Car rental equivalent
Discussion
I booked a "Premium Elite Crossover - X5 or equivalent". My confirmation says "Guaranteed Tesla Model Y LR 270 miles"
Are they equivalent?
Also, having an electric vehicle is not ideal as I will be driving 200 miles to my accommodation. I did research and find that the LR version does over 300 miles so the first trip is covered. However, there is no charging at the accommodation. There is a charging station 1 mile away. I could conceivably use that but I believe I can't leave the car their over night.
The other potential issue is that I can't return it full. I assumed there would be no charge for that. It turns out, I have to pay £35 for them to charge it. That just seems like a 10% surcharge. Yes, I return ICE cars full but that's because I can refill them in seconds. If I charge the car at Heathrow it will put me into another 24 hour period and cost me a load more for sitting around doing nothing.
I am pro electric vehicle but this is the reason why I am not ready for an electric vehicle to be my only car.
Are they equivalent?
Also, having an electric vehicle is not ideal as I will be driving 200 miles to my accommodation. I did research and find that the LR version does over 300 miles so the first trip is covered. However, there is no charging at the accommodation. There is a charging station 1 mile away. I could conceivably use that but I believe I can't leave the car their over night.
The other potential issue is that I can't return it full. I assumed there would be no charge for that. It turns out, I have to pay £35 for them to charge it. That just seems like a 10% surcharge. Yes, I return ICE cars full but that's because I can refill them in seconds. If I charge the car at Heathrow it will put me into another 24 hour period and cost me a load more for sitting around doing nothing.
I am pro electric vehicle but this is the reason why I am not ready for an electric vehicle to be my only car.
It may not be as much hassle as you think in a Tesla.
Have a look here to see where the nearest Tesla Supercharger is to your accommodation. Fully charging at that will take about 45 minutes.
https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/findus?v=2&bounds=...
Same on return the Heathrow, there are a number of Supercharger locations within spitting distance of the airport.
The car nav will take care of charging for you. It’ll route you via any chargers it thinks you need to use to get where you’re going.
Have a look here to see where the nearest Tesla Supercharger is to your accommodation. Fully charging at that will take about 45 minutes.
https://www.tesla.com/en_gb/findus?v=2&bounds=...
Same on return the Heathrow, there are a number of Supercharger locations within spitting distance of the airport.
The car nav will take care of charging for you. It’ll route you via any chargers it thinks you need to use to get where you’re going.
This is for London Heathrow, driving up to the border of Yorkshire and then returning. I bet I only need 30 miles of range outside of the trip up and back. My accommodation is 16 miles away from a supercharger which is on the other side of Manchester.
I’m in two minds as to if I take the Tesla. I’m sure I can make it work but I think it’s going to be a frustration. I don’t think the novelty is worth the faff. I don’t think an electric car can be considered equivalent in this case. Also, if behind the rate it’s “Guaranteed Tesla” why say it’s a BMW X5 on the booking form? It’s obvious to me why. No one is renting them if they say “Tesla”. I 100% would not have selected it.
I’m in two minds as to if I take the Tesla. I’m sure I can make it work but I think it’s going to be a frustration. I don’t think the novelty is worth the faff. I don’t think an electric car can be considered equivalent in this case. Also, if behind the rate it’s “Guaranteed Tesla” why say it’s a BMW X5 on the booking form? It’s obvious to me why. No one is renting them if they say “Tesla”. I 100% would not have selected it.
abzmike said:
Whenever I hire a car the selection process seems to be picking whatever is around the lot. I’m sure they’ll be able to accommodate if you don’t want electric. Is this for the US? There will likely be a stack of big SUVs to pick from.
I hope they can accommodate me at the counter. I was wondering if it was more of an uphill battle now they have guaranteed a Tesla. h0b0 said:
This is for London Heathrow, driving up to the border of Yorkshire and then returning. I bet I only need 30 miles of range outside of the trip up and back. My accommodation is 16 miles away from a supercharger which is on the other side of Manchester.
Put Heathrow into the nav as your destination, with your accommodation as a way point. The car will sort it out for you, probably by charging on the motorway on the way up and down. A Model Y is absolutely not an “equivalent” to an X5!
The EV equivalent would be a Model X.
Aside from it being an EV, it’s definitely a smaller, cheaper class below - competitor to an X3.
I’d say the models in the “equivalent” category to an X5 would be Audi Q7, Merc GLE, Cayenne, Discovery, Range Roger Sport, or possibly a Lexus RX.
The EV equivalent would be a Model X.
Aside from it being an EV, it’s definitely a smaller, cheaper class below - competitor to an X3.
I’d say the models in the “equivalent” category to an X5 would be Audi Q7, Merc GLE, Cayenne, Discovery, Range Roger Sport, or possibly a Lexus RX.
h0b0 said:
abzmike said:
Whenever I hire a car the selection process seems to be picking whatever is around the lot. I’m sure they’ll be able to accommodate if you don’t want electric. Is this for the US? There will likely be a stack of big SUVs to pick from.
I hope they can accommodate me at the counter. I was wondering if it was more of an uphill battle now they have guaranteed a Tesla. Pit Pony said:
h0b0 said:
abzmike said:
Whenever I hire a car the selection process seems to be picking whatever is around the lot. I’m sure they’ll be able to accommodate if you don’t want electric. Is this for the US? There will likely be a stack of big SUVs to pick from.
I hope they can accommodate me at the counter. I was wondering if it was more of an uphill battle now they have guaranteed a Tesla. brickwall said:
A Model Y is absolutely not an “equivalent” to an X5!
The EV equivalent would be a Model X.
Aside from it being an EV, it’s definitely a smaller, cheaper class below - competitor to an X3.
I’d say the models in the “equivalent” category to an X5 would be Audi Q7, Merc GLE, Cayenne, Discovery, Range Roger Sport, or possibly a Lexus RX.
My thoughts were a MY LR wasn’t equivalent to an X5. I feel like this has been a bait and switch. We shall see what the do with my free upgrade through being presidents circle (what a load of tosh). The EV equivalent would be a Model X.
Aside from it being an EV, it’s definitely a smaller, cheaper class below - competitor to an X3.
I’d say the models in the “equivalent” category to an X5 would be Audi Q7, Merc GLE, Cayenne, Discovery, Range Roger Sport, or possibly a Lexus RX.
Avis tried to upgrade me from an E class to a GLA once. I ended up with an A6 because they didn’t have an E class. The A6 was parked next to 2 E-class Mercs.
Update…
The accommodation has installed EV charge points. What does that mean? I looked and 3 pin charging would take 40 hours. But, I assume a dedicated charger would be quicker. Any indication of how quick?
Also, a review said it was flat rate only and not to use unless it was an emergency. What does that mean? I read it is the cost of electricity but does it mean I’m paying £80 a charge? If it’s a little more and I can refill the battery over night. I don’t mind. If it is lots more, or I need 40 hours to charge the it’s a no go for me.
The accommodation has installed EV charge points. What does that mean? I looked and 3 pin charging would take 40 hours. But, I assume a dedicated charger would be quicker. Any indication of how quick?
Also, a review said it was flat rate only and not to use unless it was an emergency. What does that mean? I read it is the cost of electricity but does it mean I’m paying £80 a charge? If it’s a little more and I can refill the battery over night. I don’t mind. If it is lots more, or I need 40 hours to charge the it’s a no go for me.
abzmike said:
Call ahead if you’re concerned… the guys at the depot I used a couple of weeks back (Enterprise) were very helpful, and very keen to get a good review…
That’s good to know. Avis at Heathrow see it as a competition to see how s
t a car they can give out. I mentioned before I got an A6 after they tried to “upgrade” me to a GLA (that was a cost upgrade). The A6 was scratched all over and had 40k miles. I am convinced it’s because I often pick up cars in the dark so they try and get the crap cars out. The annoying thing is, I’m Avis Presidential plus blah blah blah. The highest level. You would think they would try to make me happy. I’m not alone, I’ve seen others begging just to get the car level they had booked. I remember asking about the complementary two level upgrade. I was met with a very terse “one level and at our discretion”. I ended up with a GLB having paid for an e-class.
I’d be wary of an electric, hertz doesn’t guarantee that it will be fully charged.
You just want to jump in and go, not worry about having to charge it first.
If it was a holiday with plenty of time an EV would be fine provided there are enough chargers near your route. And they have to be ultra fast, around here there are several public car parks where the ‘fast’ charger is 7kw so really an overnight charger.
There are a worrying amount of EV's being available for hire in Southern Spain at the moment - only ok if you have a villa and you can granny charge it overnight (or the villa has a charger, which is rare) and don't do many miles.
When you arrive in Malaga you are straight on the motorway which is climbing through the hills, so very bad for mpg/EV range.
You just want to jump in and go, not worry about having to charge it first.
If it was a holiday with plenty of time an EV would be fine provided there are enough chargers near your route. And they have to be ultra fast, around here there are several public car parks where the ‘fast’ charger is 7kw so really an overnight charger.
There are a worrying amount of EV's being available for hire in Southern Spain at the moment - only ok if you have a villa and you can granny charge it overnight (or the villa has a charger, which is rare) and don't do many miles.
When you arrive in Malaga you are straight on the motorway which is climbing through the hills, so very bad for mpg/EV range.
Edited by Whataguy on Saturday 16th March 09:47
Apart from holiday resorts I haven’t hired a car since pre Covid in the UK and didn’t realise they were now hiring out EV’s.
When I did hire cars every week my battle was not being allocated an SUV as I loathe them even though I’d of booked either a Fiesta or Focus type of car. Imagine my stress levels now if I was allocated an Electric SUV
When I did hire cars every week my battle was not being allocated an SUV as I loathe them even though I’d of booked either a Fiesta or Focus type of car. Imagine my stress levels now if I was allocated an Electric SUV
I would ask for a proper ICE equivalent - a Model Y is absolutely not equivalent to an X5. We have one and it's a mid size crossover with a basic interior and fairly average NVH.
In this case the cost of fuel is probably pretty inconsequential in the scheme of things especially once you factor in the cost of expensive public chargers so there's no real incentive to put up with the EV hassle.
Whenever I hire a car there's always a temptingly cheap EV on the list but I never bother. Despite having an EV at home, for most hire car uses ICE or hybrid is just easier.
In this case the cost of fuel is probably pretty inconsequential in the scheme of things especially once you factor in the cost of expensive public chargers so there's no real incentive to put up with the EV hassle.
Whenever I hire a car there's always a temptingly cheap EV on the list but I never bother. Despite having an EV at home, for most hire car uses ICE or hybrid is just easier.
Bill said:
Whataguy said:
I’d be wary of an electric, hertz doesn’t guarantee that it will be fully charged.
WTAF?!? That's bonkers. If they're going to hire out EVs then they should install a fast charger at the depot. And there's a fee for returning it with less charge than when you picked it up too.
https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/ENGB_EV_RENTAL_TERMS...
Whataguy said:
Bill said:
Whataguy said:
I’d be wary of an electric, hertz doesn’t guarantee that it will be fully charged.
WTAF?!? That's bonkers. If they're going to hire out EVs then they should install a fast charger at the depot. And there's a fee for returning it with less charge than when you picked it up too.
https://images.hertz.com/pdfs/ENGB_EV_RENTAL_TERMS...
This has been very useful. I wondered if I was being an anti EV dinosaur based on my initial response. I think I mentioned earlier I am considering a Taycan but would have to run it alongside my Cayenne for the reasons highlighted in this thread.
The Tesla rate is $56/day which isn’t cheap. It was a great price for the X5 though. I don’t have reason to be suspicious of the bait and switch though because it’s a heavily discounted rate through a combination of work and other benefits. I routinely get up to 90% off rental cars.
I count myself as “EV curious” but this is a failure. It’s going to be a massive pain in the ass and cost me more than a petrol car for fuel because of the limitations of the infrastructure.
The Tesla rate is $56/day which isn’t cheap. It was a great price for the X5 though. I don’t have reason to be suspicious of the bait and switch though because it’s a heavily discounted rate through a combination of work and other benefits. I routinely get up to 90% off rental cars.
I count myself as “EV curious” but this is a failure. It’s going to be a massive pain in the ass and cost me more than a petrol car for fuel because of the limitations of the infrastructure.
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