Photo: Hertz | Edited
With electric vehicles becoming more widespread, rental companies bet big on EVs. Hertz is among the most bullish, although its customers don't seem very impressed with renting electric vehicles. One Hertz customer shared their experience, which might reveal why people don't love renting a Tesla from Hertz.
Hertz surprised everyone in 2021 when it announced plans to buy 100,000 Teslas and tens of thousands of other electric vehicles from other carmakers, including General Motors and Polestar. Despite bold claims, Hertz stepped down its electrification efforts. Its EV fleet remained essentially flat during the past two quarters, at around 50,000 cars. This is likely because its customers are not particularly in love with electric vehicles. That's one of the reasons why Hertz's Teslas spend more time in the parking lots than on the roads.
Another reason is the company itself, with many customers complaining about not being offered enough information about driving a Tesla. Hertz could be extremely helpful to people on their first encounter with an electric vehicle. Still, the first impression is often negative because they don't care about customer experience. It is hurting not only the EV cause but also Hertz's business. Investing in electric vehicles and not educating customers is wasted money.
The company is now starting to understand that and launched a "Tesla Educational Series" on its website. The blog is very informative, but customers aren't briefed, and most don't even know it exists. Hertz could undoubtedly do more to ensure its customers understand the basics of driving an electric vehicle. Still, customers' stories show this is not the case, which explains why nobody wants to rent a Tesla from Hertz. The company is not only doing a lousy job at informing its customers, but it outright tries to deceive them.
User u/hellcat47 shared on Reddit that he was looking for a rental for a 400-mile trip and found the Teslas at Hertz among the cheapest. This is undoubtedly because people avoid them, and Hertz offers them at a discount. Two versions were available: the Standard Range with 266 miles (428 km) of range and the Long Range with 358 miles (576 km), and they opted for the latter. Everything went well until they charged the battery fully at the Supercharger and noticed the maximum range was only 266 miles.
Although they spoke to customer support and asked for compensation for the shorter range, they weren't successful. Hertz's office obviously baited and switched them on the car, but arguing was pointless. They wouldn't offer them a Long Range Model 3, no discount, or even a coupon for future use. Other people said they had similar experiences renting Teslas from Hertz. Considering the horror stories we've heard about the company, this is not unusual. Probably the worst were those told by people arrested at gunpoint because Hertz wrongly reported their cars stolen.
For u/hellcat47, things went a little better than that, and they even got to enjoy driving the Tesla. Being a first-time EV driver, they appreciated the Model 3's blistering acceleration and one-pedal driving, although it took them a while to get used to it. Charging was a bad experience, though, especially as they got the Standard Range and had to stop three times to top up the battery. Range anxiety was also a factor, making them spend more time charging than recommended.
The rented Model 3 suffered from the usual quality-control issue many Teslas do. Weird noises would come from the passenger's seat during braking, although the cabin was quieter than their Toyota Corolla. The car also exposed uneven panel gaps, but being a rental didn't matter much.
Another reason is the company itself, with many customers complaining about not being offered enough information about driving a Tesla. Hertz could be extremely helpful to people on their first encounter with an electric vehicle. Still, the first impression is often negative because they don't care about customer experience. It is hurting not only the EV cause but also Hertz's business. Investing in electric vehicles and not educating customers is wasted money.
The company is now starting to understand that and launched a "Tesla Educational Series" on its website. The blog is very informative, but customers aren't briefed, and most don't even know it exists. Hertz could undoubtedly do more to ensure its customers understand the basics of driving an electric vehicle. Still, customers' stories show this is not the case, which explains why nobody wants to rent a Tesla from Hertz. The company is not only doing a lousy job at informing its customers, but it outright tries to deceive them.
User u/hellcat47 shared on Reddit that he was looking for a rental for a 400-mile trip and found the Teslas at Hertz among the cheapest. This is undoubtedly because people avoid them, and Hertz offers them at a discount. Two versions were available: the Standard Range with 266 miles (428 km) of range and the Long Range with 358 miles (576 km), and they opted for the latter. Everything went well until they charged the battery fully at the Supercharger and noticed the maximum range was only 266 miles.
Although they spoke to customer support and asked for compensation for the shorter range, they weren't successful. Hertz's office obviously baited and switched them on the car, but arguing was pointless. They wouldn't offer them a Long Range Model 3, no discount, or even a coupon for future use. Other people said they had similar experiences renting Teslas from Hertz. Considering the horror stories we've heard about the company, this is not unusual. Probably the worst were those told by people arrested at gunpoint because Hertz wrongly reported their cars stolen.
For u/hellcat47, things went a little better than that, and they even got to enjoy driving the Tesla. Being a first-time EV driver, they appreciated the Model 3's blistering acceleration and one-pedal driving, although it took them a while to get used to it. Charging was a bad experience, though, especially as they got the Standard Range and had to stop three times to top up the battery. Range anxiety was also a factor, making them spend more time charging than recommended.
The rented Model 3 suffered from the usual quality-control issue many Teslas do. Weird noises would come from the passenger's seat during braking, although the cabin was quieter than their Toyota Corolla. The car also exposed uneven panel gaps, but being a rental didn't matter much.
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