Yes, someone else can drive your rental car, but only if they are added to the rental agreement as an authorized driver before they get behind the wheel. Most rental companies charge between $11 and $15 per day for a second driver, though spouses, domestic partners, and members of certain programs often drive free. Letting anyone who isn’t listed take the wheel is one of the fastest ways to void the insurance you’re paying for.
How to Add a Second Driver
The person you want to add has to show up at the rental counter in person, present a valid driver’s license, and sign the rental agreement. Most companies also want them to produce a credit card in their own name.1AAA Northeast. Add Another Driver to Your Car Rental You can usually do this at pickup, and some companies also allow you to stop by a branch mid-rental to add someone later.
Fees vary. Avis charges $13 per day in most states, capped at $65 for the rental.2Avis Rent a Car. Can Your Rental Car Have an Additional Driver? Hertz runs about $13.50 per day.1AAA Northeast. Add Another Driver to Your Car Rental On a week-long rental, that adds up, so it’s worth checking the free-add exceptions before you pay.
One catch on payment method: if you’re renting with a debit card rather than a credit card, some companies limit additional drivers to a spouse or domestic partner only.3Alamo Rent a Car. Rental Car Additional Driver Policy To add a friend or colleague, you’ll typically need a credit card on file.
Who Drives Free
Spouses and Domestic Partners
A spouse or domestic partner is the most common free-add. Most major rental brands let them drive at no extra charge as long as they hold a valid license. Roughly a dozen states go further and legally prohibit or cap additional-driver fees for a renter’s spouse, so in those places the waiver isn’t just company courtesy. Even outside those states, the major brands generally extend the benefit voluntarily.
AAA and Costco Members
A couple of memberships wipe out the fee entirely:
- AAA members get the additional-driver fee waived at Hertz at participating U.S. locations, saving up to $13.50 per day. The additional driver also has to be a AAA member with a credit card in their own name.4AAA. Hertz AAA Member Benefits
- Booking through Costco Travel waives the additional-driver fee at Alamo, Enterprise, Avis, and Budget for U.S. and Canada rentals. The extra driver still needs to appear at the counter with a valid license and credit card.5Costco Travel. Rental Car FAQs
On a seven-day rental with two drivers, that’s close to $100 in fees you can avoid.
Corporate Renters
If you’re renting under a company’s corporate account, coworkers from the same organization can usually drive without being individually listed or charged. The corporate agreement covers them. This is standard on business travel where employees share driving, and the major brands build it into their corporate contracts.
Government and Military Travelers
Under the U.S. Government Rental Car Program, additional authorized drivers aged 21 and older pay no extra fee. Drivers 18 to 20 must be listed and may face a young-driver surcharge, though that fee is reimbursable for Department of Defense travelers under the Joint Travel Regulations.6Defense Travel Management Office. Rental Car Program Non-DoD federal employees should check the Federal Travel Regulation and their agency’s own guidance.
Age Rules and Young-Driver Surcharges
The minimum age to rent in most states is 21, not 25.7Avis Rent a Car. Minimum Age to Rent a Car Renters between 21 and 24 pay a young-driver surcharge that makes renting more expensive until they turn 25, and that surcharge also applies to additional drivers in the same age bracket.
Rates vary. Budget charges around $27 per day, Enterprise about $25 per day, and Hertz up to $52 per day depending on the vehicle. These stack on top of any additional-driver fee, so a 22-year-old added as a second driver could face $40 or more per day in combined charges. Shopping across brands makes a real difference at this age.
Adding an International Visitor
A visitor from abroad can be added, but the paperwork is stricter. They need their home country’s license, and depending on the states you’ll drive through, they may also need an International Driving Permit. Not every state requires one, but rental companies often do regardless of state law.8USAGov. Driving in the U.S. if you are not a citizen
The IDP has to be obtained before arrival through the motor vehicle authority in the visitor’s home country. IDPs issued for use in the U.S. are valid for one year.8USAGov. Driving in the U.S. if you are not a citizen Citizens of some countries are exempt, so check with the home country’s embassy first. The safest move is to call the rental company ahead of time and confirm exactly which documents they’ll want to see at the counter.
What Insurance Covers, and When
When a second driver is properly listed, the protections you’re paying for generally extend to them. That covers any Collision Damage Waiver or Loss Damage Waiver you bought from the rental company, and it usually covers your personal auto policy too. Credit card rental car benefits follow the same rule: they cover authorized drivers listed on the agreement.
The picture changes the moment someone who isn’t on the agreement takes the wheel. The CDW or LDW you paid for can be voided outright. Your personal auto insurer may deny the claim on the same grounds. Credit card rental benefits typically won’t cover a driver who was never added. The primary renter is left paying for any damage, injuries, or liability out of pocket.
If an Unauthorized Person Drives
Letting someone drive without adding them is a breach of the rental contract, and companies treat it seriously.
The primary renter becomes personally responsible for everything: repairs to the rental, damage to other cars or property, and medical expenses for anyone hurt. The rental company pursues the primary renter directly, since the agreement is in their name. There’s no splitting liability with the unauthorized driver as far as the company is concerned.
Beyond the money, this kind of violation can put you on a “Do Not Rent” list. Every major brand keeps one, and being flagged can mean a permanent ban even for customers with top loyalty status. Because several brands share a parent company, a ban at one can effectively lock you out of its sister brands too. The $13 a day you save by skipping the extra driver almost never looks like a good trade afterward.