Yes it is. It's horrible. He could lease a car and get his own insurance for nearly half of what he is paying renting one.
most car leases are 300-400+ tax then full coverage including uninsured weather etc. under the sun going to be at least 200 even more depending on city and state+ sex and age,also he could have a accident or two making it even worse
There's a lot of unknowns but a old friend with several accidents on his record was better for him to rent a car or get a clunker