Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying a Used Tesla from Hertz

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TL;DR:

• Hertz’s plan to sell 30,000 used Teslas from its rental fleet backfired due to battery degradation issues
• EV experts caution against buying a used Tesla from Hertz or other rental car companies, advising purchases direct from the manufacturer instead
• Many buyers attracted by low prices later faced steep out-of-warranty repair costs for battery and other problems
• Frequent quick charging, battery depletion took a toll, highlighting risks of high-mileage used rental EVs
• The Hertz case serves as a warning for prospective secondhand EV buyers to do thorough research

It seemed like an electric vehicle (EV) buyer’s dream come true – Hertz offloading thousands of used Teslas at bargain prices. But as many unlucky customers soon discovered, those tempting discounts came with a hefty catch: unexpected repair nightmares and sky-high costs.

Rental cars often live hard lives, and it turns out the rigors of daily rental use can be especially brutal on EVs like Teslas. With their ambitious fleet electrification plans, Hertz hastily purchased over 30,000 Teslas a few years back. However, the company severely underestimated the impacts of battery degradation and wear and tear associated with high-mileage rental EVs.

The Ugly Truth About Buying A Used Tesla from Hertz

Take Bijay Pandey‘s cautionary tale. The Irving, Texas resident thought he scored a steal on a Tesla 2022 Model 3 Long Range for just $25,000 earlier this year. But the dream deal quickly soured after discovering a hole in the undercarriage – just the tip of the iceberg for deeper battery damage.

“The high-voltage battery pack is damaged and could cause extreme safety concerns,” warned a Tesla technician. Repairing that classified “exterior damage”? A whopping $13,000 bill, not covered under warranty. Yikes!

Pandey isn’t alone in his plight with used Teslas. Online forums now detail many horror stories of used Hertz Tesla buyers stuck with exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses for replacements batteries, faulty motors, and more. Parts and labor costs can make even seemingly minor issues budget-busting ordeals.

Many of these EVs previously led rough rental lives – subjecting batteries to frequent quick charging, consistently depleting full ranges on longer trips, and other battery-punishing habits previous owners overlooked or ignored.

“I realized why they were trying to get rid of those Teslas,” said Pandey. “If anything happens to a Tesla, then the bill is too high.”

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Buyer Beware: The Hidden Costs of Hertz’s Used Teslas

So should you steer clear of Hertz’s used Teslas? Probably, according to the growing chorus of EV owners and experts warning about purchasing high-mileage used rental EVs.

“The battery abuse these have received makes a purchase from Hertz a dealbreaker,” one buyer advised on Reddit’s Tesla forum. “Most rental cars don’t see much abuse, however many of these were Uber rentals – lots of fast charging, using all the range there is. I would buy a used Tesla from Tesla, that’s about it.”

With around 20,000 used Teslas still to offload by year’s end, Hertz understandably wants to move past this debacle quickly. Tesla too. This bad press isn’t helping its stock price. But former buyers may have a long road of repair headaches ahead. While used EV pricing remains attractive, the Hertz fiasco proves an important reminder – for secondhand EVs, buyer beware and do your homework.

Hertz is racing to offload 20,000 used Teslas by year-end. But buyers looking for EV bargains, be wary - rental life can devastate batteries & lead to hefty surprise repair costs! Do your research on high-mileage used EVs.… Share on X