I Rented a Tesla Model 3 in Florida for a Week… and the Story Was Way Less Than Cool
If you search “Tesla” over on my blog at TheCoolCarGuy.com, you’ll see I started writing about EVs back in 2006 — six years before Elon Musk became a billionaire.
I’ve driven EVs, sold EVs, and helped clients buy EVs.
But renting one?
Whole different experience.
Last week we flew to Pompano Beach for our timeshare week. I used TravelersFreak.com (through Travel Deals) to snag a $400 “Manager’s Special” Tesla Model 3 from Hertz. Looked like a steal — like getting a high-end rental for Chevy Spark money. Hertz made it easy: grab the key card, place it on the console, hit Drive, go.
And instantly… I remembered why EVs sometimes feel like golf carts with WiFi.
I’m convinced Musk had a chauffeur growing up, because this thing is designed to believe it has a driver’s license and I don’t.
Everything — and I mean everything — is controlled through the giant iPad glued to the dash.
Want to open the glovebox? Menu → submenu → swipe → tap.
Want to adjust the mirrors? Might as well summon Ask Jeeves via a forgotten Twitter thread.
Want to lock the car? No key fob… swipe the card against the door jam like a confused hotel guest.
But we roll with it.
We cruise around Pompano for a couple days… and the battery starts melting like an ice cream cone in July. Or Florida. Same thing.
70% → 50% → 30%…
Time to juice up.
The onboard tablet sends us to a charger behind a gymnasium next to an electric Hummer the size of a duplex. I should’ve taken a picture — but I was too busy navigating the touchscreen.
Perfect. I plug in… and the Tesla tells me:
6.5 hours to charge.
9.5 hours to FULL.
On vacation.
Behind a gym.
With nothing around but a sad bench and something that looked like a protein shake vending machine.
Hard pass.
So we look for a Supercharger. The Tesla map says two spots open. We drive 10 miles — every stall FULL. People waiting like it’s Space Mountain… except we’re nowhere near Orlando.
Mickey Mouse isn’t around, but I’m definitely starting to feel like Goofy.
We find another charger, drive across town, and finally — one open spot. Plug in.
(I posted the photos — enjoy our pain.)
35 minutes later, we’re full.
And that’s when reality hit:
We still needed to drive to Miami AND Key Largo the next day.
We were NOT spending our vacation doing a scavenger hunt for electrons.
So we drove back to Hertz — only 10 miles away at this point — walked inside, and I said:
“Give me a Kia Soul. I don’t care. I want to fill up in three minutes like a normal person on vacation.”
They laughed, swapped it for $15, and we lived happily ever after without a giant iPad bossing us around.
Final Take?
If your vacation is 100 miles of easy cruising to the beach — rent the Tesla.
If you’re exploring, adventuring, road-tripping?
Rent literally anything else.
Real-world experience > marketing brochure.
Just sharing the truth so you don’t spend your vacation sitting at charging stations scrolling memes instead of being on the beach or on an adventure.
Why This Story Lives Here (Not on Social Media)
This story isn’t here to get likes.
It’s here because real experiences deserve permanent placement.
Cars Freak isn’t a blog.
It’s a story-powered listing network where real-world experiences can:
• Stay searchable
• Be shared without disappearing
• Introduce people into the Freak Sites Story Economy
• Earn when others join through your link
AI can generate images.
It can’t rent a Tesla, drive it on vacation, or live the experience.
I didn’t own this car — I rented it.
And that’s the point.
You’re not paying to tell the story.
You’re paying to place it somewhere that can compound.
Owned placement inside a payout-enabled network, fueled by stories.
If you’ve got a real car story — good, bad, expensive, embarrassing, or unforgettable — you can do this too.
You don’t even have to own the car when you own the story.
Spot a car.
Spot a moment.
Spot something worth sharing.
👉 Create your own story listing
👉 Get your affiliate link and participate when others join
(This story can earn every time it brings someone into the Island at CarsFreak.com using my influencer link.)