Additional Driver: Car Rental Policies

Sometimes you wish that someone else could drive the car while you go on a trip. But when you are dealing with car rentals, you find that it is not that easy because when you are renting a car, you will yourself have to drive the car. We will the exceptions further into the article.

Additional Drivers - The Rules:

Additional drivers should be at least 25 years of age. The age of the renter is not a problem. But the additional driver should be 25 years or older. Some agencies let employees of the same company to drive if the rental is for a valid business and if the company has previously come to an agreement for underage drivers as well as extra drivers as part of corporate discount perks. (For example, Microsoft had driving privileges for all the renters as well as drivers for Microsoft sponsored business in the age group of 18 and above.)

When renting a car, itâ??s important that you notify the rental company of all of the potential drivers. An unblemished driving record for all involved will help keep costs down. Keep in mind that most car rental companies will run a check on all of the driver's records using an electronic verification through another firm. Once all of the appropriate paperwork is accurately completed, expect to pay a surcharge to cover the additional drivers. (The surcharge is typically an additional $15-$25 added to the daily rate.) In the event of a traffic accident in which the additional driver has not been identified to the rental company, the insurance agency will be able to avoid paying for the damages. There are a few legal loopholes here â?? particularly concerning business trips and corporate liability â?? however, in the event of an incident, its far wiser to have been upfront about the situation and paid the additional fees from the beginning.

A lot of companies allow employees who are going on a business trip to drive without paying extra fees or incurring additional paperwork. However, the company must pay for the rental car. Should damages or an accident occur, this proves that the rental car was booked for business purposes, which confirms that the contract was not violated.

Many companies let spouses to take the vehicle without giving any additional paperwork. This is a great decision on their behalf. Domestic partners are not considered spouses by many car rental companies. But there is one rental company that at present lets domestic partners for driving privileges - Avis Rent-A-Car. They do not ask any questions. But if an accident takes place then Avis will request the proof for domestic partnership. A government issued ID having the same address, a credit card bill, or shared utility bill in both names will verify the domestic partnership.