No. With Grandpride, only the named renter may drive a self-drive car, and we don't add second drivers to a booking. If you rent the car, you're the only person who should be behind the wheel for the whole rental, including a quick move across a car park.
The person on the agreement is the person whose licence we've seen and who answers for the car until it comes back. Letting someone else drive your rental car breaks that agreement, and what that does to your protection is CHECK: what happens to Basic Cover, LDW and Protection+ if an unnamed person drives, and any penalty under the rental terms.
Most reasons for wanting a second driver have a better answer than breaking that rule.
If you want to share a long drive
A round trip to Penang or the east coast is a lot of hours for one person. You have two options that stay within the rules.
Book a chauffeur for the trip. Grandpride prices one-way trips on distance, and hourly bookings run from 3 to 23 hours, with 10% off anything over 12 hours. In a seven-seat Toyota Vellfire everyone in the group can sleep on the way. Our guide to private drivers from KL to other cities covers how longer trips are priced.
Or plan the drive for one driver. Break the trip with a proper stop every couple of hours, stay a night on the way if it's long, and pick a car you'll enjoy for that long. Our self-drive vs chauffeur guide compares the two.
If you'll be drinking
After a wedding dinner or a company night, the usual plan is that someone else drives home, and in a rental that someone can't be a friend. Book a chauffeur for the evening instead. Hours starting between 7 pm and 11 pm cost 30% more and hours from 11 pm 50% more, so check the price for your times. Malaysia's drink-driving penalties are heavy, as our drink-driving law guide explains.
If you're renting for someone else
They need to rent it themselves, in their own name, with their own licence. That applies to a partner, a visiting relative and a son or daughter alike. Paying for a rental that's in someone else's name is CHECK: can a booker pay for a self-drive rental in another person's name. For younger drivers, our guide to car rental age requirements explains why a parent can't book on a teenager's behalf.
If someone is only collecting the car
That's allowed. Someone else can collect the car for you if you add their details when you book. Collecting means taking the keys and the paperwork, though, and the drive away from the showroom is still yours to make. If you can't get to Section 13, have the car delivered instead: free within 10 km of the showroom and RM 100 elsewhere in the Klang Valley.
If you already have a car and need a driver
Then you don't need a rental at all. Grandpride's driver service puts a driver behind the wheel of your own car for RM 385 for an 8-hour day, door to door, with unlimited stops. It suits parents who no longer drive, or a wedding day when the family car needs someone behind the wheel. See driver and bodyguard services for the rates, or our guide to hiring a driver for your own car.
Before you book
Can my husband or wife drive the car I rent?
No. The named-renter rule has no exception for spouses. If you'll both want to drive, each of you needs your own rental.
What if my friend drives just for a few minutes?
It's still a breach of the rental terms, and an accident or a camera summons in those few minutes lands on you as the renter. Our guide on who pays traffic fines on a rental car explains how a summons is traced back to the driver.
Can I add a second driver for an extra fee?
Some rental companies let you add a driver for a fee. Grandpride doesn't, on any self-drive car.
Can I rent a car for my visiting parents to drive?
Only if one of them rents it in their own name and meets the licence requirements. If they'd rather not drive in KL traffic, book a chauffeur for the days they need to get around.
