Avoid Paying Additional Driver Fees on Car Rentals (2021)
From Travel Strategies
Car Rental Strategies, Car Rentals 101: Save Money and Time With Your Rental
If you want to share the driving with someone else, rental companies often charge you dearly, with fees of around $12-13 per day. If you don’t officially add the additional driver to your car and they get in an accident, you are going to have a big problem on your hands.
The good news is that it often possible to avoid the additional driver fee, particularly for spouses or domestic partners. If an additional authorized driver is important to you, it is often better to book with a car company where you can avoid this fee, even if you need to pay a slightly higher “base” rate.
Ways to avoid the additional driver fee
- Rent in the right state. By law, there can be no fees for spouses in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin; and no fees for anyone in California. In New York, spouses are free and the fee for any other additional driver is capped at a more reasonable $3 per day.
- Most big car rental companies don’t charge the fee for spouses or domestic partners. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and Payless make this available to everyone. Hertz, National, Dollar, and Thrifty make this available to members of their free loyalty programs (which you should belong to anyway). National extends this benefit to any family member with the same address.
- Rent from Silvercar. They don’t charge fees for additional drivers and they don’t charge exorbitant “convenience fees” for electronic tolling either.
- Take advantage of Costco, AAA, or AARP benefits to add an additional driver. Members of Costco and AARP get waived additional driver fees for anyone who meets the rental requirements, not just for spouses or domestic partners. AAA members can add a free family member, or any other AAA member, on Hertz rentals. However, you must use the Costco, AARP, or AAA discount codes to activate this benefit, so you can’t always combine with other discounts.
Summary by car rental company
| Spouse free for | Normal Fee | Free if member of | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Everyone | $10/day | Costco |
 |
Everyone | $13/day, $65/max | AARP, Costco |
 |
Everyone | $13/day, $65/max | AARP, Costco |
 |
Members | Varies | AAA |
 |
Everyone | $10/day | Costco |
 |
Members | $13.50/day, $189/max | AAA |
 |
Members | Averages $12/day | |
 |
Everyone | $13/day | AARP |
 |
Varies | ||
 |
Members | Varies | AAA |
