Rental passenger vehicle transactions: third parties.

Assembly Member Berman's rental vehicle transparency legislation extends California's vehicle rental disclosure requirements to third-party vendors while mandating that all providers clearly present total costs, including government fees and taxes, when quoting rental rates.

The bill requires rental companies and third parties to itemize rental rates, mandatory charges, and mileage fees separately in their quotes and contracts. When customers provide potential rental dates, vendors must disclose the complete cost including all applicable taxes and government-imposed fees. For online bookings, total charges must appear in a typeface at least as large as any advertised rental rate and be accessible through a direct link from the rate display page.

The legislation maintains existing provisions allowing rental companies to charge for optional services that customers can decline, such as additional insurance or alternative drop-off locations. It preserves current exemptions from authorized driver fees for immediate family members and coworkers while setting parameters for fees when unauthorized drivers operate rental vehicles. The bill also retains prohibitions on charging customers for periods before vehicle delivery or after pickup notification at non-business locations.

All rate advertisements, whether from rental companies or third parties, must prominently display disclaimers about potential mandatory charges and provide detailed mileage terms, including any geographic restrictions within the United States and Canada. The bill removes previous language that shielded rental companies from liability when third parties failed to properly disclose mandatory charges after receiving rate information.