UKC

Why is there a fee for that?

If person A and person B rented a car separately (and they're over 30, etc., etc.) the hire company doesn't care any further about it, they get the same deal. So, from their perspective person A and B are equivalent risk.

Yet, if persons A & B rent the same car, suddenly there's an added cost.

Surely it's safer to have 2 drivers than one, especially as tiredness is the main cause of accidents?
I don't understand the justification for the charge for a second driver. Profit?

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

In reply to JuneBob:

Insurance.

In reply to JuneBob:

My suspicion is that it is partly because they can. In that people want a second driver and so as long as the fee isn't extortionate they will pay. I also wonder whether they have data to say that if there are two drivers on the hire contract more driving is done and so the likelihood of and accident is increased.

In reply to JuneBob:

Don't quite get you - the price quoted per car includes one driver. Adding a second is an 'extra' that they can and do charge good money for..... The amount they charge for a second driver is utterly out of proportion to the risk which may in fact be lower which I guess is your gripe but that's how they make money.

They don't make money hiring out a Micra at £30 per day - they make it by charging £5 extra per day CDW, £7.50 per day extra for the convenience of a second driver, £5 for a sat NAV, £10 per day for a kiddy seat, £5 per day for a booster....

On a week or 2 hire, the amount charged for say a booster seat and a child seat would easily pay for it outright so these 'extras' are huge money makers....

In reply to JuneBob:

Because they are a bunch of torags! As bad as insurance companies!
I hired a car recently, and in the Ts and Cs it said that there was a 100 mile per day limit. Extra mileage would be charged at 25p per mile. I clarified this when picking it up, and was told 'yes, but there's also a £35 admin charge'! I wouldn't have known had I not asked.

In reply to JuneBob:

Because it's a racket - don't expect logical rationales for things they do.

In reply to girlymonkey:


Streuth! What's the name of the company (so I can avoid them)?

In reply to JuneBob:

There are quite a few companies that offer it for free. The biggest scam is throwing insurance in which you actively have to opt out of. Or going to the trouble of de-activating an otherwise perfectly functional GPS just so they can charge for it if you want it.

Other than those few minor gripes, I usually find car hire to be a pretty good deal if you go through someone like easycar.

In reply to JuneBob:

Because they can.
jk

In reply to JuneBob:

It part of the business model, generally the lower the basic cost the more you have to pay for extras. Choose the provider that best suits your needs.

It does make comparison a PITA though.

In reply to JuneBob:


One reason for having two drivers is that they want to share the same mileage, but another might be that they want to make additional (individual) journeys. In the second case, whilst the per mile risk is assumed to be identical, the overall risk may be higher.

I think that this is the same reason why named drivers on car insurance raise the premium even when the additional driver is a lower risk group.

In reply to JuneBob:

Irony is as well that in some countries the standard car insurance is for any driver on the car, you insure the vehicle not a person/vehicle combination e.g. I believe Spain. Therefore it is possible they are charging you for something which you may already be covered for!

Marq

In reply to JuneBob:

In my opinion the real reason is market demand and supply.

The demand is to rent a car. If there is a demand of a second driver they will provide it, and they will charge you. Why? because there is a demand.

Now you could try to explain it from the cost / insurance / ethics or whatever reason point of view if they should charge you or not... but is irrelevant. As long as there is people out there (demand) willing to pay, they'll charge you. It would be silly not to do it...

If tomorrow the demand of a second driver goes away... they would probably give you that for free to capture more market... would that make sense?

In reply to JuneBob:

Its because having 2 or more drivers tends to mean the car will be used more (more wear, depreciation, risk of accident etc) if they billed you by the mile rather than by the day then it wouldn't matter.

That and they're greedy bastads

In reply to Ferret:


You can buy 4 Mars bars in the Supermarket for £1. Buy a single Mars bar on a train and you'll be charged £1.10.

Why, because they can.

In reply to JuneBob:



If two people are insured to drive a car, one can sleep while the other drives. Great way of clocking up massive mileages.

In reply to Big Ger:


Maybe, however, usually people rent a car to go somewhere in particular, not to just drive as far as they can.

In reply to JuneBob:
"usually" agreed. But it's a good way of having a new car to knock up massive mileages if you have a need to. (He said knowingly.)

In reply to JuneBob:

Just a thought to various responders on here, should car hire companies be able to make a profit, you know like companies do, or should car hire be free at the point of delivery, like the NHS or something? Just wondering from some of the replies.

In reply to JuneBob:

shop around, "economy car hire", give you an extra driver for free in most European countries.

In reply to JuneBob:







It's a charging model that aims to produce a profit. Is there a problem with that?

In reply to timjones:

The vast majority of people like to spend as little as possible, hence why Ryanair is such a success. So, it's a model that encourages people to book a car with one driver, who then drives big distances taking big risks, when really they should've had two drivers.

In reply to JuneBob:


Is that fact or supposition?