S.488 – Dealer Loaner Car Bill Passes First Hurdle

March 10, 2017

Calls Needed to Full Senate Transportation Committee

Yesterday, SCADA was successful at getting Senate Bill 488 – Dealer Loaner Car Bill passed out of the Senate Transportation Subcommittee with a unanimous vote. SCADA testified in favor of allowing Dealers to use Dealer tags for loaner cars for the service and repair of a customer’s vehicle. Currently, the Dealer tag law says that a Dealer may only provide a car to a customer for “demonstration” purposes and it is limited to seven days. The legislation would also allow Dealers to earn two tags for every 15 cars sold, allowing more Dealer tags for Dealers to use on loaner cars instead of having the large expense of “hard tagging” cars.

The bill now goes to the full Senate Transportation Committee.

Committee members need to hear from their local Dealer that this bill is important and is necessary!

The rental car companies have come out hard in opposition to the bill, saying that Dealers are trying to get into the rental car business. SCADA was successful at convincing the subcommittee that the rental car company’s arguments were not true or accurate but we now must be sure the full Senate Transportation Committee understands our issue.  If you do not want the rental car companies telling you what we can and can not do with Dealer tags then – CALL TODAY!

Senator Larry Grooms/Berkeley is the lead author of our bill and Senators Campbell/Charleston and Johnson/Clarendon are co-sponsors.

Ask your Senator to co-sponsor!

If you are in favor of the loaner car solution, please be sure to call your Senator on the Senate Transportation Committee and educate them on how expensive it is for you to hard tag cars to loan to customers for the time period of the service and repair of their vehicle.

– View a list of Senators on the Senate Transportation Committee HERE.
– View the talking points HERE.
– View the legislation HERE.