Nissan Leaf as a rental car in the Boston area?

Hello everyone,

maybe somebody has an insider tip about this topic:

I am visiting the Boston area for 2 weeks soon, and I would like to rent an electric car.

Preferably a Nissan Leaf - but it's not that easy.

I already saw posts about the Nissan Leaf as a rental car in other states:

Any rental LEAFs at SF Bay Area Rent-A-Car Companies?
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=11491" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is there a place to rent a LEAF in Baltimore, MD?
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=11672" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Unfortunately, though the Enterprise website still might suggest otherwise, the company pretty much stopped renting out EVs.

For other trips, I already called about the Leaf in Austin (they "got rid of it"), in Baltimore (received same info like in linked thread above) and the Greater L.A. area (all Enterprise stations except two don't have Leafs anymore, and the ones that still do, have them on long-term rentals, so they are pretty unavailable for ordinary people wanting to rent them).

Hertz doesn't rent out the Nissan Leaf as part of its regular rental car operations (as far as I know), but only as part of its HertzOnDemand carsharing program. So there is 1 Leaf in San Antonio, and they are at least 2 Leafs in New York City.

Still, I was looking for a Nissan Leaf in the Boston, MA area. HertzOnDemand does exist in Boston as well, it just doesn't offer electrics in that market.

My next idea: Nissan dealerships (though I prefer rental car companies, and carsharing is more expensive for weekly rentals, but still my second choice).

I read on this thread here, that "Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa, and Tustin Nissan rent LEAFs":
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=10842&hilit=rent#p248534" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Still, in the Boston area, not so many Nissan dealers seem to rent out cars (to the public, not only when a car is in service) in the first place.

The only one that does, Coastal Nissan in Norwell, doesn't mention the Leaf in the rental car listings, and in addition, it doesn't even seem to have the Leaf in stock as a new car right now.

And others, like Marlboro Nissan, having five 2013 Leafs in stock, don't offer a rental program.

My last idea, though I like that even less, as the application process could be lengthy and I don't like the insurance aspect of it as much: Peer-to-peer carsharing.

But RelayRides only shows a Leaf either in Burlington, Vermont, or in Herndon, Virginiam, as the two offers closest to Boston.

And I don't have a Getaround account, so I can't see if anything's offered there, but I doubt it, as it seems they have fewer members yet than RelayRides, and they already did not offer anything in that area.

E-mailing HertzOnDemand, they wrote back that they are going to contact the logistics manager if it's possible to put an EV into the Boston market.


Aside from that vague hope, any idea still, anybody? Thank you for any response.

Best regards,
SaveOurPlanet

FYI - My 2011 LEAF SV has been available to rent through RelayRides.com in Los Angeles for several months (https://relayrides.com/car-rental/los-angeles/nissan-leaf/4404" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false.

It is considered a top rental by RelayRides and is rented by both those who are interested in learning about EV's and those who don't know they exist (I educate them), as well as by LEAF drivers from other regions who want to continue driving zero-emissions when they visit L.A.

The RelayRides application process, by the way, is simple, streamlined and relatively quick.

Thank you for your reply.

It is wonderful when as many people as possible take advantage of environmental transportation options, like in this case an electric car offered via RelayRides.

The application process is less streamlined and quick for everyone not being a US citizen (it indeed is not impossible, some for example just have to obtain the driving records from the country of origin's department of transportation and send them to RelayRides to process them manually, which can be a lengthy process). With 19.7 million legal non-citizen residents (as of January 1, 2008, according to the DHS), for example, this doesn't seem negligible to me. Indeed it is a simpler process for most applicants, and I continue to wish for the Nissan Leaf rental endeavor on RelayRides to be as successful as possible.

SaveOurPlanet said:

The only one that does, Coastal Nissan in Norwell, doesn't mention the Leaf in the rental car listings, and in addition, it doesn't even seem to have the Leaf in stock as a new car right now.

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Important addition: Coastal Nissan in Norwell does actually rent out a Nissan Leaf. I'm thrilled about a Nissan dealership offering this service. And the rates are cheap: $34.95/day, and there is a 15% discount for renting 7 days or more. So it ends up $207.95/week, circa $220 including tax. (All of this not including any kind of insurance though.)


And this gets me to the classic topic of range: It's 74 miles from the dealership to my final destination. 50 miles of that is highway - the rest rural roads with maybe 35mph of a speed limit - will I be able to make it on a full charge, or do I have to stop along the way and top up? The dealership said the Nissan Leaf will be fully charged at pickup, and there also are no plans to drive around further for a while once arriving the final destination, so it's okay to arrive with a nearly empty battery.

I read a lot about range, like Paul Scott gets 100 miles on a full charge, and there is the range chart here on the forum with also seems to indicate that the 74 miles are doable. Then again, there is this thread here "The Dealer told me not to buy a Leaf", and there people are saying it might even not be possible to do 80 miles in a day, even with recharging.

In my case, it will be June, so it's not going to be freezing. Still, maybe light AC use will be nice (can also be turned off for a while), and New England is a little hilly, which could cost some range, and the car will be loaded with 2 passengers, and eco mode can be permanently switched on - will 74 miles on a single full charge be possible?

Thanks for any replies,
best regards,
SaveOurPlanet

I think it's OK to have a nissan leaf in rental cars as long as there are charging stations in the place you are going to travel to. But in the hand, I think electric cars is more hassle than gas powered vehicles, we all know that only few places has a charging station for electric cars compare to gas stations.

Just returned home to Portland, Oregon from two weeks in Boston and didn't see one Leaf or charging station the entire time. The market and the infrastructure has a ways to go...

I'm looking for a Leaf to buy/lease in southern Nh , and had a dealer tell me they don't have them long enough to get to inventory. I see many many prius's you might have better luck looking for a hybrid rather than full EV.
Just a thought.

Rent your nissan if you want so from here they have it cheap so you can go offroad http://www.naniko.com

derekcorral said:

I think it's OK to have a nissan leaf in rental cars as long as there are charging stations in the place you are going to travel to.

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The inexpensive LEAF rental program in Estonia is really cool. Unlimited charging is included on the country's well developed L2 and L3 network.

The only LEAF rental in MA that I know is at Enterpise on the UMass Amherst campus, but it's like 100 miles west of Boston.

There's not many EVs here yet, compared to the west, TN, or Atlanta, but that will change soon with coming incentives and QC installs. On the plus side, if you need a charge, you never have to wait.

That's great that a Nissan dealership rents out Leafs without gouging. More of the dealerships need to follow suit. If u can drive off freeway roads, u probably cd make it. But if u can find L2 charging even for 15-30 minutes, that would ease anxiety. With a 2013 model and its 6.6 kw charger, u wd not need much time to top off.

SaveOurPlanet said:

Unfortunately, though the Enterprise website still might suggest otherwise, the company pretty much stopped renting out EVs.

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Doesn't help you for Boston, but Enterprise has Leafs at in Seattle area. No longer in the University location (north Seattle), but at the Bellevue location (east of Lake Washington).

Took about 4 phone calls to get to the correct office, however.

WetEV said:

SaveOurPlanet said:

Unfortunately, though the Enterprise website still might suggest otherwise, the company pretty much stopped Peer to Peer Car Rental NZ out EVs.

Click to expand...

Doesn't help you for Boston, but Enterprise has Leafs at in Seattle area. No longer in the University location (north Seattle), but at the Bellevue location (east of Lake Washington).

Took about 4 phone calls to get to the correct office, however.

Click to expand...

In boston area, i didn't found the best car to hire .