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Sally Wilson

Sally is a key member of the MoneyMaxim editorial team. She is a frequent hire-car user and often goes on holiday with her family. With an interest in getting great value for money, Sally shares her hints and tips for travelling and insurance.

How can I add a second driver to my car hire excess insurance?

Buying car hire excess insurance to cover a second lead driver or an additional driver is easy with MoneyMaxim

driver with satnav

A large number of people choose to add an additional driver to their car hire so that they can share the driving. Many car hire companies include a 'Free additional driver' with their rentals. Excess insurance for an additional driver need not cost you more either.

All the car hire excess insurance policies available through MoneyMaxim cover not just the lead driver but also at least four additional drivers free of charge on the same policy.

What is the difference between a lead driver and an additional driver?

  • A lead driver takes responsibility for the car hire. The car rental paperwork will be in their name. They will have signed for the car and left any security deposit required.

  • An additional driver is a second driver who is able to drive the same car as the lead driver but does not have overall responsibility for it. They can even do the majority or all of the driving.

How to include an additional driver on a car hire excess insurance policy

  • All drivers must be included on the car hire rental agreement. No policy will cover a driver who does not have permission from the car hire company to drive the vehicle.

  • Run a quote for car hire excess insurance in the name of the lead driver. The number of additional drivers that can be included free on each policy is shown if you click on the 'Details' button.

  • When purchasing your chosen policy, fill out any details required when asked. Some insurers will ask for the names of additional drivers, others will just accept drivers who are named on the car rental agreement.

  • If an additional driver does not hold a UK licence, please check under the 'Details' of each policy to see if their licence would be covered. Information about residency rules can also be found here.

Will a car hire excess insurance policy cover people wanting to hire cars separately?

  • If you are looking for an annual car hire excess insurance to cover more than one hire and the lead drivers are different then you can use our filter to find 'Policies allowing more than one lead driver'. This filter is available at the top of your quote results page.

  • Please note that policies have their own criteria regarding who can be covered on a dual lead driver or family policy. More details can be found under the 'Details' button for each policy on your results table.

  • Some policies will allow simultaneous hires. This is indicated in the 'Details' too.

Run a quote for excess insurance to cover more than one driver and see how little it can cost!

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