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Additional Driver


tartar
By tartar,
in

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Hi,

If I'm not buying the insurance from the rental company why would I have to pay the fee for the additional driver. If there was an accident and I drove my insurance would cover it, if my girlfrieand drove her insurance would cover it, so I don't see the point of paying the fee. Does anyone know why I should?

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When you rent the car from the rental company they are authorizing you, not your girlfriend, to drive the car (unless you declare her as an additional driver). Therefore, if your girlfiend drives the car and has an accident, her insurance would not cover the accident since she's not authorized to drive the car.

There is a good thread on this subject here: Additional Driver Car Rental

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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  • 4 weeks later...

The rental car business seems to be based on hanky-panky business practices. They quote one rate then add all kinds of bogus charges ("franchise fees" and so forth) to jack up the bill. CDW's are a good example since most people have coverage at least through their own auto insurance, or through their credit card. In our upcoming trip, for example, we will have coverage through our auto insurance, through the credit card I charge with, and through our travel insurance. There is no reason to charge extra for an additional driver since, after all, only one person can drive the car at any given time (if anything, trading off driving duties would lessen driver fatigue and therefore reduce the chances of an accident). I'll check the wording on our travel insurance policy, but I don't plan on listing my travel partner as an additional driver and I do plan to alternate driving duties. Since we independently have our own auto insurance policies purchased elsewhere, I don't see any risk in refusing to pay the rental co. fee (the only danger I could see is if the car broke down with only the alternate driver present, and one needed to call the rental company directly). :)

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Well your approach is, i'm sure, done by many everyday... "it's never a problem until there is a problem."

I'm not in the legal business nor do i know every facet of even my own insurance policy, but there is a very good chance that the insurance company of the 'unregistered driver' would not cover any damages from an accident while they were driving since they are not authorized to the drive the car (ie- it would be treated as if that driver had stolen the car)

If you think their 'airport facility charge, et al.' are ridiculous, make sure you don't ever damage one of their cars! Not only do you (or the insurance company) have to pay for the repairs, but you also have to pay for the "loss of use" while the car is being repaired. So if the repair takes 10 days and their rate for that car is $60/day... that's another $600 added on to the repair bill! :) This "loss of use" is almost never covered by credit card insurance or driver's personal insurance, but usually is covered if the renter accepts the car rental company's insurance, which is one of the selling points they try to use to get renters to take their insurance. I don't take their insurance because it is usually expensive and i am covered thru other means.

For me the risk just isn't worth it and i stick with companies (or promos) that allow for a spouse at no additional charge (see the link below).

There is a similar discussion on this topic in this thread: Car Rental Additional Driver

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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