Discussion: Experiences Renting a Tesla Model 3 / Y from various companies

I have just come back from Florida where I rented a Model Y from AVIS from Orlando Airport. Here's what I thought about it all... I have a MY at home.

To start, I was surprised they were doing Teslas at all - I know Hertz do, but now AVIS as well it seems. I saw several MY's there and maybe a M3 too. The car had 92 miles when I picked it up, and I did around 700 miles during my stay.

All did not go well - although that is the subject of another post later on.

But in general:

You get one card-key in a relatively big clear plastic case. I did not get access through a phone and I could not assign my phone to be a key, so I was stuck with the card-key.

This means.... No walk-away locking, no auto-unlock, no pre-cool on climate, have to use the card-key every time to 'start' the card. Most annoying, but no different to a gas car I guess. How spoiled we are.

Supercharging was great... I guess Avis will bill me for it eventually!

Popped into Disney Springs one night, overjoyed to see some ChargePoint chargers... but they were CCS, so no joy there :-(

Avis do not have Premium connectivity, so no Satellite view, no streaming. Gah! And yes, I did connect to my phone as a hotspot to get around that, see my other posting in a few days.

Given that these cars are new, there are no ultrasonice sensors, which I found annoying, as I have them on my 2022 MY. It did have the trunk cover to keep things a bit more hidden and cool, so that was good.

Car came with the standard J1772 adaptor. No FSD obviously, and AutoSteer was disabled to start with.

Overall..... Good to drive 'the same' car as I own.....but annoyed to be back to 'basic' and having to set the car up as I wanted it.

So... thinking outside the box.... What does this look like for AVIS and Tesla? I think that Tesla and Avis need to do something about this 'basic' level of support and no App-access. It turns the Tesla from a tech-leader to an annoying expeience, which might put off future buyers. Avis probably don't want us using our phones as we can't then un-associate the phone, which is a security risk, but maybe Tesla needs to do something in this area for rentals?

There was (obvuously) no manual there - yes - I know why ! Not a problem for me as I have a MY... but what's a first-time Tesla renter supposed to do? It's not really a good experience, and that can hurt both Tesla and Avis. For the newbies, maybe a slip of paper saying 'Press here and here to see the manual'. If you know... you know.... if you don't... it's well hidden.

I don't know what Hertz do that's different, as I am Avis President's Club and so brand loyalty and all that.

Would I rent a MY or M3 from Avis again - yes! Great to get into a car that's almost identical to your own and drive through the night after a long journey. Discuss ;-)

"IMG_0765" by Robert T Bell is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog Feed thumbnail

 

[Jordan325ic]

She said you didn’t read the contract?

Edited for clarity haha.

 

[whitex]

Any way to pair your own fob with the car if you bring it?

 

[THEbuz]

Any way to pair your own fob with the car if you bring it?

Such as an RFID key ring?

 

[whitex]

Such as an RFID key ring?

No, an actual Tesla fob which Tesla sells for M3/Y. I have a spare one at home, and an upcoming rental.

 

[THEbuz]

No, an actual Tesla fob which Tesla sells for M3/Y.

It’s my understanding that one can do so. I don’t believe the fob (sold separately) is exclusive to Models S/X. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

 

[whitex]

It’s my understanding that one can do so. I don’t believe the fob (sold separately) is exclusive to Models S/X. Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

The question is can it be done by a rental customer, or only service center.
EDIT: apparently it can be done according to this post. I will give it a try I guess.

 

[FultonMDUSA]

Any way to pair your own fob with the car if you bring it?

Yes, I can confirm I successfully did that with an Avis Model 3 rental. The provided key card lets you add additional keys (but not a phone key).

 

[Farmer]

Still in the MYLR from Hertz and our latest adventure was getting stuck in Valet Mode.

While stopped about 20 miles from our destination, a passenger was exploring the settings and chose valet mode. No problem when you know the pin or have app access.

That was fun driving on interstate with no navigation, speed limited to 70mph with slug acceleration mode on for about 30 minutes. Valet mode has got to be slower than chill mode.

Took an hour on the phone with Hertz to get it resolved. Kept getting bounced around until I got a knowledgeable rep in roadside assistance. He said he gets 5 or 6 of these calls a day. He kept me on hold while reaching out to technical support who has app access. 15 minutes later the matter was resolved. What a pain though.

Lol, I got into Valet Mode in a Hertz M3 a couple of weeks ago. I was poking around menus while waiting for someone. I hadn't considered the possibility that someone already had a PIN set for it and of course, there is no warning when hitting the button. It took Hertz not even 5 minutes to reset it when I called Roadside Assistance though. I didn't speak directly to the person who reset it as the person on the phone seemed to be relaying, but I wanted to ask how many times a day they have to reset Valet Mode for someone and like someone else said up-thread, I bet it's many times a day.

 

[israndy]

This seems like when the iPhone first allowed PIN codes for access and suddenly the joke working at Apple was to take someone's phone and add a PIN to it. The only protection was to already HAVE a PIN for your phone, so there should be a way for Hertz and Avis to lock that setting w/o locking the features

 

[ForeverFree]

We have rented through Turo through years, and the experience keeps getting better: Phone access. Cars that aren't nerfed (no Premium Connectivity, etc.)

In Sydney, we used evee, a new peer-to-peer company a la Turo. Super-good experience: Tesla app access with our own profiles from home. Full autopilot. Etc. Only drawback is that, months later, NSW Australia locations continue to pop up in our nav's suggested destinations here at home. Wanna stump a Tesla? Ask it to route you to an overseas destination!

 

[FultonMDUSA]

Just completed another Avis Tesla Model 3 rental, this time from LAX. A few differences from my experience at SFO (reviews earlier in this thread). When I picked up the vehicle, charge was only at 29% with 5627 miles on it. I returned it at 5697 miles with 83% charge. The drop off agent said I could have returned it with the same SOC, but I charged it at a destination charger at my hotel, and I figured it was easier to do that than to argue a $35 charge later on. Indeed, my Avis receipt showed no evidence that they've integrated Tesla rentals in any meaningful way. My receipt showed odometer Out/In at 3908 miles and 4000 miles, with 92 miles driven. It's like they just made up numbers out of thin air! Also, the receipt shows Fuel Out/In both at 8/8.

This rental didn't have a PIN on the glovebox unlike my previous one. But this one didn't have a USB drive, so no dashcam videos. I'll have to remember to bring my own next time. Unlike my previous rental, this one included a mobile charger. But neither of my rentals had the J1772 adaptor (I brought my own this time to L2 charge). I also brought my own key fob again.

 

[whitex]

Just to add to the experiences here, I rented a M3 LR from Hertz last month and first, it took Hertz some time to find my reservation - apparently if you prepay, even though done through Hertz.com, they treat it as 3rd party rental and therefore not linked to my Hertz#1 account . Once we finally found my reservation, the first car they gave us was a SR, not LR. So we had switch. The next LR was throwing AP errors, saying there was something wrong with the cameras. Switch again, 3rd one was fine, had the EVSE but no J1772 adapter, but after I pointed that out they just grabbed it from another car. Glovebox was pin-locked on all 3, the 3rd one didn't seem to have a USB drive connected (didn't check the first 2). Supercharged it twice in a week (quick fill-ups, maybe $20 total), rest was destination charging at hotels. I haven't seen any bill for supercharging yet (of course I am not going to complain about that one, especially since they didn't link the rental to my account so I got no points for it). I returned it with about the same SoC, but it didn't seem like they cared. No app access, only the keycard which is annoying to use, but livable once you remove it from the giant plastic cover Hertz put it in (I was obviously not the first one, since the plastic was already broken and taped over, making removal quick). Overall, neutral experience, would have been a positive one if they didn't lose my Hertz #1 reservation made through Hertz.com and a proper car was just sitting there ready to roll (as Hertz used to for me many times pre-COVID). Trying to reach Hertz customer service after the fact to try to claim points credit, pointless and useless - it's all computerized menus which eventually hang up on you or connect you to a person who tells you that you reached the wrong department and they cannot connect you to the right one, or tell you to do it online which comes back with "call 1-800 number".

 

[gt2690b]

Just completed another Avis Tesla Model 3 rental, this time from LAX. A few differences from my experience at SFO (reviews earlier in this thread). When I picked up the vehicle, charge was only at 29% with 5627 miles on it. I returned it at 5697 miles with 83% charge. The drop off agent said I could have returned it with the same SOC, but I charged it at a destination charger at my hotel, and I figured it was easier to do that than to argue a $35 charge later on. Indeed, my Avis receipt showed no evidence that they've integrated Tesla rentals in any meaningful way. My receipt showed odometer Out/In at 3908 miles and 4000 miles, with 92 miles driven. It's like they just made up numbers out of thin air! Also, the receipt shows Fuel Out/In both at 8/8.

This rental didn't have a PIN on the glovebox unlike my previous one. But this one didn't have a USB drive, so no dashcam videos. I'll have to remember to bring my own next time. Unlike my previous rental, this one included a mobile charger. But neither of my rentals had the J1772 adaptor (I brought my own this time to L2 charge). I also brought my own key fob again.

Did you look in the trunk for the j1772 adapter?? I usually ask hertz and they assure me it's in the trunk

 

[whitex]

Did you look in the trunk for the j1772 adapter?? I usually ask hertz and they assure me it's in the trunk

They assured me too, so I checked, and it wasn't. They grabbed me one from another car.

 

[gt2690b]

They assured me too, so I checked, and it wasn't. They grabbed me one from another car.

I'm renting a bolt next week oddly excited

 

[CaptStealthy]

Oh, am I glad I found this thread. Sit down, guys and gals, because it's story time!!

I rented a Model 3 from Hertz last month, and it was my first time driving any EV, let alone a Tesla. I fell in love with the car, and that rental became an expensive experience, because just yesterday, I put down a deposit on a Model Y!

When I got to the Hertz lot, they had my name up on the Gold board, and a black M3 waiting for me. It was a long walk to the parking space, only to find that the car smelled like cigarette smoke. No employees around, of course, so took the long walk back to the booth, and they swapped me into an identical black M3 that was parked a bit closer. That one smelled better, so I took it.

The car didn't come with a J1772 adapter, which I didn't check for (I didn't know I needed to), but I didn't need it because I always intended to use the supercharger that was only a few minutes from my hotel. I drove 60 miles in that car, and only paid $5.44 at the supercharger (billed later to my card from Hertz) - it only took about 20 minutes to charge up to 93%, which was enough to get through my day and back to the airport with 75% remaining. I ate breakfast next door to the supercharger in the time it took to "refuel" the vehicle, so I was happy.

The overall experience with Hertz was not to my expectations, though. I'm used to renting with National, where you show up, pick a car from the aisle, show your license and credit card at the exit, and off you go. When you come back, the agent greets you and asks how the rental went, they take the keys and check the mileage and condition of the vehicle, they print or email you a receipt immediately, and off you go.

With Hertz, the exit booth agent took like 10 minutes to process the rental, even though my DL and CC were on file. No one checked the battery level on the car, or told/asked me if the J1772 adapter was in the car (this is important for later).

When I returned the car, the agent was there, but just said to leave the keys on the dash, and walked away. No one was there to process the return or check the vehicle. I mistakenly trusted that the return experience would be the same as what I'm used to with National. I did not get a receipt until nearly an hour later when I was through security, only to find out that they added a $95 charge for the "missing" J1772 adapter. They pretty much doubled the cost of my rental with that fee + taxes, so I was pissed.

It took over a week for the matter to get resolved, because apparently the CSR's can't access your receipt (even when you're looking right at it) until 5 business days after your rental, which is when the location uploads your receipt into their system, which makes no sense. In the end, one of their managers listened to my story and issued a refund for the extra charges I paid, bringing my total back to what I was originally supposed to pay. It took another few days for the refund to appear on my credit card (along with an updated receipt from Hertz), but I was relieved to see it finally be resolved.

In the future, the prospect of getting a Tesla as a rental (especially since I will own one soon) may be enough to make me give Hertz another chance - the car itself was fantastic, but the rental experience really turned me off Hertz, and it's not something I would want to go through again. To be fair, maybe it was just the location I rented from, and every rental company has their bad apples, even my precious National. But I really will think twice before booking with Hertz again.

 

[Y_tho]

When I returned the car, the agent was there, but just said to leave the keys on the dash, and walked away. No one was there to process the return or check the vehicle. I mistakenly trusted that the return experience would be the same as what I'm used to with National. I did not get a receipt until nearly an hour later when I was through security, only to find out that they added a $95 charge for the "missing" J1772 adapter. They pretty much doubled the cost of my rental with that fee + taxes, so I was pissed.

It took over a week for the matter to get resolved, because apparently the CSR's can't access your receipt (even when you're looking right at it) until 5 business days after your rental, which is when the location uploads your receipt into their system, which makes no sense. In the end, one of their managers listened to my story and issued a refund for the extra charges I paid, bringing my total back to what I was originally supposed to pay. It took another few days for the refund to appear on my credit card (along with an updated receipt from Hertz), but I was relieved to see it finally be resolved.

Yup - this is similar to my Hertz experience (documented earlier in this thread), and why I suggested waiting for a human to clear everything and provide a receipt, prior to walking off. I had to call customer service to get my $25 undercharge fee reversed, and it wouldn't have been an issue if I waited for someone to inspect the car and give me a receipt upon return, vs just leaving it there (as instructed by the person managing the cars being returned).

 

[gt2690b]

Oh, am I glad I found this thread. Sit down, guys and gals, because it's story time!!

I rented a Model 3 from Hertz last month, and it was my first time driving any EV, let alone a Tesla. I fell in love with the car, and that rental became an expensive experience, because just yesterday, I put down a deposit on a Model Y!

When I got to the Hertz lot, they had my name up on the Gold board, and a black M3 waiting for me. It was a long walk to the parking space, only to find that the car smelled like cigarette smoke. No employees around, of course, so took the long walk back to the booth, and they swapped me into an identical black M3 that was parked a bit closer. That one smelled better, so I took it.

The car didn't come with a J1772 adapter, which I didn't check for (I didn't know I needed to), but I didn't need it because I always intended to use the supercharger that was only a few minutes from my hotel. I drove 60 miles in that car, and only paid $5.44 at the supercharger (billed later to my card from Hertz) - it only took about 20 minutes to charge up to 93%, which was enough to get through my day and back to the airport with 75% remaining. I ate breakfast next door to the supercharger in the time it took to "refuel" the vehicle, so I was happy.

The overall experience with Hertz was not to my expectations, though. I'm used to renting with National, where you show up, pick a car from the aisle, show your license and credit card at the exit, and off you go. When you come back, the agent greets you and asks how the rental went, they take the keys and check the mileage and condition of the vehicle, they print or email you a receipt immediately, and off you go.

With Hertz, the exit booth agent took like 10 minutes to process the rental, even though my DL and CC were on file. No one checked the battery level on the car, or told/asked me if the J1772 adapter was in the car (this is important for later).

When I returned the car, the agent was there, but just said to leave the keys on the dash, and walked away. No one was there to process the return or check the vehicle. I mistakenly trusted that the return experience would be the same as what I'm used to with National. I did not get a receipt until nearly an hour later when I was through security, only to find out that they added a $95 charge for the "missing" J1772 adapter. They pretty much doubled the cost of my rental with that fee + taxes, so I was pissed.

It took over a week for the matter to get resolved, because apparently the CSR's can't access your receipt (even when you're looking right at it) until 5 business days after your rental, which is when the location uploads your receipt into their system, which makes no sense. In the end, one of their managers listened to my story and issued a refund for the extra charges I paid, bringing my total back to what I was originally supposed to pay. It took another few days for the refund to appear on my credit card (along with an updated receipt from Hertz), but I was relieved to see it finally be resolved.

In the future, the prospect of getting a Tesla as a rental (especially since I will own one soon) may be enough to make me give Hertz another chance - the car itself was fantastic, but the rental experience really turned me off Hertz, and it's not something I would want to go through again. To be fair, maybe it was just the location I rented from, and every rental company has their bad apples, even my precious National. But I really will think twice before booking with Hertz again.

Don't fret soon enough everyone will adopt NACS and we won't need those pesky adapters

 

[gt2690b]

I'm renting a bolt next week oddly excited

They gave me a polestar instead of a bolt.. it's fast and very Google based nice car.. auto pilot pretty good but don't trust it around a curve.. feels even smaller than a 3 due to the wrap around dash but the solid (and white) roof is nice here in Phoenix at 115 degrees yesterday

Very sporty suspension fun car would consider buying they need to adopt NACS

 

[keeton]

I currently own a Model Y and just rented a Model 3 from Hertz on a trip this week to New Orleans. Even though I'm President's Circle, my name was not on the board in the lot. The lady in the Gold booth said "Just take the blue one...". The blue one turned out to be a 2022 Long Range Dual Motor with 42,000+ miles on it. I was actually curious to see how one of these would hold up to abusive rental conditions with this mileage. For the record, my Y is a 2023 that I've only had for 3 months with about 2,000 miles on it. On this 3, the trim around the driver's door was coming loose (held on by clips) and some of the wood trim on the passenger's side was de-laminating. Mechanically, the vehicle was sound and drove fine. The tires had been replaced with some cheap Falkens so there was a bit more road noise. I appreciated the fact that the 3 seemed a bit more nimble than my Y.
After reading some of these posts, I made it a point to check to be sure that the mobile charger and J1772 adapter were there (they were in the rear under-floor trunk). New Orleans has a few free level 2 chargers scattered about the city and I actually used the one in City Park so the J1772 came in handy. I charged at a Supercharger on two occasions but only one of the charging sessions has appeared on my bill. One note on energy use - New Orleans was so hot that a about a third of the energy consumption was for the A/C.
Premium data and the Tesla app are disabled, but I was able to connect my phone via bluetooth for streaming music. The bluetooth connection would get wonky (a lot of stuttering in the audio) that does not happen with my Y. It was usable for just the days I had the car, however.
Overall, the rental was OK. The car had high mileage, but drove OK. I had to be mindful of the charging, but that's with any Tesla. I got used to using the clunky keycard so that became second nature. The only frustrations were dealing with Hertz (there was a small discrepancy on my bill) but judging by the other comments, that's just Hertz being Hertz.