Hertz Is So Eager To Sell Its EV Fleet That It's Persuading Customers To Buy Their Rentals

In 2021, Hertz surprised everyone, including Elon Musk, when it announced buying 100,000 Tesla EVs for its fleet. At the time, the company was making electrification a strategic pillar of its evolution. Hertz was buying not only Teslas but also lots of EVs from Polestar and GM. If all these pledged contracts had been fulfilled, Hertz would have had about half a million electric vehicles in its fleet.

However, as surprisingly as this EV fever started, it also went away. The rental juggernaut put the brakes on electrification, and in September 2023 only had 62,000 EVs in its fleet. That was about the largest number of EVs Hertz ever had, and it soon started selling them on the used market. Unsurprisingly, this move came after many of the cars began blocking parking lots while very few customers were interested in renting them.

The fact that Hertz made no effort to educate its customers on the peculiarities of electric vehicles led to some horror stories going viral. From customers appalled at the abysmal range of some Tesla Model 3 Standard Range to others who got trapped inside the cars because they didn't know how to use Tesla's emergency door unlock after they ran out of battery, the media had a blast.

For the best part of the year, Hertz has been trying to unload electric vehicles from its inventory, starting with the Teslas, which comprised about 80% of its EV fleet. The sell-off continues, with hundreds of electric vehicles in Hertz's fleet still offered through the company's Car Sales portal. Hertz seems desperate to sell them as fast as possible. Besides rock-bottom prices, which start at less than $12,000 for a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt with 75,000 miles on the odometer, the company is also trying unconventional methods to convince people to buy them.

Several Hertz customers reported being contacted by the company with an offer to buy the car they had rented. In one case, a 2023 Tesla Model 3 was offered for less than $18,000. Hertz's used EVs also qualify for the $4,000 tax credit, although it's unclear whether the offer includes the credit. "If you're shopping for a new car, think of this rental as a test drive," the message reads. It doesn't matter if you're far away from home, Hertz is willing to deliver the vehicle to your door when you get home.

Others shared similar experiences, whether it was Tesla, Polestar, or Chevrolet. However, most EVs in Hertz inventory at the time of writing were Ford Mustang Mach-E (100 units), with the Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV coming in second (58 units). Sadly, the Chevy Silverado EVs listed in September are almost sold out, with only three trucks available. Tesla is also doing just fine, with only nine Model 3s listed.