Posted on 04/19/2025 3:12:25 PM PDT by DFG
Airport car rental return lines are about to get a giant tech upgrade — and its bad news if you're a careless driver.
Hertz, the third-largest car rental company in the US, just announced a partnership with UVeye, an AI startup that runs vehicle inspection systems.
The upgrade — which uses cameras paired to powerful computers — promises to better detect damage incurred during a rental period.
That means dings, scratches, and divots on the car’s exterior are more likely to show up on reports.
Hertz said cars will be scanned twice: once before drivers leave rental lots to ensure the vehicle's quality, and again when the car is returned.
Renters will receive a report of any damages flagged by the system, along with before-and-after photos for added transparency.
Hertz sources tell DailyMail.com that the new system is aimed at improving vehicle safety and maintenance. They say customers won’t be charged for minor damage any more than they are now.
Hertz’s car damage policy excuses driver mistakes like tiny blemishes, but dents bigger than a golf ball — or scratches longer than a credit card — lands drivers in the damage fee danger zone
Still, experts note that while the rules around scratches and dings haven’t changed, they’ll be spotted much more easily.
UVeye said the fast-paced technology will spark a revolution in rental car lots.
'Hertz is setting a new standard for vehicle maintenance and fleet management in the rental industry,' Amir Hever, the CEO and Co-Founder of UVeye, said.
'Our AI-driven inspection systems complement manual checks with consistent, data-backed assessments completed in seconds.'
Previously, the car rental industry relied on physical checks from employees to assess any potential damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I had a refrigerator delivered yesterday by two very nice Hispanic guys.
One guy took pictures with a cellphone after the shipping packing was removed and then again when it was in my kitchen.
Take a quick walk around video before you drive the car and when you return it
I always take a video of our rental cars once I get it in full daylight which is typically right after we pick it up. I try to do it within an hour of picking it up from a timestamp perspective.
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