Are The Hertz My Car Subscription Perks Actually Worth The Price?
Until recently, if you needed access to a car for an extended period of time, the options were to buy one — obviously a pricey, long-term commitment — or else lease a vehicle. Yet, considering the way a conventional car lease works, while less permanent than buying, it still involves a typical obligation of approximately 24 to 48 months. Ending a lease early can come with some heavy-duty penalties, too.
A possible solution exists in long-term car rentals (sometimes called a mini-lease), but limitations apply, besides the fact that rates may not be significantly lower than the per-day or per-week rates consumers pay in settings such as vacations. Also, the subject of insuring a rental car for an extended period is somewhat of a gray area, with some credit cards providing rental car insurance as a little-known perk, but capping the duration of that coverage at 30 consecutive days.
Nowadays, though, several companies offer flexible vehicle subscription services that promise to bridge the gap between renting a car and committing to a multi-year lease. Imagine subscribing to a car just as easily as you would a meal delivery or audio-streaming service, and the vendors even take care of pesky insurance requirements. One of the leaders in this evolving space is car rental firm Hertz, whose program is called My Car, but is it still the best option as alternatives emerge?
Cost of a Hertz My Car subscription
Before we delve into My Car's monthly subscription cost, note that the service comes with the following features:
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Up to 2,000 miles each month included
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Liability insurance
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All maintenance to the vehicle
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24/7 roadside assistance
Further, all My Car plans have a one-time $250 enrollment fee that's nonrefundable. The My Car member will also be responsible for paying applicable taxes, as well as a potential surcharge of an undisclosed amount in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Finally, there's a minimum subscription period of two months. With those conditions established, let's now take a look at monthly pricing. Three different tiers are offered depending on what type of vehicle meets your needs or wants.
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Tier 1: $599 per month for economy, compact, and midsize cars
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Tier 2: $999 per month for full-size sedans, small pickup trucks, and small to medium SUVs
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Tier 3: $1,399 per month for luxury sedans, full-size pickup trucks, and large SUVs
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Besides tax and a potential surcharge by state, drivers will incur penalties for failing to return their vehicle full of fuel, as well as a 35-cent-per-mile charge for driving in excess of 2,000 miles a month. On the plus side, Hertz permits an additional person to drive the vehicle free of charge and members can keep their experience feeling fresh by exchanging their car for a different one up to twice per month, also free of charge.
Hertz My Car isn't the only game in town
Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a competing car subscription, which isn't surprising given that it's owned by the same parent company as Hertz. Enterprise allows its "Subscribe With Enterprise" members to drive up to 3,000 miles each month without penalty and unused miles roll over into the following month. Also, like Hertz, there's a $250 nonrefundable enrollment fee and two-month minimum contract period.
However, in spite of the generous mileage allowance, Subscribe With Enterprise has two pretty significant drawbacks. First, it costs $1,499 a month regardless of the type of vehicle that's selected. If you're snagging a full-size pickup truck or a luxurious sedan, that might not be a bad value, but drivers opting for more modest cars don't get any discount. Perhaps more importantly, Subscribe With Enterprise is only available in Minnesota, Missouri, and Nevada. Alrighty, then.
Another car rental firm, Sixt, is also getting in on the subscription model with its Sixt+ service. Sixt+, currently available in 10 states, has a $199 enrollment fee (which is sometimes discounted) and permits its drivers to accumulate 1,500 miles each month. Sixt+ has a wide array of monthly pricing based on car type, but rates for internal combustion-engine vehicles range from $649 per month to over $2,000 a month, though most drivers can find something acceptable for less than $1,000 per month.
My Car fills a legitimate need
Besides those from Hertz, Enterprise, and Sixt, several other car subscription options exist today, including from manufacturers like Porsche and Volvo, not to mention smaller niche brands like Finn and SimpleCar. Covering the intricate facets of every single vehicle subscription service is beyond the scope of this article but suffice to say that Hertz is widely regarded by experts as the best of the lot, plus it's available nationwide. As it turns out, being the best is a mixed blessing, as Hertz's My Car isn't always willing to accept new subscribers due to outsized demand.
To answer the titular question of whether Hertz My Car is worth the subscription price, well, it depends. It's definitely not economical to stay in the My Car ecosystem for the rest of your life, but it is less expensive than continually renewing a regular short-term car rental. Comparing My Car to a regular lease, Statista tells us the average lease payment in mid-2023 for drivers with a great credit score was $563 per month. So, yes, My Car at $599 per month (for Tier 1) is more expensive than making a conventional lease payment, but not by an outrageous margin. This especially when you consider that many leases involve a significant down payment and other fees, like a lease-end disposition fee.
Plus, drivers aren't tied to a multi-year commitment with a car subscription plan. If your financial, personal, or living situation is unsure, yet you need to use a car regularly, then Hertz's My Car offers a solution worth considering. However, once your longer-term plans solidify, you'll still probably want to make other arrangements.