Rental Car Additional Driver Charges

You're taking the family on a driving vacation using a rental car. But charges for an extra driver may give you an unpleasant surprise at the car rental counter.

I'm Shirley Rooker for the Federal Trade Commission.

Most car rental companies let your spouse or immediate family members drive without additional cost, but a few charge extra for relatives who also use the car. Many more charge for each additional driver other than the spouse of immediate family member.

There's no rational economic reason for an additional driver charge; the exception being high-risk younger drivers. It's just another way to inflate your car rental bill.

Another gambit is to charge the extra driver fee for the entire length of the rental, even though the other person may only be driving for a couple of days.

But it's better to avoid the additional driver gouge than to evade it. Failure to have an additional driver sign up with the rental company is a violation of your contract and might negate your insurance protection, which is bad news if you're in an accident.

I'm Shirley Rooker, director of WTOP radio's Call For Action for the Federal Trade Commission.

January 2002

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