The most common additional fee faced by renters is that for young drivers. It depends on the location and rental company, but if you are under 25 years old, you can expect to have to pay an additional fee for being a young driver.

Most of the time, this fee is charged per day and could be capped at a certain amount. It could be a flat fee in some cases, though.

It also depends where and through which company you rent as to how much this fee will be. It can vary widely — so much so that what would have been the cheapest rental car is no longer the cheapest. But our search makes it simple.

Note: If you search using the age you will be when you pick up the car, any young driver fee will be included in the total cost shown making comparison between rental companies a sinch.

Like young driver fees, senior driver fees are often charged to renters that are about a certain age. While in some cases the age may be lower, you really should only have to worry about these fees if you are 75 or older.

Like young driver fees, this fee is likely to be a per-day fee (and could be capped at a certain amount). In rare cases, it may be a flat fee for the entire rental period.

Also like young driver fees, it depends where and through which company you rent as to how much this fee will be. It can vary widely — so much so that what would have been the cheapest rental car is no longer the cheapest. But our search makes it simple.

Note: If you search using the age you will be when you pick up the car, any senior driver fee will be included in the total cost shown making comparison between rental companies a sinch.

Rental cars often come with multiple different types of fees, some that are mandated by the government of the location. These included taxes (VAT or sales tax), environmental fees, airport fees, and so on.

In addition, rental companies may charge their own fees to cover the costs of the location. This often happens at airports where the rental company has considerable costs to have a rental desk there.

The good news: We strive to include all of these fees in the total cost shown when searching for a rental car. You can make sure you know what the rate includes by checking the Rate Includes section of the rental conditions.

When you rent a car, only the main driver under whose name the car is rented is allowed to drive the vehicle. If anyone else were to drive it, all of the coverage would be void and it could wind up costing you a pretty penny.

Almost all rental companies allow you to add additional drivers to the rental contract — but at an additional cost. You always pay for this service when you pick up the car.

On our booking page, we show how much the additional driver fee is in most cases even though you will pay for this at the rental desk.

There are some rare exceptions. For example, rental companies are not allowed to charge fees for additional drivers in the state of California. Also, in the United States, major car rental brands do not charge these fees for spouses or domestic partners of the main drivers (who are automatically authorized drivers on the rental contract).

When renting a car in certain places, think Europe, you may wish to travel to multiple countries on the same trip. If you turn up at the rental desk, you may be surprised to find out that the rental company wants to charge you more for permission to do this.

First, if you plan to cross any international borders, you should find out if it is even possible at all. Some rental companies do not allow their cars to be taken out of the country (or state) where they are rented.

There are two places on our website where you can find out where you can take a rental car. One is the Geographical Restrictions in the Rental Conditions and the other is on the booking page (see the screenshots below).

Unfortutantely, we don't always have the information about the amount of the fee, as it often depends on which countries you plan to travel to. If you have a concrete travel plan, feel free to contact our customer support who'd be more than happy to get this information for you.

The good news: If you plan to travel within the European Union, you will most likely be allowed to go to other countries with your rental car. But you still need to check to make sure in advance.

Fortunately, most rental cars come with unlimited mileage making this type of fee something you don't have to worry about. However, sometimes vehicles don't come with unlimited mileage. This is often the case for local renters or those renting premium vehicles of vans.

When your rental only includes a certain amount of mileage, you usually have two options. You can pay for more mileage upfront (perhaps even unlimited mileage) when you are picking up the car or you'll be charged for each additional mile driven once you drop off the vehicle. If the former is possible, it is almost always cheaper.

The best way to avoid this fee is to book a vehicle that includes unlimited mileage.

If you want to know how much each additional mile will cost or the cost of unlimited mileage, then be sure to check the Mileage Policy in the Rental Conditions.

In some locations with toll roads, rental companies offer toll packages for renters. These can sometimes end up being almost mandatory.

Many locations now have toll roads without toll booths relying strictly on electronic means for paying the tolls. This creates a sticky situation for renters.

There are two ways in which these tolls are usually collected — a transponder or paying by plate. In many cases, even if you want to pay for the tolls on your own, you may be forced into having them go through the rental company which will gladly tack on additional fees for the service.

In places where there are tolls that are charged to the owner of the car by the license plate, you will be passed on the tolls by the rental company in addition to an administrative fee.

In places where there are electronic transponders, you can choose to rent one from the rental company for an additional fee. Many also offer packages that include unlimited tolls.

In many locations, you can turn these transponders off and use your own if you have one. In some locations, it's possible to register the license plate of the vehicle and pay online thereby not going through the rental company.

However, there are a few places where you are almost forced to take the rental company's toll package — Florida being the most popular of them. Many rental vehicles there are equipped with transponders that can not be turned off or removed. And even if you happen to pay tolls in cash, it will still register electronically and you will be charged a hefty fee by the rental company if you had not taken their toll package.

So in these locations, be sure to calculate the price of the toll package into the final price you expect to pay. You can find this information in the Rate Excludes section of the Rental Conditions.

Of course, there is one sure-fire way to not have to worry about tolls and fees at all and that is to avoid toll roads altogether, though this is not always possible.

Now you know what are the most common additional fees when renting a car. Hoepfully, you now know what to expect when you show up at the rental desk and how to avoid these fees when possible.