Car Rental Extras and Add-Ons: What They Cost and Which Ones to Skip

The advertised daily rate is rarely the final price. Add a GPS, a baby seat and an extra driver for a week and the total can rise by over 200 euros on top of the car itself. Most of that is optional spend. Here is what each add-on actually costs and which ones are worth it.

GPS navigation

Counter price: 8 to 12 euros per day.

On a seven-day rental, that is 56 to 84 euros for a device you almost certainly do not need. Google Maps and Apple Maps work offline with downloaded maps, have more up-to-date road data than most rental GPS units, and cost nothing.

What to do instead: download offline maps for your destination before you leave. Bring a phone mount for the dashboard — these cost a few euros and clip onto the air vent.

The rental GPS is the easiest extra to skip on every booking.

Baby seat and child seat

Counter price: 5 to 10 euros per day.

For a two-week holiday that is 70 to 140 euros for a seat that may not fit your child well and has an unknown history of previous accidents.

What to do instead: bring your own. Most airlines count child seats as free checked baggage, separate from your standard allowance. You travel with a seat that fits correctly, and you pay nothing per day.

If flying with a low-cost carrier that charges for checked bags, the seat fee may still be lower than renting at the counter for longer trips. Check before you book.

If you must rent a seat: book it online in advance — counter prices are higher. Confirm availability before pickup. Seat availability is not guaranteed even when booked, particularly on busy summer dates.

WiFi hotspot

Counter price: 8 to 15 euros per day.

European travellers: EU roaming rules mean your mobile plan works across all EU member states at no extra charge since 2017. A rental WiFi hotspot is redundant for most intra-European trips.

Non-EU destinations: check whether your phone plan includes data roaming. In many cases a local SIM card at the destination costs less than two days of rental WiFi.

The hotspot is worth considering only if you are travelling with multiple devices that all need data, and your phone plan does not cover the destination.

Additional driver

Counter price: 0 to 18 euros per day.

This varies more than any other extra. Some situations where it costs nothing:

• Spouse or domestic partner on the same booking: several major suppliers (including Hertz and Avis on certain rate codes) offer the first additional driver free if travelling together
• Corporate accounts: many business rate agreements waive the additional driver fee entirely
• Certain destinations: local market competition sometimes leads to free additional drivers as standard

When it is not free, the fee applies per day for the full rental period. On a 10-day rental at 15 euros per day that is 150 euros for a named driver who may only drive occasionally.

Young driver fee is separate: if the additional driver is under 25, the young driver surcharge also applies on top of the additional driver fee. See the renting under 25 guide for current rates.

For more detail on rules and free-driver conditions, see the additional driver guide.

Prepaid fuel

Counter price: supplier’s list price for a full tank, payable upfront.

This is one of the most commonly mis-sold extras. The supplier charges you for a full tank at pickup and lets you return the car empty.

The problem: you almost never return the car completely empty. Whatever fuel is left when you hand back the keys is not refunded.

The better option is a full-to-full policy: pick up with a full tank, return with a full tank. You buy fuel at pump prices on the road. No risk of losing money on unused fuel.

Ski rack and roof box

Counter price: varies by supplier, typically 15 to 30 euros per day for a roof box.

These are genuine extras with a legitimate use case. If you need them, book in advance — availability is limited and counter prices are higher than online prices.

Summary: what to book, what to skip

The counter upsell

Even when you have decided in advance what you need, the counter agent will often present extras as though they are recommended or required. GPS may be described as “included in the package,” child seats as “mandatory for the route,” insurance upgrades as “what most people get.”

None of these claims are true unless they appear in writing on your booking confirmation. Know what you have booked before you arrive. Politely decline anything not on that list.

Book early, pay less

Any extra you know you need costs less when booked online at the time of reservation. This applies to child seats, additional drivers and ski racks. The counter price for the same items is almost always higher. Do not leave it to the day of pickup.

Compare car rental rates with extras included and select your add-ons at the booking stage to see the real total before you pay.

In short

The only extras worth adding are ones you genuinely cannot replace: a child seat if you cannot bring your own, an additional driver if you will share driving. GPS, WiFi and prepaid fuel are almost always avoidable. Book what you need online, not at the counter. That single habit saves most travellers 50 to 100 euros on a typical week-long rental.