Hertz - Help with Hertz t's & c's please

I am renting a car in california, am from UK and not rented in USA previously. I have pre-paid and my t's and c's state:

THE BASE AMOUNT INCLUDES AIRPORT CONCESSION FEE RECOVERY:, LOSS DAMAGE WAIVER, TAX, LIABILITY INSURANCE SUPPLEMENT, TRANSACTION FEE
Additional Charges (included in the 'Approximate Rental Charge') - PER RENTAL VEHICLE LICENSING COST RECOVERY: 9.14 GBP APPROXIMATE

RENTAL CHARGE: 498.33 GBP

The rate quoted is based on available information at time of reservation. Additional fees or surcharges may be applied at the time of rental, for example, if you add an additional driver or purchase any additional products.

My question is, will I have to pay ANY more than what I have been quoted. I do hear some funny stories about extra charges by US companies, though I am assuming that Hertz is not going to try anything funny.


Specifically:

a) I assume COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER is the same as LOSS DAMAGE WAIVER?

b) The 'PER RENTAL VEHICLE LICENSING COST RECOVERY' is a once only charge at the end?

c) What is the 'LIABILITY INSURANCE SUPPLEMENT'?

c) In their website Hertz states that one additional driver can be added for no charge in the state of California. Can someone confirm this.

It *appears* that the full cost quoted above should cover everything.

I don't know how long your rental is for, but 500 quid for a week seems a bit high unless you have a Prestige vehicle.

I can't comment on the additional driver question, since they include this as part of Hertz #1 Gold.

It *appears* that the full cost quoted above should cover everything.

I don't know how long your rental is for, but 500 quid for a week seems a bit high unless you have a Prestige vehicle.

I can't comment on the additional driver question, since they include this as part of Hertz #1 Gold.

OK, thanks. It is 2 1/2 weeks with an I class car.

a) Yes. Actually, "Loss Damage Waiver" should be more all-encompassing, as that suggests you will also be covered in the event of a loss that is not due to a collision. I think this is standard for the damage waivers these days, though.

b) Probably. This is either a tax or a nuisance fee that covers a tax/fee Hertz has to pay. These vary by location, not even just by state but by county, municipality, airport, whatever. These types of taxes/fees can be percentages, daily dollar amounts or once per rental amounts. Most likely this rental has 2 or more different types of these, but only that one is separate for some reason. Perhaps it's just the only one the system doesn't consider to be "tax".

c) Liability insurance is what covers you in the event you damage someone else's car and/or injure them in an accident. I don't know how insurance for autos works in the UK. If you don't have a car, you would likely have no insurance making this coverage from the rental agency pretty necessary. If you do have a car, it's possible that insurance you have for the UK covers you in the US, but you'd have to check. Having this coverage from the rental agency means you don't have to worry about it.

d) Additional driver was added for me in California at no charge. I later learned for reference that Hertz recognizes not just married couples but any kind of similar domestic arrangement. My girlfriend who lives with me is automatically an extra driver with Hertz at no cost in any state. Actually, this may be a Gold benefit, can't remember. Either way, you should be good to go in Cal.

The price should not change, looks like it's really covering everything. I really don't know if it's a great deal, but considering all the insurance coverage added on, 2 1/2 weeks, I class (note, this will be a much larger car than most people in the UK ever drive and these are not my idea of luxury, but whatever, good luck) it may not be that out of line....

a) Yes. Actually, "Loss Damage Waiver" should be more all-encompassing, as that suggests you will also be covered in the event of a loss that is not due to a collision. I think this is standard for the damage waivers these days, though.

b) Probably. This is either a tax or a nuisance fee that covers a tax/fee Hertz has to pay. These vary by location, not even just by state but by county, municipality, airport, whatever. These types of taxes/fees can be percentages, daily dollar amounts or once per rental amounts. Most likely this rental has 2 or more different types of these, but only that one is separate for some reason. Perhaps it's just the only one the system doesn't consider to be "tax".

c) Liability insurance is what covers you in the event you damage someone else's car and/or injure them in an accident. I don't know how insurance for autos works in the UK. If you don't have a car, you would likely have no insurance making this coverage from the rental agency pretty necessary. If you do have a car, it's possible that insurance you have for the UK covers you in the US, but you'd have to check. Having this coverage from the rental agency means you don't have to worry about it.

d) Additional driver was added for me in California at no charge. I later learned for reference that Hertz recognizes not just married couples but any kind of similar domestic arrangement. My girlfriend who lives with me is automatically an extra driver with Hertz at no cost in any state. Actually, this may be a Gold benefit, can't remember. Either way, you should be good to go in Cal.

The price should not change, looks like it's really covering everything. I really don't know if it's a great deal, but considering all the insurance coverage added on, 2 1/2 weeks, I class (note, this will be a much larger car than most people in the UK ever drive and these are not my idea of luxury, but whatever, good luck) it may not be that out of line....

Thanks CrazyOne for the very comprehensive reply. ^ :)

You may not need the Collision/Loss Damage Waiver. I'm not familiar with UK credit cards, but almost all credit cards issued here in the US provide *primary* collision coverage for international rentals (secondary coverage for domestic rentals), for up to $50,000 in damage to the rental vehicle. You should check with your credit card issuer to see if this is the case for your card as well; might save you quite a bit of money.

As for liability, California is one of only three US states that does not require rental agencies to provide free basic liability insurance to renters, so you'll probably be best off purchasing the supplement from Hertz unless you have some sort of coverage back home that covers you for foreign rentals.