"Electric Car Rental Woes: How to Avoid Getting Stuck with an Unwanted Vehicle"

2023-05-26 09:40:00

Very quickly, our reader understands. 80% of the rental company’s fleet, a well-known firm, is 100% electric: “People didn’t want it. They preferred a combustion engine so as not to waste time looking for a terminal and recharging”. Antoine, who had chosen a large model because of the children, received a hybrid car for his greatest pleasure. But for people who asked for a smaller model, it’s the cold shower.

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The travellers, who had just gotten off their Ryanair plane, had in fact, for some, had to wait… two hours to pick up their vehicle, when there were not even a dozen vehicles to take care of. It must be said that the discussions between tourists and renters have sometimes been long and stormy. “It’s outrageous,” says a couple, who have never driven electric. Other travelers do not want such a model either, given the profile of Corsica. “I don’t want to waste an afternoon in the Leclerc car park to recharge my car”.

On the rental side, it is ensured that travelers have been notified during the rental: “The type of vehicle reserved (gasoline or diesel) is subject to availability. In the event of unavailability, an alternative solution (hybrid or electric) will be offered to you in the agency”, can we indeed read on the contract. What is not specified is that almost all cars are therefore electric.

How to avoid the problem?

The electric ones are scary because of the limited autonomy. How to avoid such a mishap? “The general rental conditions provide that a car can be replaced by an equivalent model, therefore of the same type with the same options. In our opinion, an electric car is not equivalent to a thermal one,” says Julie Frère of Testachats. For her, the customer is therefore entitled to a reduction or even compensation for the damage.

How to avoid this problem? “You have to insist in your emails to the agency that you want a combustion engine, that this is an essential criterion. If the contract is accepted, this criterion cannot be changed when the vehicle is handed over,” emphasizes Julie Frère.

For those who have never driven electric, there are applications to geolocate terminals and find out if they are already occupied.

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