Hertz charges for petrol – for electric cars

US car rental company Hertz has billed electric car renters for petrol costs in several cases. Only a media report led to those affected receiving their money back. The company speaks of a 'system error' that has since been rectified.

Hertz’s petrol bill scandal became known when a US customer rented a Tesla Model 3 over the weekend and received a 277-dollar petrol bill in addition to the rental costs for the car. His complaints apparently went unheard at first. According to the portal The Drive, Hertz finally responded to his report, and other affected parties came forward.

In addition to the rental fee, electric cars may incur a small recharging fee if they are returned with a lower battery level than agreed. The petrol requirement? Zero, in view of the lack of petrol tanks in purely electric cars. Nevertheless, in the case described above, a responsible Hertz employee is said to have initially pointed out in writing that the fee was correct. Following the report, however, the customer was then refunded the fee.

Based on the response to the article, such cases already occurred about a year ago. Hertz spoke ruefully to The Drive about a system error that has now been rectified. Those affected have been contacted proactively. In addition to the refund, they would have received a credit for their next rental as compensation.

thedrive.com, thedrive.com (prior cases)