How To Add an Additional Driver to Your Car Rental

Can You Add Another Driver to Your Car Rental?

Long road trips can be tiresome for drivers. And what is the point of vacationing when the journey makes you feel exhausted?

This is where the concept of adding additional drivers to the car rental comes in!

An additional driver can massively ease the pressure on the main driver and make the trip more enjoyable for everybody.

Many rental companies will let you add your family members, friends, and others as additional drivers in the rental agreement. However, the process of adding them may vary from one rental company to another. You’ll want to verify rental policies before booking a vehicle.

This article explains the rental company policies for additional drivers and the step-by-step process you need to follow to add an extra driver to your car rental.

Rental Company Policies for Additional Drivers

Car Rental Company	Additional Driver Policies and Fees
Airport Van Rental (AVR)	The additional driver must be at least 25 years old. Young driver fees may apply if the additional driver is below 25. AVR charges an additional driver fee per day per driver. The additional driver must be named in the rental agreement. The additional driver must submit a valid driver’s license at the time of rental pick-up.
Enterprise-Rent-A-Car	All additional authorized drivers must appear at the rental location and provide the documents such as age proof, valid driver’s license, and identification card. The additional driver charge is $15 per day per driver. No additional driver fees are charged for the renter’s spouse or domestic partner who meets the age and driver’s license requirements. On debit card car rentals, the additional driver must be the spouse or domestic partner of the primary renter.
Avis Budget Group	The additional driver must be at least 25 years old. They must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record. The additional driver fees may start from $13 per day per driver to $65 per rental per driver. Avis does not charge additional driver fees if the additional driver is driving for an unlicensed driver with a disability.
Hertz/Thrifty	No additional driver fees are charged for the primary renter’s spouse, business partner, and employee. The additional driver fees may start at $13.50 per day per driver and go up to a maximum of $189 per rental, based on the rental vehicle, location, and state laws. An additional driver under 25 years of age is allowed. However, they may need to pay both the young renter fee and an additional driver fee. To become an additional driver, you should hold a valid driver’s license and a credit card.
National	The additional driver charges are $15 per day per driver. The additional driver must appear at the rental counter along with the primary driver at the time of pick-up. You can add the additional driver in the middle of the rental contract. However, both the main driver and additional driver must visit the nearest National rental location to update the rental agreement.

How To Add an Extra Driver to Your Car Rental

Adding an extra driver to the car rental is a straightforward process. However, you may need to understand the company policies, state regulations, and daily charges before doing it.

Understand Policies

The legislation related to adding an extra driver to the car rental may vary from one state to another.

Let’s look at the policies of various states below:

In New York, the maximum a rental company can charge for an additional driver is $3 per day.
The primary renter’s spouse will automatically be added as an additional driver in states such as Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.
In California, rental companies can charge up to twice the authorized driver fee if they come to know that the additional driver, who was not named in the rental agreement, has driven the car.
In Nevada, the additional driver fee is capped at $10 per day, adjusted to annual inflation.

In addition to this legislation, it’s important to know the individual policies of your chosen rental company. Call a rental agent or visit their website to learn more about adding another driver.

Inform Your Rental Company

Get in touch with the customer support teams of a few hand-picked rental companies and compare their additional driver policies and charges. This will enable you to choose a rental company with friendly policies and the lowest additional driver fees.

The following questions may help gather as much information as possible from the rental company about additional drivers:

What are the minimum age requirements?
What are the minimum and maximum charges per day and rental?
Do you waive additional driver charges for AAA, USAA, and AARP members?
Can I add my spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver free of cost?
Can I add an extra driver in the middle of the rental contract?
What documents does an additional driver need to submit at the rental location?
Does the additional driver need to appear at the rental location, along with the main driver, at the time of pick up?
Do you run any loyalty programs that waive the additional driver fees?

Speak with the customer service representatives of AVR at 888-234-8014 to know more about its additional driver policies.

Budget for Fees

The additional driver fees may start at $3 per day per driver and go up to a maximum of $200 per rental. Therefore, you may need to add the charges of the additional drivers to your overall estimated rental cost to determine the budget for your vacation. If the additional driver is less than 25 years of age, you may need to consider adding young driver surcharges too. Many rental companies charge between $19 and $64 as a young driver surcharge. For instance, AVR collects a surcharge of $25 for young drivers aged 25 or below.

Easily Add an Extra Driver with AVR

Adding an extra driver is a wise decision because it eases the pressure on the main driver. We suggest you put an effort into understanding the policies and state laws before adding an extra driver to the car rental. Don’t ignore additional driver and young driver charges, as they can significantly increase your overall car rental costs.

AVR is a van rental company that gives priority to customer safety. Our fleet comprises premium quality SUVs, minivans, passenger vans, and cargo vans that help cater to a diverse range of customers’ travel needs. We have over a dozen car rental locations across the United States. Some of our popular locations are California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, and Texas.

Renters trust AVR for their road trips, family vacations, and weekend getaways for various reasons, including premier customer support, loyalty programs, customer safety practices, a premium fleet of vehicles, and flexible pick-up and drop-off options.

Book a rental car from AVR and add an extra driver hassle-free for your next vacation trip.