



My car was due for major service. My My car was due for major service. My mechanic estimated it would take a day or two to complete. Oh no... No car for a couple of days!... What would I do? Perfect excuse to splurge and rent a Tesla, that's what!





But wait... Who rents out Teslas? It's not like I can run down to Avis or Budget and say "Hey I want a Tesla!". Nope. There is a better answer. Turo ! I had previously rented a Mini Cooper from Turo and it was a great experience. I logged on via the app on my phone and started my search for Teslas for rent near me.





I found a local Tesla, a Model E, and reserved it. A short time later the (former) owner replied and said he had sold the car! Argh! I cancelled the reservation and contacted Turo customer support. They waived the cancellation fee and gave me $20 credit for my trouble. Sweet!





I searched again and found a Model 3. I kinda had my heart set on renting a Model E but I could not find any within a reasonable distance. So, Model 3 will have to do.





Well... After I reserved the Model 3, I read the specs. This wasn't just any Model 3 I was renting. Nope, it was (nearly) brand new dual motor all wheel drive with self driving mode included. Wow! I had no idea Model 3s could be so we'll equipped!





The time came to pick up the car. The owner was super helpful as I had never driven a Tesla before. He explained all the features and sent us on our way. Admittedly, I was a little nervous driving away in his expensive car that I had no experience with, but it did not take long to become fully comfortable with the car.





We dropped my car off for service and my wife drove us in the Tesla home. Signing her up as an additional driver with Turo was easy. Of course she loved the car! The ride home was just as fun as a passenger as I got to explore some of the features on the huge center screen. Of course, it didn't take long for my kids to discover "emissions control", which produced much laughter when we signaled or applied the brakes. I won't go into too much detail except to say "emissions control" is activated with a whoopee cushion icon... Apparently Elon Musk has a sense of humor!





I won't write too much about the driving experience. Plenty of Tesla owners and media persons have already done that. However there were a couple of things about the car that I can't help but mention. First, the acceleration. It was quick! Going down an on-ramp and need to get up to 55mph? The car is going 55mph before you can complete the thought. Your sinuses may be cleared at the same time. If I had floored it, I fear I may have become part of the car, requiring extraction tools to get me out. The second thing that I liked was the adaptive cruise control. Many modern cars feature this, but this was my first experience with it. It was nice to have the car remain a safe distance from the car ahead of me, even in thick stop and go traffic and going through traffic lights. It even slowed on its own on off ramps which was super cool.

Sadly, the time to return it came too soon. I dropped the car off at it's home and hired an Uber to take me home. My own car got through it's surgery unscathed and now seems to have a little extra spring in it's step, which helped ease the pain of giving up that Tesla's power.





I don't think this will be the last time I rent a Tesla. Now... I just need a good excuse...



