My solution - visiting Europe - how to get a rental car that doesn't suck…

[daveo4EV]

rent a Tesla Model 3 from Hertz - now Tesla has their problems, and no they are not perfect. But in my experience I'll take (and actuallly have taken with this trip) a Model 3 over most _ANY_ normal car - especialy the stuff that you tend to end up with in a rental fleet…

I'll let you know how it goes - but it's got to be better than the rental car I just got out of in iceland - OMG I'd forgotten how bad cars can be…

we're all spoiled with Porsche's/Audi/Land rovers etc…

Tesla has it's issues NO doubt - but it's a better car than most of what most people are stuck driving - and it's a way better car than any of the choices the various rental companies were offering me - when Hertz offered me a Model 3 Long Range - I didn't hesitate to click on it - and again have 8 days in a SUCK toyota in Iceland all of you would've preferred a Model 3 or Model Y also…

we'll see how this goes - I pick up the Model 3 on friday - to drive to germany for Nurburgring Masters course w/Porsche…gonna be fun!

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[daveo4EV]

NOTE: I'm not planning to track the rental - porsche has arranged a suitable track car for my 2 days on the ring…

 

[ThePaddyWan]

Good luck! I'm sure it'll work out fine and enjoy the time at the ring.

I rent a car from Hertz every month or two to drive and I usually try to get the Premium or Luxury tier which equates to a Genesis, Acura or similar. They're comfortable enough for me. I can't do economy cars any more, my back ends up hurting after long drives and it's worth the extra costs. Worst experience was with a Ford Fiesta.

I've been tempted to try renting a Tesla. It's about double in price usually and not worth to me, it even account for fuel costs.

 

[TaycanHero]

Tips for renting cars in Europe:

• Do not use the big names, they are more likely to rip you off.
• If going to an island, book well in advance. They have limited supply and during peak season, high demand. Either you will be paying premium/luxury car prices for a budget compact car, or you won't even be able to rent anything.
• If renting for 30 days or longer (I often do) buy car rental insurance in your home country for global cover. It is surprisingly cheap. Do not pay for car rental daily comprehensive insurance which is typically 5-8 euros a day (or more) unless it's very short term.
  • If you need to make a claim, it just means you are out of pocket for the 3-6 weeks it takes to get payment from your insurance policy. You're a Porsche owner, you can afford to be without that money for a few weeks.
• Rent a supermini like a Renault Clio or similar. Make sure it's an automatic as that typically means it's the highest trim level/most powerful engine. They are fun to drive, especially on winding mountain roads, and perfect for busy or narrow European roads/parking, and unlikely something you will ever own, which adds to the novelty.
• Go petrol for any long distance driving. If you are visiting somewhere new, it's only worth the time burn and organisation if you are driving a Taycan. If you have rented a Tesla, e-Niro or similar, that dynamic changes and maximising your time is important. Petrol stations are everywhere, electric charging points are not. Filling up takes 5 minutes. Charging takes 60 minutes...
• Don't knock terrible cars, they often have a lot of character. I quite miss my Toyota Corolla Quest, exclusive to South Africa. Drove it for a month. Incredibly practical, reliable and economical. It had me laughing at times where taking a mountain road at speed had the tyres screeching like they were about to fall off. The Taycan does not provide such bargain basement, yet amusing drive. I also wasn't attracting any unwanted attention.

 

[daveo4EV]

ok have the car

Grey Model 3 LR

much nicer than the Toyota we rented in Iceland - good to be back in a car that doesn't entirely suck

charging in europe so far seems way way way way better than US - there are slow/fast chargers EVERYWHERE

Supercharging works! although it's unclear how it's going to billed - LOL - website has conflicting information which was different than what the counter agent told me at the airport - I don't care however cause electrons flowed

also made use of a Shell-Recharge "fob" attached to the Model 3's RFID card - charged with it twice so far: once at a parking garage mall (4 kW charge rate) and where we're staying for 2 nights in the Netherlands (11 kW charge rate from a 22 kW charger)

after being away from the Model 3 for 2 years here are my observations

• still a great car - it's no porsche - but it doesn't need to be - it simply had to be better than some random rental euro-box that is too small for 4 adults…
• build quality on this unit does not suck - no porsche quality - but reasonable vs. other mid-range options
  • interior quality better than Toyota in iceland
  • fewer creaks/groans
  • way more power
  • way more responsive
• integrated NAV w/EV awareness is awesome
• Tesla's software is soooooooo much better than PCM or anyone else for that matter
• love the responsive throttle and lots of power
• seats not the most comfortable - but better than the other rental
• price for charging vs. gas is very very favorable given gas prices
• still consider it a better car than most any other sub $70k 4-door sedan
  • you can pay less, but Model 3 is better
• we are 4 adults (myself, wife, brother-in-law, daughter) + luggage - model 3 swallows us and luggage no problem

so far here is what i learned

• I'm surprised there is not a "rental car" version of the vehicle's OS - so many things are still "open" and not locked down vs. consumer version
  • I had assumed Hertz/Tesla would have a "enterprise" version of the Tesla stuff more suited to rental car usage - appears not
  • LOL - pending software update - should I apply it for Hertz?
• Hertz includes a ShellRecharge Fob with vehicle keys - told me to download the app - errror error error - I'm USA app user - europe version of ShellRecharge not avaialble to me to download
  • shellrecharge website _NO USE_ - doesn't recognize the FOB code…stuck in limbo land - due to conflicting regional requirements
• soooo many websites not localized - I'm using google translate a lot
• soooo many websites lacking sufficient information
• sooo many charging portals not setup for "temporary usage" - I'm not a custoemr, not going to be a customer, can't register from outside EU - but I need to use your service as a "visitor/guest"
• they included a charging cable - I've used it twice so far - plan to use it again
• someone who's never driven a Tesla or EV's would be completely lost
  • hertz staff is clueless and poorly trained on EV/Tesla - they are 100% clueless

so far so good - charging infrastructure appears to be very very good and travel with an EV in europe appears to be no big deal - charging times at fast chargers are not big deal with typical charge time taking slightly less time than meal stop

glad I rented the Model 3 vs. other options - it really really is better than 95% of the euro-boxes you'll find poplulating the typical rental car fleet…so unless you rent something equally "special" a Model will be better than 98% of your choices from a list of rental cars…

on to Nurburgring tomorrow sunday jul. 31 - on ring Aug 1 & 2 - drive back to AMS on 3rd…sight seeing today.

 

[daveo4EV]

there is a 4 stall supercharger across the street from the Nurburgring hotel where I'll be staying

according to ABRP I'll arrive at Nurburgring with 17% battery for the drive on sunday

OMG sooooo easy - between the nonTesla fast chargers and the Tesla Fast chargers there is _NO_ reason you can't rally an EV around Europe - once the Tesla SC network is open to non-Tesla's and since Tesla can already use non-Tesla fast charging in europe - the charging situation in Europe seems vastly better than the US and I expect it will continue to get better and not worse - but right now it seems to me to be no harder to road trip in an EV than gas car - and with gas prices what they are less impact on the pocket book…

 

[daveo4EV]

soooo many eV's in europe - lots and lots of Tesla - I now see why people hate them - they are being successful and that breeds contempt.

 

[daveo4EV]

not about to Trade my Taycan for a Model 3 - but if you want a great EV for less than $70k Model 3 is hard to beat…

 

[daveo4EV]

I would've been in heaven if I could've rented a Taycan CT…EV and Porsche.

 

[SteveGTS]

DO NOT install the latest Tesla Update! Random alarm activation, phone not working properly and taking 3-4 mins to start up are some of the symptoms I've had past few days. Anyone would think it was Porsche software . On the plus side they will fix it in a week or so.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Since reading this thread, I've got John Cooper Clarke 'Hire Car' as a permanent ear worm!

Woke up this morning and the first thing in my head was 'hire car, hire car, why would anybody buy a car'

Don't listen to it!!

 

[ben1]

there is a 4 stall supercharger across the street from the Nurburgring hotel where I'll be staying

according to ABRP I'll arrive at Nurburgring with 17% battery for the drive on sunday

OMG sooooo easy - between the nonTesla fast chargers and the Tesla Fast chargers there is _NO_ reason you can't rally an EV around Europe - once the Tesla SC network is open to non-Tesla's and since Tesla can already use non-Tesla fast charging in europe - the charging situation in Europe seems vastly better than the US and I expect it will continue to get better and not worse - but right now it seems to me to be no harder to road trip in an EV than gas car - and with gas prices what they are less impact on the pocket book…

The charging network in Europe should be better than in the US. We will phase out ICE cars faster than the US. No ICE cars in many cities in 2030. No ICE cars sold in 2035.
I understood it will not go that fast in the US.

I did not see it myself but in the media it looks like China is also moving forward very fast. Especially in the big cities. If I see the density of superchargers in some chinees cities it seems to be higher than Europe and US.

Btw, I am going on holiday to the US in two weeks. Hoping my rental car will be available. It seems to be very difficult and more expensive in post-corona times to get a rental car. Went for a traditional petrol car (Dodge Caravan) to be sure.

 

[RingoDingo]

The charging network in Europe should be better than in the US. We will phase out ICE cars faster than the US. No ICE cars in many cities in 2030. No ICE cars sold in 2035.
I understood it will not go that fast in the US.

I did not see it myself but in the media it looks like China is also moving forward very fast. Especially in the big cities. If I see the density of superchargers in some chinees cities it seems to be higher than Europe and US.

Btw, I am going on holiday to the US in two weeks. Hoping my rental car will be available. It seems to be very difficult and more expensive in post-corona times to get a rental car. Went for a traditional petrol car (Dodge Caravan) to be sure.

Renting a car in the US is a mess right now. While I was at the counter a guy returned his car because the registration was past due. I got pulled over by the cops for a broken brake light because the car they gave me (I reserved a minivan and got an Explorer from a different/sister company because that’s all they had) had a broken tail light that filled with water when it rained. If you’re renting from a busy airport or the like, there’s a decent chance they won’t have a minivan available - just be prepared there.

 

[kort]

is there much of cost premium to rent the tesla versus a gas car?

 

[daveo4EV]

is there much of cost premium to rent the tesla versus a gas car?

I don't think the premium is too horrible - it was $500-$700 for the rentals for some super gutless ecnoboxes - and the bill for the Model 3 is currently on my card @ $900'ish - so they are charging, but I dont' care the car doesn't suck ass like most rentals

it is certainly not more expensive than any other rental that wouldn't suck…maybe cheaper.

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