Here's a not so surprising confession... I want a Tesla! However, one of the greatest things about living in Brooklyn is that there is no need to own a car... so the next best thing would be to rent one for an upcoming summer road trip!
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I can't wait to ride down the PCH in one of these this summer! [/caption] In my research I learned a few things regarding renting this magical space car, so I figured I'd share it here. Oddly enough... if it weren't for a particular credit card I have I wouldn't have been able to rent it at all! Here's what you need to know:
Finding a Tesla
Car dealerships treat the Tesla Model S as an exotic car, so right off the bat you're going to have to find a location that has one. These locations are mostly in California and Arizona. As of the writing of this post the most straightforward ways to rent a Tesla are from the following two car rental agencies:
You can also privately rent from owners on sites like Getaround but I won't be covering that here.
For both of these agencies chances are they'll require you to be 25 years old or older along with enough insurance to cover the price of the car. Since I don't own a car and therefore don't have car insurance (and the average personal insurance doesn't cover car costs that high/don't cover exotic cars) I decided I would use one of the best benefits that come along with credit cards – Rental Car Insurance.
Insurance
Not all credit card rental car policies are the same though. Even the best MasterCard World Elite and Visa Signature cards out there won't cover exotic car rentals. One credit card brand did rise above the rest, though: American Express.
Admittedly, an American Express card alone won't help you out either. You will need to sign up for American Express Premium Rental Car Protection, which is in itself a great product offering.
With American Express Premium Rental Car Protection your vehicle is covered up to $100,000.00 dollars which is right above the mark of how much a Tesla costs. It's free to enroll and costs $24.95 per rental period (not per day, which is a huge benefit). The only thing not included is liability insurance, which you'll have to pay to the rental agency.
One last thing to note is that you will have to have American Express send a copy of your enrollment to the rental agency in advance – so don't expect to just walk up and rent one!
So there you have it guys! Next time you're on the best coast craving a joyride in a Model S and don't have a personal insurance plan that covers the code, come prepared with a card that will allow you to make it happen!
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