Interested in electric cars but not ready to buy one yet? Rent one to test it out, and some car rental companies are offering discounts.
But running an electric car smoothly requires a lot of planning, especially if you're renting one for a holiday. Fast-charging stations, although more readily available than four years ago, are still not as ubiquitous as petrol stations.
For now, EVs might be best suited for long weekends or trips where you plan to stay in one place and take day trips rather than epic east-to-west coast journeys.
“A cross-country road trip?” says Damon Bell, senior research editor at online car marketplace Cars.com. “It's possible, but it's a little bit harder.”
Most EV owners have special power outlets installed at home that allow them to charge their cars overnight, so they don't have to worry too much about finding public charging stations. But if you're renting an EV for a trip, you'll need to map out the locations of stations along the route you plan to travel.
There are currently about 70,000 public charging stations across the country and 186,000 ports, or stations (the equivalent of gas stations for EVs), according to the federal government. But they're not evenly distributed: Fast chargers, which can top up batteries in minutes instead of hours, are generally concentrated on the East and West coasts, and in parts of Texas.
Greg Brannon, director of auto engineering and industry relations for the auto-owners group AAA, said long-distance road trips in an EV could mean spending 20% to 30% more time in the car because you have to find a charger and wait for the battery to fill up. In high-demand areas, you might have to wait in line for a fast-charging port to open up.
“EVs aren't very good for long-distance driving,” he says, especially if you're renting a car other than Tesla, which has the most extensive network of fast chargers. (Other non-Tesla cars, such as Ford and Rivian, can use some Tesla Supercharger stations, but they require special charging adapters that aren't widely available. But major EV makers are starting to make cars compatible with Tesla stations, starting with the 2025 model year, according to Consumer Reports.)
The average driving range of an EV is currently around 270 miles on a single charge, but range varies depending on battery type, road conditions, temperature and driving style. Very hot or very cold weather can affect range, and unlike gasoline cars that typically get more miles per gallon on the highway, EVs can get less range on the highway because of the way the cars operate, Brannon said.
Planning your route and identifying charging stations before you set off can help reduce “range anxiety” – the fear that your battery will run out. Various apps, such as PlugShare, can help you find public charging stations.
If you're not daunted by those complexities, now might be a good time to try an EV, as some companies are offering discounts to encourage rentals. Big rental companies have had their ups and downs with EVs. Hertz, for example, announced this year that it would reduce its fleet of EVs because EVs have depreciated faster than expected and demand has been lower than expected. Hertz said in an email that it provides resources to educate new EV drivers and offers some models at prices comparable to gasoline-powered cars.
My husband and I rented an EV for three days over Memorial Day weekend in the Boston area. At the city's airport, the rental company (Budget) was offering a 50% discount to renters who changed their reservation from a conventional car to an EV. “We've found that EV rentals are most appealing to customers who can plan to charge during their trip,” Budget said in a statement.
The account rep told me that because I'd already reserved the EV online, I didn't qualify for the half-price discount. Still, it wasn't a bad price for an airport rental over a busy holiday weekend. Budget's deal came in at about $89 a day, including various fees and cash back in Amazon gift cards.
The first car they recommended, a Kia, didn't have a basic charging cable, so I asked for a different car and was given a Chevy Volt with a cable. I figured I'd at least charge it by plugging it into a conventional outlet at the house I was staying at. But as I quickly discovered, this kind of “Level 1” charging is painfully slow, only getting a few miles out of an hour's charge.
I found an Electrify America charging station near a local mall with four ports, two of which were fast chargers (the others were slower but still took over an hour to charge my car). There was one fast charger available when I arrived on a Friday afternoon. For $6.72 including tax, my car was charged from about 66% to 83% in about 30 minutes (a nice change from the usual $50 it costs to fill up a gas car). I paid with a credit card. Some charging networks offer discounts if you create an account using their app, and some charge more during peak times.
The visit went well. Still, there's a difference between taking 30 minutes and filling up your tank in five minutes.
The car was a joy to drive. It's quiet and spirited, because EVs are designed for quick acceleration. One difference that took some time to get used to was the “regenerative” braking, a common feature on EVs and hybrids that sends energy back to the battery as the car slows, giving it a bit more range.
In fact, you rarely need to use the brake pedal, as the car slows down immediately when you take your foot off the accelerator (this is also why EVs have shorter highway ranges, since you typically have to brake less often).
We liked the car so much that we booked a longer-term rental at the end of the summer with the Budget car rental shop outside the airport, where we rented it and paid in advance, which came to about $31 per day for a rental in late June and early July.
Here are some questions and answers about renting an EV.
Does the EV need to be returned fully charged?
Rental car companies typically require you to rent a car with at least 70% charge and return it with the same charge. If you return it with less than that charge, you may be charged a fee (Budget charges a $35 fee).
Do hotels and Airbnb rentals offer EV charging services?
Hotels are increasingly offering free charging as a perk, but you have to call ahead to make sure the chargers are working. Airbnb said searches on its website for accommodations with chargers increased by more than 80% from 2022 to 2023. The company recently announced it has partnered with charging network ChargePoint to offer hosts discounts on installing EV chargers.
Do I have to be near my EV while it's charging?
Most network mobile apps will notify you when your car is almost fully charged, so you can go out for a coffee or a quick meal, for example, and come back when your car is ready. It's a good idea to plan your stops at chargers near restaurants and other services.
But don't hesitate: if you don't move your car after the battery is fully charged, you could be charged an “idle time” fee to ensure users don't monopolize the port while other cars are waiting.