Uber drivers in Europe can now rent Tesla and Polestar vehicles through Hertz partnership

Uber is expanding its electric vehicle partnership with Hertz to Europe. The ridehail company says it will make 25,000 EVs — mostly Tesla and Polestar vehicles — for drivers in select European capitals through Hertz by 2025.

Uber drivers in London will be the first to get access to the new EVs through Hertz, with drivers in Paris and Amsterdam soon to follow. The ridehail company has announced an ambitious plan to electrify its fleet in the US and Europe by 2030, with the Hertz partnership serving as a vital piece of that effort.

“Expanding our partnership with Hertz into Europe will significantly boost our transition to zero-emissions, helping drivers reduce running costs and cleaning up urban transport,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

The move comes as car companies and transportation providers around the world are coming under governmental pressure to phase out gas-powered vehicles in favor of those that produce zero emissions.

California, the largest auto market in the US, set in place rules for ridehailing companies like Uber and Lyft, requiring that 90 percent of their fleets be electric by 2030. Europe is an aggressive timeline as well, with the EU adopting a plan to effectively ban the sale of new gas and diesel cars from 2035.

Uber has long offered discounts on rental cars for drivers who don’t own their own vehicle, working with Hertz on such a program since 2016. But the company has never collaborated to rent out one specific vehicle to drivers until recently.

Uber declined to provide any details about weekly rental rates, but it will likely be similar to the rates available to drivers in the US. Drivers here can rent a Tesla or Polestar vehicle at a rate of around $330 per week, which also includes maintenance and insurance. They’ll also get the added bonus of reduced fuel prices and reduced maintenance costs.

Also, drivers who use hybrid or electric vehicles to pick up passengers receive extra money per ride. In the US, that amounts to 50 cents extra per ride for a hybrid vehicle and $1.50 extra per ride for battery-electric vehicles. Drivers in the US also have to maintain an average rating of 4.7 stars and have completed at least 150 trips to be eligible to rent an EV through Hertz.

Uber says the EV partnership with Hertz is very popular with drivers in the US. The company said that around 38,000 drivers using EVs completed 20 million trips in the US, Canada, and Europe during the third quarter of 2022 — a four-time increase over the same period a year prior. And in 2022, EV drivers active on the Uber platform globally have avoided using over 12.5M gallons of gasoline, the company said.