Supercharging an M3 from Hertz

[AZAV8R]

On two upcoming vacations, we plan to rent an M3 from Hertz. How they charge for Supercharging appears to be a closely-held secret, as 3 calls to them netted 3 completely off-the-wall answers (my personal fave was they charge $35 every time I plug into a SC, no matter how much energy I take). Does anyone have actual experience with this? I assumed the car has an account and Hertz (after a healthy markup, I suspect) adds any charges to my final bill.

Anyone? Anyone?

 

[jkdman123]

$35 for plugging in? Ha. I'd be disputing the whole rental charge with my credit card company. BTW, I'd stay away from Hertz. They have a nasty habit of reporting cars as stolen that have been turned in and paid for, then having the renter arrested for theft. Like many, many times.

 

[XPsionic]

On two upcoming vacations, we plan to rent an M3 from Hertz. How they charge for Supercharging appears to be a closely-held secret, as 3 calls to them netted 3 completely off-the-wall answers (my personal fave was they charge $35 every time I plug into a SC, no matter how much energy I take). Does anyone have actual experience with this? I assumed the car has an account and Hertz (after a healthy markup, I suspect) adds any charges to my final bill.

Anyone? Anyone?

Google machine returns the following result:

Hertz And Avis/Budget Are Renting Teslas And Other EVs But Charging Up Before Return Is A Mess

You can now rent electric cars from many companies. But what happens if you need to fill the car up again before you return it, and charging will take hours? Some companies let you return empty, others bill you a fat fee.

www.forbes.com

• Hertz asks you to return the car with the same level of charge (or 75% if that is lower.) A fee of $35 is charged if returned between 10-75%, $60 if returned below 10%. Hertz also says you can “prepay” the $35 fee and get it back if you return over 70%, though that amounts to the same thing.
• Tesla renters can use Superchargers and are billed by Hertz on a pass-through basis. Hertz does not allow one-way rental of EVs.

I'm unable to find the actual terms and conditions pdf for USA.

 

[AZAV8R]

On two upcoming vacations, we plan to rent an M3 from Hertz. How they charge for Supercharging appears to be a closely-held secret, as 3 calls to them netted 3 completely off-the-wall answers (my personal fave was they charge $35 every time I plug into a SC, no matter how much energy I take). Does anyone have actual experience with this? I assumed the car has an account and Hertz (after a healthy markup, I suspect) adds any charges to my final bill.

Anyone? Anyone?

I finally found what I'm pretty sure is the real answer. Hertz really needs to train it's CSRs better!

Charging a Tesla | Hertz Electric Vehicles

Learn more about charging the Tesla Model 3, and explore more FAQ's around renting a Tesla Model 3 with Hertz Rental Car.

www.hertz.com

 

[Tronguy]

Um. I'll have to ask my next-door neighbor, who rented a Tesla in Ottawa last week. (Fun fact: The SO got a semi-panicked phone call: Exactly how does one find out where the nearest Supercharger is located? . The SO set him straight.)

In any case, I chatted with the man yesterday about his experience. He stated that he didn't get charged and was kind of curious about how Normal Humans handled the situation. I explained the bit about having to give Tesla a credit card number for the account and all.

But he didn't talk about any $35 charges (Canadian) on his bill, so either he didn't notice anything like that or it was subsumed into the rental fee.

Just did a Google search on "Charging a Tesla at Hertz". Which had the following tidbit at the bottom:
---------
Does charging cost money?

Please remember to return your EV with its battery charged to at least 10%.
Although free public charging stations exist, most stations charge a fee based on kWH usage, charging time or percentage of battery charged. Just as gas prices fluctuate, charging fees vary from station to station.
If you charge at a Tesla network station, we’ll pass through your charging-related fees to the credit card you used to rent your Tesla.* And if you charge at a third-party charging station, just pay on the spot.
*See your EV Rental Terms to learn more.
--------

That seems pretty clear.

 

[jjrandorin]

There is a sticky thread on rental experiences for model 3 and Y, and I thought someone talked about this. I dont remember the entire gist of the thread, but here it is:

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...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[EVRider-FL]

I’ve rented my Teslas from Turo and have had good experiences each time. In all cases I’ve been given access to the car via the Tesla app, but I don’t know if the rental car companies will do that. Supercharging fees are what they would cost in my own car, and in one case the owner didn’t charge me for supercharging because he had some free miles.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

On two upcoming vacations, we plan to rent an M3 from Hertz. How they charge for Supercharging appears to be a closely-held secret, as 3 calls to them netted 3 completely off-the-wall answers (my personal fave was they charge $35 every time I plug into a SC, no matter how much energy I take). Does anyone have actual experience with this? I assumed the car has an account and Hertz (after a healthy markup, I suspect) adds any charges to my final bill.

Anyone? Anyone?

Charging a Tesla | Hertz Electric Vehicles

Learn more about charging the Tesla, and explore more FAQ's around renting a Tesla with Hertz Rental Car.

www.hertz.com

How do I pay for charging?

If you need to charge your EV during rental, you may use a Tesla network charging station or a third-party charging station. If you opt for Tesla’s network, we’ll automatically pass through fees to the credit card you have on file with us. If you use a third-party station, just follow the station’s prompts and pay on the spot – similar to how you’d pay for fuel at a gas station.

Does Hertz charge a premium for me to charge at a Tesla Supercharger?

No – whatever charges you incur at Tesla’s network charging station, we pass through directly to the credit card you used to rent your EV. We do not charge any additional fees beyond what Tesla charges outright
.

Hertz will simply pass on the cost of your Supercharger.

The $35 fee is if you return it with less than 70% charge.

A colleague just has/had a rental. The bad thing about it is that you just have the card, so you don't have the full user experience. Tesla needs to come up with a simple way of renters being able to use the app and their phone.

 

[johnnycnote]

The 2 times I rented last summer (San Diego and San Jose), they requested that I bring back the vehicle with at least a 75% charge so they could get it back in the system faster. However, it was not required. Supercharging was billed at the standard rates on my final invoice. Not sure how things are handled now...

 

[Zacster]

I would swear that the SC was free when I rented from Hertz in Jan, 22. It was one of the perks of paying the premium.

I looked up my post from when I rented, and it was free. Prior Post

OK, I read my own thread further and it was free until the end of Feb, 22. After that they just add it to your bill. It is still a lot cheaper than gas.

 

[starship42]

Charging a Tesla | Hertz Electric Vehicles

Learn more about charging the Tesla, and explore more FAQ's around renting a Tesla with Hertz Rental Car.

www.hertz.com

Hertz…

A colleague just has/had a rental. The bad thing about it is that you just have the card, so you don't have the full user experience. Tesla needs to come up with a simple way of renters being able to use the app and their phone.

My last Hertz Tesla rental from DEN, I simply brought my M-Y keyfob from home and added it as a key. Passive unlock and walk away lock worked just like home (once I enabled them). I removed my fob from Locks while at the Supercharger near DEN right before return.

Not as great as the app, but much better than dealing with the big plastic keycard holder (which I kept in my backpack until return).

 

[Tress]

Be very careful with Hertz. I am a long time Tesla owner and thought it would be fun to rent a Tesla for a weekend trip to Chicago. Many of the rentals are missing the J1772 adapter and charging cable, this would not be an issue but they hit you with fees if they are "missing" from the vehicle when returned. $95 & $260.

I asked up front and they said it would not be an issue, but apparently there was no record of them missing when I returned the car as I am stuck with the extra fees. Don't make my mistake and settle for a verbal answer, find some way to document it or demand the accessories.

 

[jjrandorin]

Be very careful with Hertz. I am a long time Tesla owner and thought it would be fun to rent a Tesla for a weekend trip to Chicago. Many of the rentals are missing the J1772 adapter and charging cable, this would not be an issue but they hit you with fees if they are "missing" from the vehicle when returned. $95 & $260.

I asked up front and they said it would not be an issue, but apparently there was no record of them missing when I returned the car as I am stuck with the extra fees. Don't make my mistake and settle for a verbal answer, find some way to document it or demand the accessories.

Perhaps you should continue to fight it or contact a social media influencer type or something. With as much "bad stuff" as Hertz has been doing recently, I would never rent from them again, and I used to be a frequent renter of theirs when I traveled much more than I do now.

 

[Y_tho]

There is a sticky thread on rental experiences for model 3 and Y, and I thought someone talked about this. I dont remember the entire gist of the thread, but here it is:

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...

teslamotorsclub.com

Pretty sure you're referring to my post about Hertz rental in Florida, as I included the return-charge-level policy screenshot.

Tl;dr - Supercharging just shows up as a future charge to your credit card, no additional fee, aside from what you spent at the Supercharger. Regarding undercharge fee when returning: you either:

• Pay $35 up front when renting, and never worry about how much % you return the car with
• If you don't pay the $35 up front fee:
  • If you rent at >= 75%, you need to return with at least 70%. If you return under 70%, there's a $35 fee. If you return under 10% there's an additional $25 fee.
  • If you rent at < 75%, there is no undercharge fee (although the wording is a bit ambiguous regarding returning at less than 10% in this situation).

Also: I advise taking a pic of the battery percentage as you drop off the car, with a shot wide enough to also show the on-screen clock, just in case there is any billing issue later, regarding undercharge fee (as happened to me, where I was able to get the charge reversed).

My full post, with screenshot of the policy, is here -> Discussion: Experiences Renting a Tesla Model 3 / Y from various companies

 

[maksimfa]

Rented quite a few EVs with Hertz.

Right now, the rules are, you must return with 75% charge... (or is it 70%?) If you return with less than that it is $35 charge. IF you return with less than 10%, there is an additional fee.

On Tesla, you just supercharge and it gets passed on, and you will see it in your final hertz bill.

For non-Tesla cars you just pay for the lvl 2 or lvl 3 charging that you already do, nothing gets passed on.

 

[geometro]

ugh... I rented a Tesla from Hertz this past weekend... was told to return it with >70% charge to avoid $35 fee. I did so and returned it with 74% charge and still got hit with $35 fee!

I had to call them to get them to reverse the charge... very odd.

 

[jjrandorin]

ugh... I rented a Tesla from Hertz this past weekend... was told to return it with >70% charge to avoid $35 fee. I did so and returned it with 74% charge and still got hit with $35 fee!

I had to call them to get them to reverse the charge... very odd.

I dont know why anyone would be surprised at anything that Hertz does. This is a company that has reported rental cars as stolen that people have returned (. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusation-stealing-cars-settlement )

So them messing up on a charge level charge seems right there with all the other mess ups that company is doing right now.

 

[Zacster]

You're being too polite in calling them mess ups. They were criminal.

 

[ODWms]

I rented a 3 a couple of weeks ago in Miami. Supercharged once. When I turned the car in there was an additional 18 dollars or so that the nice lady said was for the supercharging. Apparently it’s a pass through charge, so no extra profit for them. Just what I “pumped.” A few days later I noticed a charge on my credit card for $8.14, which it turned out was for tolls during my rental.

 

[afadeev]

I dont know why anyone would be surprised at anything that Hertz does. This is a company that has reported rental cars as stolen that people have returned (. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/06/1140998674/hertz-false-accusation-stealing-cars-settlement )

So them messing up on a charge level charge seems right there with all the other mess ups that company is doing right now.

You could not pay me enough $$$ to rent ANYTHING from Hertz, and I get deeply discounted rates (~35% off listed daily value) from work.
I simply refuse to patronize businesses that propagate their back office errors into police action against their own customers. No way, no how.

Attempts to EV-wash their reputation by offering a few TM3s for rent, at varying prices and policies, doesn't change the answer one bit.

YMMV,
a