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-49695367', '');, 'log_autolink_impression');car rental's in California by law but cant seem to find out if the number of drivers is capped. Could anyone shed some light on this? There are 7 of us travelling and it would be great to share the load.
Good question. I don't know if there is a cap in the number of additional drivers or if they may ask for the DL and Credit card. Why not call the company you are planning to rent with and ask them directly.
PareoB -- My wife and I have rented (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);)(function()ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-49697011', '');, 'log_autolink_impression');cars and while I've always told the agent or in most case the security guard of the additional driver -- they say no paperwork is needed for spouse -- I rent Hertz and Avis specifically -- But in general for the OP coming in from abroad, I would agree there must be some requirement to sign up etc as they cover insurance for the car.
old topic now but for future reference: our carhire company told us the same thing, that in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);)(function()ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-55313746', '');, 'log_autolink_impression');California there was no fee for additional drivers (up to 4). I then found this on Fox News ( -about-additional-driver-fees/):
"If you rent cars only in the state of California, you can probably stop reading now since we have some great news for you. There are no additional driver fees in California at all by law. This goes for all companies, regardless of whether the additional driver is a spouse or someone unrelated to you." :)
Additional driver or drivers in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);)(function()ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-55314429', '');, 'log_autolink_impression');California have no extra fee? I've only rented for two people, so never faced that question. Most articles I've read say "an additonal driver" (singular) involves no extra fee, and some say the other person's name must be on the rental agreement (at least if they are not your spouse). Call the individual company to verify whether 7 is above the limit. Make sure your insurance will cover multiple drivers.
(3) "Authorized driver" means (A) the renter, (B) the renter's spouse if that person is a licensed driver and satisfies the rental company's minimum age requirement, (C) the renter's employer or coworker if he or she is engaged in business activity with the renter, is a licensed driver, and satisfies the rental company's minimum age requirement, and (D) a person expressly listed by the rental company on the renter's contract as an authorized driver.
If the renter on the agreement cannot operate a rental car because of a disability, an additional driver can drive the vehicle without paying the additional driver fee. The primary renter must fill out a non-licensed renter form, and the driver needs to present their license and be at least 25.
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