Hertz Charging a Tesla Renter for Gas Was Not an Isolated Incident
19th May 2024
Hertz’s foray into renting EVs hasn’t been a runaway success. The rental agency is liquidating its excess Teslas due to limited demand and tanking values, while those who have rented its EVs haven’t always had a good experience. Last week, we reported on a customer who was charged $277 for gasoline his rented Tesla couldn’t have possibly used—and now, we’ve heard from other Hertz customers who say they’ve been charged even more.
Hertz caught attention last week for how it handled a customer whom it had charged a “Skip the Pump” fee, which allows renters to pay a premium for Hertz to refill the tank for them. But of course, this customer’s rented Tesla Model 3 didn’t use gas—it draws power from a battery—and Hertz has a separate, flat fee for EV recharges. Nevertheless, the customer was charged $277.39 despite returning the car with the exact same charge they left with, and Hertz refused to refund it until after our story ran.
It’s no isolated incident either, as other customers have written in to inform us that it happened to them, too.