Car Rental - Spouse or Additional Driver

[thereuare]

In researching car rentals for my previous trip, as well as an upcoming trip, i learned of a MAJOR (for me) difference in car rental company policy.

The following information is believed correct at the time of posting, but of course you should double check as policies are changing all the time:

If you legally want to have more than one driver on a rental vehicle there is typically an additional charge, usually $6-8/day, and this can be substantial on a car rental only costing $25/day, or on a multi-day rental. However, a few companies do not charge if this additional driver is a spouse (or domestic partner). Here is a summary of the information i have recently found:

Spouse at No Charge:

Avis

Budget

Spouse with an Additional Fee:

Alamo

Dollar

National

Thrifty

I'm sure some will ask "how will they know?", and i guess the answer is "They won't... unless you have a 'problem".

If you should have an accident and an 'unauthorized' driver is behind the wheel, i would think that you would no longer be covered for any insurance your credit card company provided, nor any insurance you may have bought thru the car rental company. Although the odds of an accident are low, the consequences and costs are substantial, and that is not a risk i am willing to unnecessarily take. Another problem could arise if the 'unauthorized' spouse is driving the car without the authorized driver in the car... a flat tire, dead battery, or other car trouble where the rental agency needs to be called could spell trouble if the roadside assistance person asks for id or the rental agreement.

[powerplantop]

Another problem could arise if the 'unauthorized' spouse is driving the car without the authorized driver in the car... a flat tire, dead battery, or other car trouble where the rental agency needs to be called could spell trouble if the roadside assistance person asks for id or the rental agreement.

Or a State Trooper stops the non listed driver.

[pirate]

This has always been an issue for me as we typically take a 28 day rental for our trip around the US. We now tend to settle with Hertz for our rentals because they cap the additional charges at $35. (They charge $7 per day for shorter rentals)

Alamo, Dollar and National tend to be $5 per day ($140 for 28 days!!!!!!!), but it does vary a little according to location

If you join Hertz Gold Card loyalty scheme (free) there are no charges at all for spouses, which works well if you have several shorter trips in a year. However for us it works better to take one of their promotional deals on the rental charges, which exclude the priveleges of Gold Card membership.

Happy motoring, :) Pirate

[szymon]

As mentioned by pirate, Hertz doesn't charge for a spouse if you're a Gold Club member. Also, for AAA members (if you use the AAA CDP), any AAA member that shows their license and AAA card at the counter when you pick up the car is included at no charge.

National doesn't charge for a spouse if you're an Emerald Club member. Right now they are running a promotion on their site where you can enroll for free ($50 savings).

Szymon

[dc3]

While the general remark on this subject is true about Thrifty, individual franchises do include the spouse for no extra charge. This is the specific case in Phoenix - when you reserve you can see it on the detailed terms. Although Thrifty and Dollar are the same company (DTAG), Dollar in Phoenix is not a franchise and therefore charges the fee. In addition, certain states require that it not be charged for any rentals, California being the most notable one. Avis and Budget are one company as are Alamo and National and they follow identical policy within each pair. This is a case were Priceline's opacity is a real problem. Priceline needs to get spousal charges inlcuded in the price from those companies that now charge for it. This charge is entirely troublesome.

[william]

If you reserve Alamo through Costoco, they include additional driver, no charge!!