Is It More Expensive to Rent an EV or a Traditional Gas-Powered Car?

Are Electric Cars More Expensive Than Gas Cars?

It depends on a multitude of factors when it comes to deciding what is cheaper between an electric or a gas car. Let’s look at some factors that differentiate the two with the use of examples.

A 4-5 door electric SUV car, such as a Chevrolet Bolt for example, can seat 5 passengers. Compare it with a 5-passenger regular small SUV, like a Nissan Rogue, Skoda Octavia or similar. Available for a 7 day hire from any US airport - with return drop off at the same location.

The Chevrolet can fit two large and two small suitcases, with an automatic transmission, air conditioning and a 235-mile range. It will cost you around $523 for a week’s hire. The similarly sized Nissan, which has a comparable trunk space along with its capacity for 5 passengers, also has automatic transmission, air conditioning and does approximately 25 miles per gallon, costing approximately $571. There’s not a lot in it.

It’s useful to consider things such as how many passengers, how much luggage, how far you’re traveling and how many travel miles are in the rental price. And offset that with optional extras and excess costs for each car.

How Much Does it Cost to Rent an SUV?

If you’re picking up and dropping off your SUV from the same location, enlisting a driver who is at least 25 years old, and hiring it for seven days from Newark airport in New Jersey for example, you might discover that a small electric SUV is generally cheaper to hire than a petrol or diesel SUV. Potentially by up to around $50-100.

The price to hire a Chevrolet Bolt EUV for example, compared with a similarly sized Nissan Rogue or similar, comes in at around $507 versus $539 for seven days.

The Chevrolet Bolt gives you a 235-mile range and the Nissan Rogue will do about 25mpg. Both take five passengers and four suitcases (two large and two small). Again, the excess will differ, and you can purchase supercover when you pick up your car. If cost isn’t your only concern, the Nissan Rogue produces C02 emissions - whereas the Chevrolet does not.

Consider how far you plan to travel – you may have enough miles ‘in the tank’ in each case. But if not, consider how much it costs to refuel versus how easy it is to recharge.

Do EVs Have More Hidden Fees Than Gas Cars?

There is often a view that EVs have more hidden charges than their gas counterparts.

At Hertz, we try to make all our fees transparent, but there are things first-time EV drivers should keep in mind when renting one. They’re not hidden, they just aren’t as widely known because they are newer to the market.

Before you collect your vehicle, we will record the EV’s battery level. When you return the car, we measure it again. You must return the car with either the same level of charge, or 75% – whichever is lower.

If the battery dies just before the car needs returning – this may result in an additional cost. This is because an EV battery which is critically low means it might be hard to unlock the car. Batteries which drop below 20% might incur an admin fee because it can affect our turn-around time for other customers.

You can also refer to our EV terms and conditions for more information.

How to Avoid Extra Rental EV Fees?

There are some other costs to consider, such as how to avoid extra rental EV fees.  Adhering to these will help you ‘steer clear’ of penalties.

Returning your rental car to us either the same level it was rented out to you or at 75% is one of the best ways to avoid an extra charge. If you don’t do this, we will have to recharge the EV for you and apply a recharging fee.

Keeping the battery above 10% is essential. If it falls below 20%, we may not be able to unlock the car, the charge time increases and below 10% the battery can become badly damaged. All of which could mean you end up paying admin fees as well as damage excess.

Follow the instructions at each charging station, as misuse or damage could incur fees as we would have to pass those to you as the car was in your possession at the time.

If you use network charging stations, not only will it save you time as you won’t need to register with new providers each time you charge - but you’ll also avoid the potential cost of having to do so.

And finally, remember idle fees. These are charged to EV drivers to stop them leaving their car at a charger for too long after charging, which prevents other drivers from being able to access the charge points.

You can check out our range of electric vehicles for more information on what each can offer.