3 Mar 2019
Budgetcarbooking
There are no additional driver fees in California State. This is defined by law.
There are no additional driver fee at below airports.
These are the most travelled airports in California. Also, there is no additional driver fee for spouse in Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, and Wisconsin States. There will be no additional driver fee for spouse at Las Vegas Airport, Chicago O’hare Airport, Chicgo Midway Airport, Portland Airport.
Additional driver fee in New York State is only $3/day. It is much lower than other States where it could be $10/day.
It is crucial to add all drivers to your rental contract because of insurance or damage waiver issues. If a driver who is not listed on the contract gets into an accident, you may not be covered for the damage.
For other States, additional driver fee varies by car rental company. Some rental car companies waive the fee for AAA, AARP, USAA members. A single driver can drive the car to avoid the additional driver fee.
It's important to keep in mind the policies of each car rental company, since not all are created equal:
Alamo: There is a per-day charge for all additional drivers. Until 2014, Alamo allowed spouses as an additional driver for no extra fee, but it has since removed this benefit. Alamo now charges for any and all additional drivers regardless of relationship.
Avis/budget/Enterprise/Fox/Payless: 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.
Dollar/Thrifty: Both companies typically charge per day for all additional drivers (including spouses). The exception to this rule is that spouses can drive for free for members of Dollar's Express and Thrifty's Blue Chip programs. This gives Dollar and Thrifty the edge over similarly positioned value brand Alamo where it's tougher for spouses to drive for free unless you're a Costco member.
Hertz: There is a per day 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.
National: There is a per day charge for all additional drivers, but if you are a member of National's Emerald Club (free to join), the fee is waived for a spouse, domestic partner, or immediate family member who has the same address on their driver's license as the Emerald Club member.
Silvercar: Silvercar does not charge for any additional driver who meets rental requirements. It's a very customer-friendly policy, but then again, you often pay significantly more for the privilege of driving their nice silver Audis.
Sixt: There is a charge per day for all additional drivers (including spouses).
With a little bit of planning and research, it's possible to avoid paying a fee when you need to add a second driver to your rental contract. Renters in California get a free pass regardless of company, as do customers of Silvercar, and spouses or domestic partners when renting from Avis, Budget, Enterprise 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.
Dollar and Thrifty, which are both owned by Hertz, don't offer a way around the additional driver fees (unless both you and the additional driver are AAA members or you sign up for their rewards programs so a spouse can drive), and your only out with Alamo in most cases is to use the Costco discount code. The same holds true for Sixt and many other discount companies, so it pays to do your homework before renting. Be sure to calculate all costs before booking.