Man charged $440 after new Hertz AI scanner found damage on his rental car
Published on Jun 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Jun 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Hertz is one of the world’s largest car rental companies.
It also appears to have become one of the most modern and innovative.
A man was recently shocked to be charged $440 by Hertz after returning his rental car.
And it was apparently due to damage caught by an AI scanner.
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Hertz is now using AI scanners to check your car
Hertz is a name that is probably familiar to almost everyone.
It’s one of the world’s most recognizable car rental companies.
The bright yellow logo is visible in almost every corner of the globe.
It’s certainly visible at almost every airport you have ever seen.
But this is no longer a normal car hiring rental process.
Earlier this year, Hertz started using large, AI scanners to scan its rental cars.
It does this to examine cars before and after use to check for damage.
Man gets nasty shock at the price of rental bill
A reader of online publication The Drive brought attention to this story.
Patrick hired himself a car from Hertz at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
Interestingly, this is the first location in America to make use of these AI car scanners.
After returning the car to the airport, Patrick got a very nasty shock.
After returning the Volkswagen, it turned out that it had developed a one-inch scuff on a wheel.
The AI scanner picked up the scuff, and then relayed this to Patrick via an app.
Oh – and it slapped Patrick with a $440 bill for the damage.
Unfortunately, Patrick was unable to speak to a live human to discuss this bill.
He was only able to raise an incident ticket, which could take over 10 days to investigate.
According to The Drive, the substantial bill breaks down like this:
It comes to $250 for the repair, $125 for processing, and a $65 administrative fee.
Whilst the first charge is pretty clear, the processing and administrative fees are less clear.
Hertz is hoping to have these AI scanners active at 100 of its 1,600 airport locations in the US by the end of this year.
It appears that Hertz still has some kinks to work out before issues start happening on a bigger scale.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
