A rental car company has no responsibility to check that a driver has liability insurance, nor can a rental car company mandate that a driver purchase insurance. An additional daily fee may apply for any additional drivers listed on the rental agreement. Beware of this california car rental insurance gotcha autoslash. Beware of this california car rental insurance gotcha. Car rental additional driver info alamo rent a car. Share the adventure by opting in for an additional driver on your next thrifty car rental. You can rent a car from budget at age 21 in most states if you pay an underage renter surcharge. The graves amendment and rental car liability findlaw.
If you rent cars only in the state of california, you can probably stop reading now. In california, there is no statemandated minimum or maximum age required for primary or additional rental car drivers. There are no additional driver fees in california at all by law. Car rental additional driver fees the flight expert. Car rental agencies in arizona also have the right to charge additional fees for drivers based on their own regulations. However, young drivers may be subject to a limited car selection and an underage driver surcharge. You can also list additional drivers on the rental agreement, although companies may charge an extra daily fee. My adult daughter and i are traveling to california for 5 days. If a driver rents a car in california and drives to oregon, can an additional operator be added at a hertz location there for free. In which states are spouses automatic authorized drivers. Yes, there is an additional charge for each additional driver.
At the time of rental an additional driver must be at least 21 years of age, present a valid driver s license, present a california rent acar honored charge card, and complete an additional driver form. In deciding who pays for the rental car after an accident, the most important inquiry here is who caused the accident. Apr 25, 2014 a lot of rental car companies in the us avis, hertz, etc. Car rental companies must allow your spouse to drive the vehicle if he or she is licensed and at least eighteen years of age. Learn more about renters rights and landlords obligations when it comes to the return. Most companies require that you register any other person who will be driving the rental car as an additional driver.
Get to know our car rental requirements, terms and conditions, and general policies from age restrictions, payment and insurance options, additional driver policies, optional services, and more. The renters spouse for rentals that originate in california or iowa. Hertz gold plus rewards free additional drivers in california. An additional daily fee may apply for any additional drivers. A rental company shall not charge in addition to the rental rate, additional mandatory charges, or a mileage charge, as those may be applicable, any other fee that is required to be paid by the renter as a condition of hiring or leasing the vehicle. Demystifying car rentals in the us insurance, additional. Other licensed drivers can be authorized to drive the rental vehicle if expressly listed on the rental agreement. Companies often charge an additional fee for young drivers. Most articles ive read say an additonal driver singular involves no extra fee, and some say the other persons name must be on the rental agreement at least if they are not your spouse. Any additional authorized drivers must appear at time of rental and meet age and driver s license requirements. Avis, budget, enterprise, fox, and silvercar allow the renters spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver for free silvercar does not charge for any additional driver who meets. However, it is a breach of contract between the renter and the rental agency to allow someone not expressly authorized some company aut. Additionally, members of alamo insiders do not have to pay for an additional driver. Ab675 rental vehicles california legislative information.
Hud handles complaints about housing discrimination, bad landlords in federal housing and many other issues. According to the law, there are no additional driver fees in california, and it doesnt matter if the additional driver is a spouse or. For an additional fee, the rental company will waive all or a portion of the customers obligation to pay repair costs for damage to the vehicle caused by collision. By sharing the drive, you and your travel companions will get to experience the journey and the destination. Airport rental stations add an airport recovery feearizonas airport recovery fees are very high, so you might want to forgo convenience and pick up your rental. In fact the law lapsed at the beginning of this year and for 6 weeks a couple of the car rental agencies were charging for all additional drivers. California driver handbook additional driving lawsrules. It is implied and you do not have to alert them they wil. State law in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon and wisconsin allows a spouse to be an automatic authorized driver as long as age and drivers license qualifications are met. Existing law limits how a rental car company is authorized to charge a. The rental car companies do not require liability insurance, yet liability insurance is required in order to legally operate a vehicle in california. There are two types of additional drivers as it pertains to hertz locations in the state of ca authorized operators. State law in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon and.
Many car rental companies have lowered the minimum age to rent a car to 21, but most charge an extra fee for drivers aged 21 to 24. Below, we have list rental car additional driver policies and fees for the major u. Authorized operators are the employer, employee or fellow employee of renter on company business, when booking includes company corporate discount number, or the renters spouse. A lot of rental car companies in the us avis, hertz, etc. One of the joys of renting a car is that it enables you to travel, explore and experience new locations. When i attempt to make a booking, i get the information below with regards to additional drivers. At the time of rental an additional driver must be at least 21 years of age, present a valid drivers license, present a california rentacar honored charge card, and complete an additional driver form. California, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon, and wisconsin. Rentals in states that allow a renters spouse to be an automatic authorized driver.
How to avoid additional driver fees carla car rental. Dozens of new california laws go into effect in 2020, covering new workplace rules, gun control laws and criminal justice. Apr 18, 2020 no car rental additional driver fees for spouses in these states in addition to california, where all additional drivers are free, some states allow the main driver s spouse to be an automatic authorized additional driver without a fee. Ive only rented for two people, so never faced that question. If youre going to be doing a lot of driving, its always good to be able to share the load with someone else.
Less on the state rental companies allow spouses automatically, more on the company. The insurance pitfalls of california car rental vititoe. However, in all of these cases, the additional drivers names are not added to the rental contract. An owner of a motor vehicle that rents or leases the vehicle to a person.
I am gold plus rewards five star and i am using the amex platinum cdp. Rental car liability insurance in alberta handel law firm. Spouses of renters in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon, and wisconsin do not have to pay the additional driver fee. Overview of landlordtenant laws in california nolo. There are no additional driver fee at below airports. Hi all, im looking at car rentals in san diego and palm springs. Sixt allows you to share the driving responsibilities with friends and family members in your topquality rental car. Jan 02, 2008 i worked for a rental car agency budget last year. Oct 26, 2019 rental car additional driver policies. Renting a car in california, there are no additional driver fees, regardless of whether the additional driver is a spouse or someone unrelated to you. In addition to exceptions for spouses and the other additional driver fee waivers discussed below, all car rental companies allow one free additional driver for mobilityimpaired customers, as long as the additional driver meets the rental locations requirements to rent a vehicle. For rentals with pickup locations in california, illinois, nevada, oregon, texas, new york, and utah, authorized. Rental cars cash in on spouse additional driver fee. What bad things can happen to drivers who rent hire cars in california.
Your rental rules and laws pertaining to them are determined by the state you initially rent it from. There is no additional driver fee in the us or canada for authorized drivers. A company may charge a fee if you drop the car off at a location different from where it was picked up. Jan 16, 2019 the graves amendment is part of a federal highway bill signed into law in 1995. Heres everything you need to know about adding extra drivers. The best case scenario is that the other driver is at fault for the accident and they have insurance coverage. Both landlords and tenants should be able to deal with many legal questions and problems without a lawyer, once they understand the basics of state law. Share the wheel without paying for additional drivers fox news. If the other driver did, their auto insurance company is on the hook for rental car repair charges. For additional local resources, you can also contact a housing counseling agency. An additional driver, if added to the rental agreement, may drive the rental vehicle. Enterprise, national and alamo automatically include a spouse as an additional driver at no extra charge. Do not smoke at any time when a minor is in the vehicle.
For certain vehicles, 25 year old age restrictions might be in effect. When adding an additional driver in the middle of the contract both the renter and the additional driver must be present at the location. Airport rental stations add an airport recovery feearizonas airport recovery fees are very high, so you might want to forgo convenience and pick up your rental once in town. Have you rented a vehicle with dollar rent a car, or are you planning to in the future. I understand that california law allows any rental to. Authorized drivers would be a spouse or domestic partner either same or opposite sex, or for one surrogate driver for a mobility impaired renter who meets the locations rental requirements.
Oct 17, 2016 less on the state rental companies allow spouses automatically, more on the company. Under state law, california landlords must disclose specific information to tenants usually in the lease or rental. In which states are spouses automatic authorized drivers when. Is it illegal to drive a rental car that you did not rent. Only one of you will be the main driver, but adding additional drivers is. This means that adding additional drivers to your rental contract is free for rentals originating in california. The renter and any additional drivers are absolutely liable for any loss or damage to the rental vehicle, even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown, whether due to theft, fire, hail, flood, collision, vandalism, or any other cause, subject to limitations imposed by the law where the vehicle.
The law requires drivers to carry liability insurance, but the rental car companies are not required to tell you. In california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon, and wisconsin, state law allows automatic driver authorization for spouses of the. State law in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon and wisconsin allows a spouse to be anautomatic authorized driver as long as renter qualifications are met. Ive heard rumours that there are no charges for additional drivers on car rentals in california by law but cant seem to find out if the number of. Although including additional drivers on a rental contract used to be limited. There are also some statespecific fees to consider, such as the california tourism tax and airport concession fees. She is renting and paying so she is required to be listed as the primary driver for our car we will pick up at the burbank airport and return to the long beach airport. However, if that becomes tiring, with sixts additional driver addon you can pass the joy of driving to one of your travel. The issue with additional drivers needing to be named on the contract is a big one.
Landlordtenant information california department of consumer affairs. In new york and california, for example, licensed spouses are covered to drive the rental car. If you rent cars only in the state of california, you can probably stop reading now since we have some great news for you. Additional drivers, whether free or not, must meet the car rental companys rental requirements, including minimum age, credit card, and other qualifications. Under california law, a landlord must return the renters security deposit, with an itemized statement of deductions, within 21 days after the renter has surrendered the rental property to the landlord that is, returned the keys and vacated the property. No charges shall be levied for additional drivers on car rentals originating in the state of california.
This coverage also is likely to extend to additional drivers, although laws vary by state. This overview of key landlord tenant laws in california will get you started. How to avoid car rental additional driver fees ratehub. In california, there is no additional authorized driver charge. Some rental companies charge fees for additional authorized driverseven spouses. If you book a complex trip for multiple people, for gosh sakes, get travel insurance. This section applies only to the maximum liability of a renter or other authorized driver to the rental company resulting from damage to the rented vehicle and not to the liability of another person. The minimum age for rental was the same for all states except new york. Existing law governs contracts between rental car companies and their customers. In 2015, auto rental news reported that there were over 2 million rental cars in service across the nation, with california ranking among the top states for annual car rentals. Heres a list of 24 new laws that will impact you in 2020. Remember, though, the additional driver still needs to present a driver s license and be listed on the contract. Authorized driver means the renter, any additional driver, or any individual permitted by state law to operate the vehicle. There are no additional driver fees in california state.
The minimum age also varies based on your situation. How to avoid car rental additional driver fees autoslash. No, it is not a criminal offense to drive a rental car which you are not the authorized driver list. Rental car companies typically allow additional drivers for a daily fee. However, keep in mind fees and restrictions vary by locationfrom state. Existing law authorizes a company that rents passenger vehicles to the public to collect a customer facility charge, which means a fee that is required by an airport to be collected to finance, design, and construct airport car rental facilities, transportation systems, and terminal modifications, if specified. The renter did not identify any additional persons for which she sought permission of the defendant rental company to drive the vehicle. An additional driver may only be added to the contract at a rental location and may be added or removed in the middle of the contract. Rentals by emerald club members when the members spouse, common law spouse, or samesex domestic partner has the same address on the drivers license as the emerald club member and meets normal renter requirements. Additional driver means a person we list on the face page of this agreement. Again, some rental car agencies in the us automatically allow for a spouse to be authorized based on state law, they are california. Budget car rental us requirements for renting faqs. State law in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon and wisconsin allows a spouse to be an automatic authorized driver provided they meet minimum. By law, there are no additional driver fees in california.
It basically bars vicarious liability claims against car rental companies for injuries caused by their customers, unless it can be proven that the companys negligence or actions contributed to those injuries. The state law changes now and then so a blank statement about not needing to register an additional driver is irresponsible. Although including additional drivers on a rental contract used to be limited to spouses and domestic partners, many rental car companies like alamo, avis, and hertz now allow any licensed driver to be added to the contract for a fee. Landlord tenant information california department of consumer affairs. Additional driver or drivers in california have no extra fee. California driver handbook additional driving laws rules. Jan 16, 2020 the rental car companies do not require liability insurance, yet liability insurance is required in order to legally operate a vehicle in california. It doesnt matter where youre going, its who you have beside you. Car rental tip sheet new york state attorney general. Any additional authorized drivers must appear at time of rental and meet age and drivers license requirements. Well also cover the minimum requirements for liability car insurance coverage in california. The renters spouse or domestic partner if the renter is a loyalty member of hertz gold plus rewards all tiers authorized operators do not have to be present at time of rental. This goes for all companies, regardless of whether the additional driver is a. The information on this page applies to domestic car rentals in the us and canada.
This overview of key landlordtenant laws in california will get you started. Terms of the rental contract stipulate under the heading additional authorized drivers that except as required by law none permitted without owners written consent. This article explains california law as it relates to financial responsibility for car accidents and car insurance for registered vehicles, and how those laws work in the context of an insurance claim or lawsuit after a crash. Exceptions according to, state law in california, illinois, missouri, nevada, oregon, and wisconsin allow the spouse of a renter to be an automatic authorized additional driver provided they meet normal renter requirements with no extra fee. You may want to add an additional driver to your rental car. Alamo charges a fee for all additional drivers, including spouses, except if the car is being rented under a corporate contract.
185 1498 28 689 1537 864 810 1538 1448 564 989 1499 961 1276 694 1068 1582 93 1557 114 281 848 66 1328 171 513 678 167 234 820 1430 882 609 752 429 911