Dirt cheap Hertz Tesla Model 3 range test reveals effects of years of rental abuse

When news broke a few months ago that Hertz was offloading almost its entire fleet of Tesla Model 3 rental vehicles, there were many questions about the wisdom of buying a high-mileage used Model 3. Now, thanks to Luke Holt from Spinner EV on YouTube, we know exactly what to expect from a Hertz rental Tesla Model 3.

The Tesla Model 3 in question is the 2022 Model 3 RWD base trim with 57,000 miles (ca. 91,733 km) on the clock — a version of the Model 3 which claims an EPA range of 272 miles (ca. 438 km), although Edmunds tested the range to be 262 miles (ca. 422 km). Holt tested the Tesla Model 3 RWD in a loop that consists of a healthy mix of free way, suburban streets, and city driving, which should provide a realistic look at the Tesla's real-world performance.

Before embarking on the range test, Spinner EV's Tesla Model 3 calculated its range to be 257 miles (ca. 414 km) when fully charged, which would represent a very moderate ~2% battery degradation.

After starting the test, the range steadily starts decreasing, but things get interesting when Holt starts providing updates when the battery reaches 75%, 50%, and 25% states of charge. Immediately, at the first update, it becomes painfully clear that the Model 3 has overestimated its range. Although the Tesla calculates a projected range of 193 miles (ca. 311 km) remaining (predicting a total trip distance of 250 miles (ca. 402 km) on a charge), Holt's manual calculations based on the energy usage during the test loop predict that the Tesla will only just reach 228 miles (ca. 367 km) on a charge.

• 57 miles (ca. 92 km) driven at 75%
• 111 miles (ca. 179 km) driven at 50% with 128 miles (ca. 206 km) estimated remaining
• 169 miles (ca. 272 km) driven at 25%
• 185 miles (ca. 298 km) driven at 18%

When the Tesla Model 3 eventually ran out of charge completely — or very nearly, at 1% battery remaining — Holt had managed to complete 238 miles (ca. 383 km) in total. That means the former rental car fell short of its factory range figure by 34 miles (ca. 55 km), or 12.5%. Generally, Teslas underperform their EPA range estimates by about 5–8%, so at least some of that range loss is due to battery degradation, although the amount of range lost is awfully similar to the 430,000-mile Tesla Model S we reported on previously.

As Holt points out, and to Tesla's credit, although the Model 3 did lose some range to battery degradation, it likely received the majority of its charges at Superchargers during its former life as a Hertz rental, indicating that Tesla is doing a reasonably good job at preventing excessive battery wear during fast charging.

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