EV Rental Cars Are Causing Huge Issues! Our Experience Renting From Hertz / Thrifty Left Us Pissed

My wife Kathy and I flew into RSW this past weekend and needed a rental car. Since I was flying out on Sunday, and Kathy was staying longer, she needed to return the car on her own. To keep things simple, we decided to rent a gas car. However, when we went to the counter at RSW, we were told (after much confusion as to which company we were renting from; Thifty or Hertz) that they had no more gas cars and offered us an EV. In the past, I had rented an EV from Hertz and reserved it well ahead of the pickup date. In that case, I receive very good training about what to expect, where to charge etc. But in this case when we were offered an EV since they were completely out of gas cars except for a Mini-Van which we did not want, we were handed the keys with zero training about how to drive the EV and where to charge it. It is our hope that rental car companies can watch this video and improve what they do when last minute EV rentals occur.
Buying a Tesla? Please use my Tesla referral code: ts.la/david9464
Please also subscribe to "Out of Spec Dave" The more subscribers we have, the more awesome opportunities we will be able to bring to you!
Email: [e-mail]
Twitter: @outofspecdave
***************************************************************************
Find all of our Amazon must-haves here: www.amazon.com/shop/influence... Inquiries: [e-mail]
***************************************************************************
If you liked this video, we recommend checking out some of our other channels!
Out of Spec Motoring: / outofspecmotoring
Out of Spec Reviews: / outofspecreviews
Out of Spec Guide: / outofspecguide
Out of Spec Detailing / outofspecdetailing
Out of Spec Podcast: / outofspecpodcast
#teslamodel3 #polestar #hertz

[@lemongavine]

I rented an EV6 from Hertz in Orlando. It had 28% state of charge. I’m an EV veteran so I had already scoped out the CCS network in the area beforehand and I already have the apps with accounts set up. There was a new EA station on the way to my destination and a 15 minute stop got me enough for the week, but I couldn’t help but realize a novice would have had an absolute nightmare of an experience.

[@normt430]

There was about 10 EV6's this morning at Hertz in Lakewood, Ohio. Usually there is mostly Tesla's but not this week. They must have just came in as I have yet to anything but Model 3's here. They never have one plugged in over night. Well they might have to now!

[@lemongavine]

They really need to invest in a DC fast charger at their rental locations. I know they are expensive, but a good investment in the long run. They can even install a full station with multiple stalls that is public-facing and profit from it off of non-rental owners. @@normt430

[@jcorsaro]

I had the exact same experience in Seattle with Hertz, received a EV6 with 18%. What a PITA with a slow EA charger that wasn’t near by. Hertz got me for $35 to return the car with just under 70%, that was a battle to get a refund for the fee. I wanted to be excited about renting different electric cars, this soured my experience. The only rental I would even consider in 2023 is a Tesla just based on the charging experience alone.

[@lemongavine]

Wow. They should not have charged you the fee when you brought it back with way more than they gave you. Yeah, Tesla is the way to go. I originally scheduled a Model 3, but we added a 5th passenger and were worried it would be too tight so I tried switching to a Model Y, but they had none available. The EV6 is pretty large, especially in the back seats so it worked out. I luckily hit a new and fast EA charger which got me from 25% to 80% in 15 minutes. EA is a crap-shoot though @@jcorsaro

[@degnarius]

I’ve had two friends turned off of EV’s because of negative rental experiences from Hertz. They really do just throw people in the deep end, not caring if they know how to swim.

[@honesty_-no9he]

Take them on a road trip and teach them.

[@bunnyfartloads]

This is a Seinfeld episode. Still holds true today. They know how to take the reservation they just don’t know how to hold th reservation.

[@williamradwanski1998]

I have rented cars for business for many years. I found the turnover rate of employees is high. Many times they have one new employee running the kiosk. I will never forget watching an employee taking back a rental car and driving over the one way spikes and blowing out the front tires.

[@lh2338]

Agree. I worked at Enterprise during college. They have more training than most but I was still pretty green.

[@belletie]

This is absolutely happening. As I was unplugging at a supermarket L2 station a couple weeks ago, a woman approached me and asked for help with the Kia Nero EV her family had rented. They had no idea how to charge the vehicle. We searched around and found the charge door, opened it, plugged in. Then I mentioned that while it was free to charge, it was going to be slow.. I looked at their dashboard- it had a 10% SOC, which is when I knew the rest of their day was probably ruined, and they had no idea what was coming. I had to run to a meeting so I don't know what they did next, and it haunts me.

[@Conservator.]

@@OpinionatedOG184 They weren’t at a DC fast charger but at a free Level 2 charger at a supermarket. It could easily have taken them 4 hours to charge the vehicle. I hope they figured that out and went to a fast charging station.

[@johnsweet8964]

Wow thanks for posting this. What a frustration. Now I will hopefully be able to make better choices if faced with a similar situation. I've not seen Kathy so worked up in your videos as this. Minus 10 !!!

[@papadave9061]

I LOVE Kathy's righteous indignation. "Don't make me angry, you won't like me when I'm angry". Everything about this video is pretty much spot-on. Here's your violin. 🤣🤣🤣😡😡😡 Oh, we don't have any cars left today but here's the key to a Cessna. Have a nice day now. I've only rented a vehicle 2 times in my entire life, and neither of those times was smooth sailing. The first one was when we were making a trip to Fla, and had reserved a "minivan" (wife and I and two kids). They didn't have one when I went to pick it up, so they offered TWO Lincoln Town cars instead. HUH? Uh, no, but we did take one and because the trunk was the size of Montana, the trip went well. Anyway, this was an eye opener.....something I hadn't even considered.

[@kenyattaclay7666]

I actually wouldn't ever rent from Hertz unless it was literally my last option. In the last three years Hertz has had way too many problems where they were over charging people, taking reservations for cars they didn't have then trying to triple charge people because they were sent to a different location or the worse of all, having people arrested for stealing cars they had valid rental agreements for. About two years ago I rented from Hertz & the drop off experience was really strange to me so much so it turned me off from them because I can easily see how they had cars come up as stolen. When I went to drop it off there wasn't anyone there to receive the car & when I finally found someone they just pointed to an area & said to leave the car over there. I've rented plenty of cars in the past and have always gotten some sort of receipt showing I dropped off the car but not this time. If I didn't have a flight to catch I would've insisted on getting that receipt but I took a ton of pics of the car and the location of the drop off just in case. I will be sticking with my usual place which is Enterprise or Budget.

[@noydbwia]

Hertz has been sued more times than any other rental company for renting recovered overdue cars that they never bothered getting it cleared off NCIS...

[@jefferysurratt5650]

@@noydbwia I remember what my dad said about renting from Hertz - It hurts, it hurts a lot, lol

[@erhantimur]

You're absolutely right, charging is daunting when you don't know how. Also as Cathy said, If you're arriving after midnight you should have the car you ordered without failure.

[@Agg1E91]

As frustrating as it would be for a non-ev owner to just get dumped into an EV, the bigger issue for me is the reservation issue. If I reserve a spot at a restaurant, which requires reservations, and then arrive to find they have no available seating within a reasonable time after arrival, I would be livid. It's called a reservation for a reason. You RESERVED a certain type/class of vehicle. This isn't some ad-hoc walkup situation. Who knows, maybe the car you reserved wasn't returned and they are running on "just-in-time" inventory. Honestly, that's not my problem. They require a reservation and you played by their rules. The subsequent obligation runs both ways.

[@walkerdarin2003]

I got asked if I wanted to prepay gas in my EV. They will attempt to charge your card (no pun intended) for anything.

[@weighit]

Opened my eyes on what questions to ask if and when we rent a car. Thanks for posting

[@AndrewLumsden]

I booked a Polestar 2 from Hertz at Heathrow several months ago because I wanted a longer test drive than the dealership could offer. I was given a full explanation of the car probably lasting about 15-20 minutes before I drove it away. You may have just had a bad experience with your location. Perhaps another location and a different time of day would have been better.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Sounds like you had someone knowledgable at Hertz because you booked an EV. In this case, sounds like the people at the counter had no clue about BEVs.

[@elde667]

So what?

[@OutofSpecStudios]

Karen’s gonna Karen……

[@issacjones4237]

How was the charge speed and the availability around London?

[@victorbelen17]

I was on a road trip the other day. After coming out of the obligatory Walmart I went to my truck to check my charge lever. As I got closer I noticed a polestar park next to me as I walked by. Checking my level the gentleman asked me why he was not charging. I was at an Electrify America station and he had talked the second cable from the charger I was using. I explained to him it doesn’t work that way and spent the next five minutes helping him. Hertz told him he wouldn’t have to pay to charge but plug and charge wasn’t working. The empty chargers card reader was declining his card. He obviously didn’t have the app. I eventually got him going by unplugging and giving him the charger I was using. I had enough the make it home so I was good. I left hoping I didn’t cause a problem for the Chevy bolt waiting.

[@toscana-kz6rb]

I had to help a poor elderly couple charge their Hertz Polestar 2 that had been thrown at them with no notice. I spent about 45 mins with them at a charger and got them on the road to the airport. I was furious with Avis in the meantime as they didn’t provide a mobile charge cord with my EV6 rental making it a impossible for me to charge at my vacation rental. They looked at me like I had three heads when I complained. I guess I’m back to Teslas from Hertz that I can charge with the cord or at a Supercharger with no issues.

[@timoliver8940]

I had the reversed situation with Hertz summer 2022 in Norway. Booked an EV (ID3) 3 months in advance, paid in full and said to the booking agent on the phone that it was important that I have an EV to experience the real world of EV road tripping between Bergen and North Cape and back, he said it was noted on the reservation. Arrived at the Hertz desk to be told “no EVs available” and was given an “upgrade” to a Toyota Corolla Wagon “self charging” hybrid. Had an argument over the booking which he had that stated I had to have an EV……….. anyway at the end of the day we walked out to the lot and passed rows and rows of ID3’s and ID4’s for every other rental company and I found like you that one company owned the franchises for all the major rental companies at the airport so we could have had an Avis or Europcar ID3 regardless.

[@ALRinaldi]

My last trip through the Richmond Supercharger, on two separate times I helped Hertz Bolt renters find where they could charge. Both had been told to use PlugShare to find where to charge, but even after having the cars for a few days, they both didn't know how to find just CCS chargers using it. Really eye opening.

[@BroncoPH]

A few thoughts on this amazing video. 1. Dave and Cathy this may be one of your most compelling videos to date. You should consider doing more “EV Rental Reviews” type videos to show the cars and process for renting EVs (particularly non Teslas. Tesla’s are boring) because I think that would be incredibly helpful to new EV drivers. You are 100% correct that many people’s first encounter with EV are via rentals and unexpectedly thrust into that situation could be disastrous. 2. Cathy I so enjoy your perspective. 😂 You both remind me of my parents roadtripping when I was a kid and my Mom insisting that my Dad needed to take the awful service we got more seriously and my Dad being like “ah we’ll figure it out we’re fine” and my Mom being like “WE HAVE A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY”. That was fun. 3. Not to let Hertz off the hook in any way but simply as an observation… as someone who rents cars quite often and at all hours I’ve found the quality of service from the overnight teams vs the normal working hours teams to be dramatically different. On some of those late shifts I just do everything I can to say yes I’ll take it if there’s no extra charge and just figure it out once I get the car. Never been bait and switched into an EV but I’ve gotten some Thrifty Nissan Versa’s that I’m 100% certain had a body cleaned out 30 minute beforehand. Love your channel this video was great.

[@user-oo3uj5ku9r]

Couldn't agree more!

[@Conservator.]

In real life Cathy is called Karen. 😂

[@pasoroblesbruce7370]

As I recall for my rental experiences, if the car reserved not available they gave an upgrade car at the same price as reserved. No bait and switch.

[@ArnoldWinters]

Dave & Kathy, I hope you read the fine print. Since the car smelled from pot, I hope they didn’t charge you for smoking in the car.

[@timdex91]

Awesome thanks, "Out of Spec RAVE" for this episode... unfortunately dealerships don't train EV owners buying the car either. I took our Polestar 2 from TX to MA last October ... multiple people with EA and new purchase problems. Stay safe, Tim

[@graysonwagner1855]

Dealers and Tesla

[@aswinhanagal4293]

This is why I drove my Polestar 2 in the night during my road trip from PA-MO-TX. I don't have to deal with folks who do 110 percent charges

[@johnpoldo8817]

Actually, I’ve had outstanding training experiences buying two Teslas, a Lucid, and a MB. EV training was outstanding at MB in Bonita Springs, FL. Tesla training was very good at Dedham, MA several years ago and almost as good at Ft Myers, FL more recently.

[@NIO3954]

That was probably one of my favorite episodes, Dave. I've been trying to educate myself watching you and your son on EV cars before I actually pull the trigger. This one was very informative....thanks.

[@bbgator1]

Pull the trigger! If can charge at home it is easy. Only issues are road trips, you only here the problems and not the great experiences. I road trip my BMW I4 all the time in the southeast, only once I had a problem and it cost me 20min, no biggie. But I’ve spent hours online telling people how bad it is to wait 20mjn for a charger.

[@tedbearfudge]

Love Kathy and Dave just talking. Keep it up. Thanks.

[@widgeonrblx8543]

Rented a hertz Model Y from MIA and it already had a flat tire from a nail. We need a EV focused rental company.

[@mikeflanary642]

If they had DCFC near airports, they could make $

[@stevenichols4639]

By the way, once again, the Burns and Allen of the EV world slay. Comedy gold. But so right. Even a Tesla can be confusing if you don’t know. I have no idea how people will get the model three refresh into drive without the stalks. Nuts

[@ESCADA23GLOBAL]

OMG! Dave, I have been watching your channel for quite some time (a little over a year)... I am your biggest fan. You and Kathy are such a joy to watch and listen to and learn from. I live on the Treasure Coast and on my 4th Tesla (* 2018 Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor / 2022 Model S Long Range / 2022 Model S Long Range / 2023 Model S Long Range)

[@MichaelKirven]

I had an issue with a Model Y that I rented in Fort Worth from Hertz. It was in Valet mode, and I could not drive any faster than 70 mph. Hertz support logged in the next day and disabled that mode - you have to be able to drive faster than 70 anywhere in Texas. The car I picked up was dirty. Did send your video to Hertz corporate. Happy motoring!

[@Jeddin]

Hertz owns dollar and thrifty. They purchased the dollar thrifty group in 2012. while their systems are interconnected and they can help you if they so choose they don’t necessarily have to help you as they are still run as separate entities. You may be able to use this fact, however, if you ever have a late return at dollar thrifty, you may be able to return the car at the local Hertz location as they are more often 24 hour locations

[@zoobrizz]

Karen

[@ckbook]

I honestly don't think the rental car company is the issue at hand. CCS cars and the CCS network is a no go for EV novices. Its the charging network that is the problem. CCS cars should not be in a rental program.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

yeah why do they even buy polestars? They are expensive too. Just use Tesla.

[@Curryolla]

Jerry : I don't understand. Do you have my reservation? Rental Car Agent : We have your reservation, we just ran out of cars. Jerry : But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation. Rental Car Agent : I think I know why we have reservations. Jerry : I don't think you do. You see, you know how to *take* the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them.

[@lbamusic]

bystander: lol - i agree with the customer!!

[@matthewhair6110]

I stopped at the EA station in Flagler Colorado last week. It was an absolutely awful station, even by EA standards. There was another guy there charging his EQE 350. Nice car, but he said he told the rental agency that he didn't want an electric car. I filled him in that he could unplug from that horrible charger, and easily make it to a better station in Colby Kansas with his 80% charge. And I told him that charging beyond 80 is typically very slow. He appreciated the advice, but was still frustrated with the experience.

[@CascadeDuSel]

Kathy is fired up! I love it

[@zoobrizz]

More like Karen

[@chuck020950]

Just a FYI. Enterprise, Alamo and National are all one company now make sure you look up and check all three as the price changes between the three.

[@pilozm]

It sounds like there is a problem at Hertz from top to bottom. Corporate leadership probably couldn't care less. The employees at the counters couldn't care less and have no motivation to learn on their own and educate themselves on the product they rent. In the end, this will make the general public hate EVs. Hertz should do much better.

[@SmokiesDen]

Ever sence the bankruptcy / covid hertz/thrifty/dollar has been a shit show. I have seen 2017's still in the fleet and cars with 90k miles. I suspect the wall street'ers who brought it out of bankruptcy are just trying to boost the share price so they can punch out. Do they get to claim the tax credit and accelerate depreciation?

[@penneya3911]

I tried to rent an EV from Hertz from four different airports in Hawaii, only Honolulu even had them and it would have been $150/more a day for a Tesla, then they offered me a Bolt. Then they said I’d have to return the Bolt at 100% or else I would be charged. How is that even possible?? You can’t even get from a charger to the turn-in point without losing some charge (I have an EV at home!). So I went with the gas car.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

I just rented a Model Y at Hertz at LAX and used the new scan the QR code software. It worked great! I used the phone app and it transfered all my settings to the rental! So nice!

[@rydahog]

Agreed, when anyone registers online for a rental, the first thing on the website should be do not rent a ELECTRIC vehicle unless you are familiar with this type vehicle.

[@Robert-pm6bm]

Very good points. Never seen Cathy so fired up!!!

[@zoobrizz]

Karen. These two ☝️have some serious 1st world problems and attitudes.

[@dougb3647]

There’s a “Seinfeld” episode about ‘keeping’ a reservation!

[@gridjac]

I reserved a model Y from Hertz a few months ago, got to the airport and found the only had Model 3’s. It was my first time driving an EV. Fortunately, I’m interested in them, so I follow all of the Out of Spec channels and a few others. I had an idea of what to expect. In addition, I read ahead on how to operate the vehicle. I’m glad I did, because I was given zero instruction. I can’t imagine what my parents would have done in your position.

[@JAMESLEE-nh5se]

In Bandera TX on my model y road trip. My charge was down to 21 miles with nearest supercharger at 31 miles away. Luckily, the local Inn had a Tesla charger which I paid 15 bucks for 2 hours charge. Gained 79 miles on 48 amp line. 😊

[@tziegler]

What a frustrating experience for you both. Imaging if you did not have any EV knowledge. It would of been nice if they apologized for not having a gas car and offered a Tesla M3 for the daily rate of the economy gas car (what you reserved). Hopefully someone passes along your experience to help their staff with training around EVs. Thanks for your videos. Keep them coming.

[@RidingWithJahv]

ive rented a model 3 SR+ from hertz 3x this summer. pretty easy. not hard at all - now you can scan the qr code on the bottom left corner of the screen and hook the car up to your tesla app during your rental. really the best way to test out tesla ownership.

[@OutofSpecStudios]

Bingo you get it!! I've rented out of this airport (KRSW) many times and have NEVER had an issue. I think this is just for the YT views.

[@MrRcolon1985]

Great video Dave! I have a rental hertz tesla Model Y on 10-30 for 4 days. Hope i don't get any issues. We will see. 😊

[@OutofSpecStudios]

Please dont whine about it

[@Wasabi9111]

I always avoid EVs as a rental. My vacation time is too precious to be wasted waiting for the ev to charge, especially a ccs car.

[@darmou]

In their case they had no choice and had to make it work, sounds like they could have charged a hotel overnight and that would have reduced charging time.

[@ArnoldWinters]

Dave, I just bought an inventory Tesla Model 3 with a cold weather feature worth $1,000. I pick it up tomorrow. Saved ($13,120.00) below list due to a price adjustment of ($4,120); a referral bonus of ($500); and a ($7,500) tax credit and the cold weather feature.

[@bayliner4387]

Tanks for this Video. Tesla should add to it infotainment system a video that presents itself upon entry if the car is a rental.

[@nick-3808]

back in August re rented a car from Hertz and offered a Chevy Bollt. we specifically asked about return level of charge they said no need to worry just return the car at Boston Logan before we flew off. so issues. so I am surprised they enforced a charge level. next time i will try again see what happens. FYI same case rented a ICE vehicle they offer the Bolt. I liked it

[@Gweeper64]

What I want to know is, if you rent a Tesla from Hertz, they say they will bill you for the charging... how much extra will they tack on above what Tesla bills them for the charge session?

[@honesty_-no9he]

When you fly in from somewhere YOU should NOT rent a car. You should get a licenced taxi (not an Uber) at the airport to take you to your hotel. The next day after a good night's sleep is when you can look into car rental.

[@stephenb9400]

Kathy & Dave I love that you care about newbie's

[@derylhunt4494]

Great educational video!!!

[@lh2338]

Giving customers cars with low SOC% is totally unacceptable, especially at airport locations. The airport rental companies usually share a gas pump for quick fill ups. Why don't they install a 100kw or even 50kw to charge their EV fleet? Level 2 might be too slow but they can plug the car into a 50kw charger while they're cleaning the interior. It sounds like there is a huge difference in quality between airport rental locations and "neighborhood" car rentals. It's been over 20 years since I worked at Enterprise, but the neighborhood location I worked at had more tenured employees and managers. That might explain why Dave got better service the first time he rented a Model Y from Hertz. If I recall, it was not at the airport.

[@MichaelRachal]

I love Kathy. When she looks into the camera with that forth wall breaking smirk, it just cracks me up. What a firecracker!

[@priusyt]

Dave, just start your own new car rent company and show how deals should be done!

[@tonymai1844]

They have Tesla snd that is why this EV giving them trouble.

[@CAINtheBULL]

Great video guys.

[@anthonyscott5134]

In just the first 45 seconds of this video I can already say for the entire video, I TOTALLY agree with, and empathize with you!

[@dandaigle4546]

Sorry you experienced this, what an eye opener. Shame on these shyster owner/managers running these ev's. I hope you were able to mitigate some resolve - getting some refund. Love watching you. Getting an education.

[@kenhhoaky314]

My family travels to Tampa all the time from Boston, We always use the Turo app to rent a car and never have any problems, We don't need to get in line or waste time at the rental counter, even Uber now has the rental car through Uber's rider app.

[@737Parkie]

My wife and I were on vacation in Monterey CA last week but we rented an ICE car. The Model 3s were actually cheaper per day which I couldn’t believe. My wife isn’t fully onboard the EV train yet sadly. It would have worked out fine since there’s a SC on every corner there.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

Tell your wife Teslas are the safest cars by far. Since mine drives a M3 i know that she comes home every day. Safe and sound.

[@737Parkie]

@@wolfgangpreier9160 She knows they’re safe…..I drive one 😜. She just wasn’t sure we’d be able to find enough chargers driving up and down the coast. Happy wife….happy life and all that.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

@@737Parkie I never knew when driving my Diesels if i always get fuel everywhere. Sometimes the petrol stations were closed, sometimes like in greece they were on strike and we were stranded for days 2000km away from home. At least the beaches and the Metaxa were ok. But i know with my EV's i always and everywhere get electrictiy. Most bizarre place was in poland at a lake when i drove across the meadow and got free power from the house with a extension cable where we stayed for swimming and sailing. That was the cheapest vacation of all.

[@benjaminsmith2287]

@@wolfgangpreier9160 Not "by far." There are other cars that come close. But, yes, Tesla does well in both active and passive safety.

[@737Parkie]

@@wolfgangpreier9160 Yep. I agree. I just wish we all felt the same way. I’m in Texas and drive to Oklahoma every now and then where charging is few and far between. I have to plug in at relatives homes with an extension cord since there aren’t any chargers anywhere near them in rural OK.

[@stanmisiak5634]

Very informative video You continue to hit home the lack of supporting infrastructure for EVs

[@fbmassage123]

There is a problem. There is a lack of EV knowledge for the general public. You guys are experts. Your son is on the cutting edge. Dave knows more than 95 percent of people. The beautiful wife is very advanced in ev knowledge. Regular people do need training on ev. People are so against ev,s. In general in the US.

[@howardlerner4958]

@outofspecdave. Great videos - Question: We also live in New England and have a vacation house in Naples / Marco. We are planning our first long roadtrip in our Model Y and will bring our small Mini GoldenDoodle LaLa with us. Which hotels do you recommend that are pet friendly when you take Bailey on your road trips? Wondering if you have a recommendation to share. Also, how many nights do you stay in a hotel during your drive from Connecticut to Marco? Thanks!!

[@robertt1336]

Thanks Dave. I’ve rented from hertz twice and both were poor experiences (smoked in car first time and poor communication the 2nd). Hertz kept stringing me along for a week for the car, and then don’t communicate the charge when you’re in person. They also have the customer facing screens powered down, and just tell you an amount w out breakdown until after you give your card. Then I question the receipt, and they say, we don’t have the ability to update until you return the car, and corporate billing needs contacted… jeez!

[@OreoSpeedwagon825]

When you return a gas car back to the rental co. You are required to fill it or pay a lot of $ for the rental co. They should do the same for EV renters so that this situation doesn’t occur to someone who’s picking up their rental. Why should you pay for their use?

[@Minorthr]

Two weeks ago I rented a mach e from Avis in Orlando. When I arrived they didn’t have any and gave us a giant infinity suv. This week I rented a model 3 same location when I arrived they didn’t have any and gave me a Chevy equinox.

[@stephenmiller6690]

Most airport rental car locations are franchise operations. Its really up to the local operation to train their staff. Your experience was a complete fail of the local operator.

[@slowercuber7767]

Similar thing happened to my brother-in-law when he flew into the West Palm Beach area. Rented an EV on purpose. Got a Bolt EUV. Over the next week, never found a safe, convenient charger that worked. Took it back and exchanged for an ICE Rogue.

[@scotttex1054]

Seems like a single "get by" charge at a CCS charger early in the rental period (first day to allow for EA out of service probabilities) if needed so that the battery is at 5% or less SOC on return to Hertz by EV veterans and incurring a $35 total charge would be far less headaches and possibly total cost, too. Unless Hertz is charging a per kWh PLUS the $35 charge, but I did not hear anything except a single $35 charge on return for less than a 70% SOC. Thank you for your videos, I really like them.

[@SmokiesDen]

that's changed. now it's within 5% or $35 for non-loyalty members and $25 for gold members.

[@dennislyon5412]

You guys needed to be offered a Bolt. And they should have requested that you return it at 95+%. That would have made for a nice video. I rented a MY from Punta Gorda FL airport for 2 days. They requested that I return it at 93% (really guys?). Fortunately there was a SC nearby (busy) at which I charged the car to 95% for the 1.5 mile ride to the rental return. That trip (hot out) reduced the charge level past 93% (no repercussions, fortunately). Not much room for error when they request a high state of charge upon your return. Considering how busy the nearby SC was, one would think - are there any chargers at the airport for the rental centers to use to charge/top off the Teslas? Nope. Perhaps they should request that you return it with 70% minimum so that they could charge it up to 90-95% on their L2 charger - if they had them. And they should. I’d gladly pay $5-10 for that “top off” service.

[@normanbutler5134]

I have been hearing a lot about TESLA car fires. Is it safe to keep my Tesla in the garage. There was a model S that went up in flames this week in North Carolina at the airport.

[@jaybradford1311]

Epic rant! And I couldn’t agree more! The look on Dave’s face at 12:10 was priceless! Been there many times with my wife. Just be quiet and drive and let Kathy vent for awhile! 😂😂

[@paulmcgraw9284]

Hi- just saw your video re renting an EV. I can see Cathy’s point about the personnel not giving at least a modicum of instruction on the EV. I love watching your videos. They are informative as well as entertaining. I also thought the way they bated and switched you was awful. OK, the EV they rented to you wasn’t bad, but what would’ve happened if neither one of you understood EVs? The rental companies need to step up their game in a world that is rapidly switching from ICE to EVs. Keep up the good work! LOVE your videos!😊

[@michaelcook3512]

I am currently renting a Model 3 and there was no info on charging or how to use the car. Luckily I have a Tesla but it’s in the shop and I know everything already.

[@samuelweiner5382]

If you reserve a car at a certain price, the rental car that they replace it with must be at the same price as you were quoted for the car you reserved.

[@joeyvinzo4531]

That’s so sad to hear. Hertz has been tops in their game for a long time. Shame on Hertz.

[@zoobrizz]

Hilarious. These two ☝️have some serious 1st world problems and attitudes.

[@lukeknowles5700]

Maintaining at least a 10% charge cushion helps minimize degradation, ensures usable range estimation, and avoids potential costs or issues with charging or towing for the rental customer.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

This happens a lot with late flights. If you get in at midnight they will be out of cars sometimes. I always try to arrive at least by 7 pm or in the daytime is even better. And they have the EVs available cause the general public is scared to drive them.

[@TassieEV]

Here in Australia we have a rental car company called Sixt and they rent EV's, BYD, Tesla, BMW currently. I rented a BYD Atto 3 from them and I had zero information from them about the EV, although I know about EV's I am hoping other customers that are not EV knowledgeable need information. If these companies are going to rent EV's then they need to train their staff about them if that means bringing in a EV association to do the training if the rental car company knows nothing about it other than seeing it as a car on their inventory.

[@Camcon2002]

Same thing happened to my aunt in Austin Texas. Turned into a dumpster fire. She even had a Tesla instead of Polestar or Kia. You should have to request it, or have better information!

[@mongo64071]

No one on vacation in an unfamiliar place wants to deal with setting up app accounts and stressing out about finding charging stations and dealing with adapters.

[@user-vc8ic2ep1v]

I rented a Polestar 2 under very similar circumstances. It was in Las Vegas so there were plenty of charging stations. I enjoyed searching online for free charging stations that I could use. It was a very pleasant experience for me and I have just purchased a Polestar 2 because I loved the car so much. - also, I only spent $.4.50 on charging for the entire week.

[@j.malone1293]

Yay, Kathy content!

[@robemmer1]

Love it. Id be happy to help with your Tesla stuff.

[@28tuck1]

Hertz says they have 50K EVs (10% of the fleet) going to 350K (25 % of the fleet). Is there any data showing customer satisfaction level with EV rentals?

[@DubEther]

Hertz Gold is the way to go. Find your name on the board, go to the assigned space, jump in and drive off. Have rented EV's multiple times in the last 6 months with no issues. Orlando, Columbus OH, LAX (x2) and JFK (x2). I have an Ioniq 5 at home and like to try a different vehicle each time I rent. Have rented a Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Polestar 2, EV 6 and Subaru Soltera.

[@user-nj7we3bm1j]

Same exact thing happened to me at Hertz in Stuttgart Airport. Reserved a compact gasoline vehicle but at the counter was pressured to take an EV. I had no experience with driving and charging an EV. Very limited information about operating the EV. I was given a Shell fob for recharging the vehicle. Needless to say, just prior to returning, I had no success in recharging the vehicle at a Shell location no matter how many times attempts continued getting error messages that the recharging could not be performed. Even tried another recharging pillar. Was forced to return the EV without having the option to recharge.

[@robstravelsadventures]

First, I looked it up and in 2012 Hertz aquired Dollar and Thrifty. I first rented a Tesla in June during a trip, but also for me to do it as a Tesla test drive with a Hertz rental. Like you said, i specifically requested an EV (it was the same price as a mid size car), and Hertz sent me the videos which was a great help as well as your video too!. I would never have rented an EV without some form of research/training ahead of time. I am thinking they told you 9%? Because I bet a lot of new EV renters probably went to a Tesla charger and then did not have enough juice to make it to a Polster friendly one.

[@benserio7942]

I recently rented a Polestar 2 from Hertz at Orlando Intl Aiport. The CCS charging infrastructure in the Disney World/Lake Buena Vista area is an absolute disgrace. The two separate ChargePoint chargers I tried were down, so I ended up driving to an Electrify America station 30 minutes away in Davenport, which was also down! The Electrify America experience caused me to have a panic attack. Every CCS charger I tried did not work. Ended up returning the Polestar (with 8% state of charge) and exchanged it for a Tesla Model 3. The Tesla charging experience actually worked. I’m sure there are a number of reasons for this, but it’s simply unacceptable. At least Hertz was quick to help us with the vehicle exchange. They even said “yeah, we’ve heard the Polestar’s are difficult to charge”. Then why in the hell do you offer them?! Rant over lol!

[@hockeyno93]

Hertz at RSW is a joke. While frequently visiting my parents in Naples, I've had multiple problems with them over the years.

[@OutofSpecStudios]

Uh Oh, another whiner

[@bobat37]

Great video…On a short trip it’s all about getting things done without any drama. Renting an EV even Tesla adds an element of uncertainty.

[@markmcintosh7095]

You guys make a great couple. I think Mrs Dave is 100% correct.

[@jimfergusondev]

@outofspecdave So, you had a reservation for a cheap rental... then you find out they are out of gas cars... then say they have EVs but there's an upcharge??? They can't do that, and they are supposed to give you the next car up for the same price; otherwise, it's false advertising. Right?

[@iangardner2311]

Like you I own a electric car and know about charging issues. We rented a ev in Norway. Land of evs. The website said they would supply rfid card for charging. Great. Picked up car and no knowledge of rfid card. So started using ionity chargers. Everything good. Later got in small town with one charger. Which required new app. That required local phone number to activate. Big issue because we did not have local number.

[@islandsnow]

I agree. I was disgusted too. Originally I rented an EV from hertz. It’s not the education part. But it had to do with charging. I think they charge a fee in top of the charging fee wherever I charged it at. Luckily they had gas cars.

[@Steve_in_NJ]

Your video came to my KZbin library at a great time. I just booked my trip to San Diego for late April 2024 and I will have to rent a car too. Was thinking of renting an EV, as they are so common in California now. Now, renting a car at a major airport is probably different than a regional airport, hence more inventory. Now, we may not be so sure if we want to rent an EV if the rental companies are a-holes about it. By the way, we always rent from Alamo and have had excellent experience with them wherever we rent from.

[@sc5102day]

Still crazy at hertz Rented this week and agent printed up ticket with 100% soc and luckily I saw before we left and door person redid the ticket for 70soc buy car was 84soc. And new return policy is 79 to 50 soc return with no more that 10% less but if above 80% must return same or higher. Crazy but luckily new ticket said 70%

[@AaronMcFarland]

Definitely sounds like a lack of training for these rental companies on renting EVs. That is definitely a management issue.

[@pto44]

I rented an EV from Hertz at LAX in August and they had a representative in the lot who explained everything to me about how to charge and use the car. Just a data point. I'm sure this was an exception where they actually did something right for a change.

[@jhomen2003]

We are renting a Model 3 Long Rangee from Hertz. Week long rental 315.00 all in. The tental experience we will document.

[@HHRS]

No one at the corporate level understand how EV works.

[@PL876]

Kathy, I agree with you on the cup holders. The most ridiculous design choice made by Polestar. I was hoping they'd change it to a lateral one in the refreshed model but they made the same mistake. It's funny because that's the thing that turned me off the most from wanting it as a daily driver. Smh

[@benjaminsmith2287]

Cup holders are frivolous IMO. This is a solidly built car that handles well. When Volvo designed this car, it wasn't intended to be a Polestar and Polestar modified it. The new Polestar models coming out have proper cupholders, no big center console, etc.

[@zoobrizz]

Hilarious. These two ☝️have some serious 1st world problems and attitudes.