If you want to own an electric car but you're not too sure about it, you could rent an EV. Also, if you're traveling, renting an electric car could be cheaper since you don't spend that much on fuel. Not to mention, the latest electric cars have self-driving technology that makes it easier to drive.

But how do you rent an electric car? Let's find out.

How Does EV Rental Work?

A Tesla car

The process of renting an electric vehicle is not any different from renting a gasoline vehicle. However, you first need to identify a car rental company that offers electric vehicles. Some companies with an EV lineup include Hertz, Sixty, and Enterprise.

Next, you need to find out if you can qualify to rent an electric car. Most rental companies have an age and driving experience limit for customers who want to drive electric cars. If you meet the requirements, you can fill out your details and choose your preferred package, depending on your budget.

In addition to that, the EV rental company will conduct a background check on your insurance coverage and driving history. If you don't have insurance, most rental companies will offer insurance coverage at an extra cost.

However, the electric car you want to insure could cost more to insure, subject to its repair cost, battery, and weight.

How Do You Pick Up Your EV?

An electric car standing near a charging station

Most companies have car rental apps or websites that you can sign in to schedule a pick-up date and time. What's more, you can even choose a location to pick up your rental electric vehicle through the app or website. If you're taking an impromptu trip, you could consider a last-minute online car rental.

Of course, you must submit your driver's license, insurance policy, telephone number or email address, and proof of residency to the rental company. But if you don't have a driver's license, most rental companies have the option to hire a driver at an extra cost.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent an EV?

bmw electric car on rural road

Well, it depends on the electric car model you want to rent. More succinctly, it is cheaper to rent the most affordable EVs, like the Nissan Leaf or the Mini Cooper Electric, than the most expensive EVs, like the Lucid Air Sapphire or the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Besides, it's not unusual to find the same EV model with different price ranges across different rental companies. If you want to compare the prices of different rental agencies before you make a decision, you could use Rental 24h.

However, the price could fluctuate depending on your location—if you want to pick up your electric car at the airport, it could be more expensive. Also, it could be more expensive to rent an electric vehicle during the summer.

Alternatively, you could consider car sharing if you want to rent an electric car and reduce your cost significantly. Unlike traditional car renting, where the customer is billed daily, car-sharing services make it convenient to only pay per hour when you're accessing the rental car.

What About the Charging Cost?

picture of wall mounted tesla destination chargers
Image Credit: Jakob Härter/Flickr

Some EV rental companies have partnered with charging network companies to offer discounts at charging stations. But if you're not offered a coupon, you can still access the cheapest EV charging networks to save on costs if you pay out of pocket. On the other hand, you could choose to pay the charging cost using the credit card linked to your rental car.

How much it will cost to charge an electric car depends on the type of EV charger, charging network provider, time of charging, and the car model. For instance, it could cost you between $0.24/kWh to 0.48/kWh if you're using a Tesla supercharger—but if you're using Electrify America, you could spend between $0.31/kWh to 0.43/kWh. In addition, the charging cost could be billed per minute, depending on your state.

If you're dropping off the electric car, some companies have a policy for customers to return the vehicle with a minimum battery charge. For example, if you've rented from Hertz, you're expected to return the electric car with a 10% battery charge—but some rental agencies could even expect a 70% battery charge capacity.

EV Rental vs. EV Subscriptions

an electric vehicle charging

If you want to drive an electric car for a few days or weeks, an EV rental is convenient. However, if you want to drive an electric car for more than a month, an EV subscription would be a better option.

The best thing about an EV subscription is that, depending on the package, you can swap your electric cars. If you want to find out more, here are the companies that offer the best EV subscription.

EV Rental Is Worth It

Renting an electric car could be cheaper than renting a gasoline vehicle. What's more, a rental electric car could come in handy if you're traveling and want to save on fuel. Better yet, you could hire an electric car with a personal driver if you don't have a driver's license.