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You no longer have to dig deep into your pockets to drive elegant premium-class sports cars. Ferrari and Co. are now also represented in the fleets of car rental companies. Unlike a few years ago, it is no longer just about the pragmatic lending of a set of wheels for moving house or vacation, but also specifically about event and prestige trips.
As a result of this development, services specializing in luxury cars have developed alongside the well-known providers in the car rental sector. These offer sports cars and high-end models that automobile enthusiasts desire.
Rent or lease a sports car?
However, renting premium vehicles is subject to a large number of conditions that differ from provider to provider. The following article is therefore intended to provide you with information about the usual formalities, attractive offers and, in particular, the difference between renting a sports car and longer-term loan relationships (leasing). For this purpose, both the premium segment of the well-known service providers Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and Starcar are examined, as well as the rental variants of the special services Motion Drive and Drivar.
Finally, in the leasing section, the offers from the manufacturers themselves are presented in addition to the offers from the rental car dealers. In addition to various information on the conditions, this article will also provide some special highlights and special offers from which interested parties can benefit.
Weekend trip or flat out on the racetrack? For which you can rent sports cars
In principle, the car rental companies do not set their clients any limits as to how long and for what purpose they rent the sports car. Porsche and Co. are most often hired out for weekend trips. But there are said to be people who rent a Lamborghini to make a good impression at a business meeting.
Video shoots or photo shoots often invite you to rent a classy Mercedes AMG model or a sleek Ferrari. The decisive difference between classic and event service providers is that the latter enable their customers to have special experiences.
So if you dream of testing the full performance of the super sports car on a race track or enjoying an extended horsepower tour in a special ambience, you will find what you are looking for at Motion Drive or Drivar.
Which brands belong to the exclusive rental fleet
Every major car rental company has a premium or luxury segment that is accessible to drivers over the age of 25 who have held a valid driver's license for at least three years. Nevertheless, the respective vehicle fleet of the companies differs proportionately.
Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and Starcar all have prestigious models from BMW, Mercedes or Porsche on offer. In the segment of exclusive sports cars, however, only Sixt and Starcar can actually score. Their fleets include models such as the Maserati Ghibli as well as the BMW i8 and the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S.
As far as supercars are concerned, the event companies Motion Drive, Drivar and Erento are better positioned than standard car rental companies. Because here the service primarily revolves around renting sports cars. Even if the rental concept of the three companies differs, all three offer at least Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes and Porsche.
However, the biggest highlight factor promises the range of Motion Drive, which even offers its customers a Bugatti Veyron. Which service is the right one depends primarily on which car the customer is dreaming of. For example, if you want to rent a Porsche for the weekend, you will most likely benefit from the classic car rental companies. On the other hand, if you want to rent a Lamborghini or jet across the racetrack in a Ferrari, you should stick to the event packages from Motion Drive & Co.
Renting top-class cars has its price: Expensive daily rates and high deposits
How much does it actually cost to rent a sports car? Unlike the average rental car, the price of the coveted high-horsepower models is not uniform. Almost every service charges different amounts depending on the make, type of vehicle, day of the week and length of rental.
In principle, however, one can assume that it is cheaper to rent a car for several days than just for 24 hours. The individual installments are more expensive, the more exclusive the chosen set of wheels is. If you compare the individual services with each other, it will quickly become apparent that the long-established car rental companies give customers more financial leeway than the event companies.
With these, the daily rates for unaccompanied tours start at no less than 911 euros (299 km included), even with the relatively inexpensive Porsche 100. If you want to rent a Lamborghini for the weekend, you have to dig even deeper into your pocket. This is only offered by the special service providers. There it costs at least 2.999 euros. Incidentally, anyone who wants to rent a Ferrari has to calculate with similar values.
Renting a sports car - Pay attention to the amount of the deposit
The biggest but most understandable shortcoming when renting a sports car is not the actual rent, but the high deposit rate. Although the websites of common car rental companies are keeping a low profile for the time being. The information from special companies such as Motion Drive or Drivar, which require a security deposit of between 2.000 and 5.000 euros depending on the model, can be understood more as a guideline. However, these sums sound more astronomical to the average earner than they should be considered in view of the value of the supercars.
Because no matter which car you rent, the deposit is always calculated according to certain factors. This includes the new price of the car as well as the calculable risk during the rental. In addition, of course, a higher deposit also allows you to significantly restrict the group of customers and, at best, to rent the vehicle to people who are aware of the value of the car or who are at least solvent enough to be able to pay a deductible in the event of damage.
Tips and tricks: What should be considered when renting a sports car?
If you want to rent a sports car, you should first be clear about which model and what type of use you have in mind. If the customer's taste is not too exclusive, Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and Starcar offer attractive discounts at regular intervals under the Offers or Sale tabs, which grant discounts to weekend users or Porsche fans, among others.
Since individual offers from providers are constantly changing, it is often worth subscribing to the company's newsletter. Or you register for a premium membership to be constantly up to date. On the other hand, if you are targeting the really big fish like Lamborghini and Ferrari, you should look at Motion drive look in the gift shop. There you can get behind the wheel of a racing car and do several laps on the Spreewaldring for as little as 249 euros.
Always be on the road at full throttle: premium sports car leasing
If you would like to secure a noble vehicle model for a longer period of time, but want to remain flexible, you should think about leasing the desired sports car. This is cheaper in the long run than an occasional rental. Furthermore, it has the advantage that almost every premium manufacturer offers its financing users separate maintenance and guarantee options.
In contrast to the leasing variants of the medium-sized car brands, the luxury companies are keeping a low profile with regard to the contract conditions. Whether Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Lamborghini or Bugatti - when it comes to leasing, they all refer primarily to personal contact with their contractual partners and the respective financial services advisors. Only with Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche can you find out clear details about the leasing concept of the manufacturers online.
For example, Maserati grants interested parties constant installments via an individual contract with the Maserati Bank. These only cover the actual use of the vehicle. The maximum term is 60 months and a full service for maintenance and repairs can optionally be included in the contract. After the contract expires, the customer simply returns the car to his Maserati partner and there is no need to sell the model.
Classic or private leasing?
The Mercedes Bank, in turn, offers three models to those interested in leasing. Customers can either opt for classic leasing (duration and mileage individually negotiable), service leasing (maintenance included) or private leasing plus (all-round package with insurance).
Leasing at Porsche is just as varied. There the client can choose between two variants:
- The classic Porsche leasing (all new and used cars, 10.000 to 80.000 km pa, 12 to 60 months term)
- and the Porsche Leasing S (all new vehicles, return included, 10.000 to 80.000 km pa, 24 to 48 months, including limited damage protection in everyday life).
According to its website, Porsche only grants full maintenance and services as a special service to customers who lease a Porsche Macan, Cayenne or Panamera for 3 or 4 years. If you want more detailed information about the leasing rates of the individual manufacturers, you can make a non-binding inquiry on most websites. But the vehicle configurator also helps, at least occasionally, to have conditions calculated.
In the USA, Porsche offers a so-called Porsche flat rate on. Here, Porsche fans can change their vehicle as often as they like with a one-off payment.
By the way: Sixt also offers its entire exclusive fleet for leasing. The associated details can be easily calculated using a website tool.
– All data and prices without guarantee –
