Travelers gearing up for Labor Day may find an unexpected twist at the rental car counter: a new AI scanner that checks for dings and dents.
For Adam Foley, a San Antonio resident, what began as a family trip to Atlanta turned into a surprise string of text messages from Hertz days after dropping off his rental. The company informed Foley that two small dents were discovered and slapped him with an $80 repair fee along with a $190 processing charge.
“So a total of $350 for pretty negligible events that I didn’t even detect,” Foley shared after venting his frustration on LinkedIn, calling the experience “pretty extortive.”
These charges were triggered by an automated inspection setup built by UVeye, which uses high resolution photography and AI to check cars before and after rentals. digital inspections will make disputes over damage less common since the process is impartial and accurate. By ditching the old manual checks, Hertz says customers can expect less confusion and more trust in the system.
Not everyone is convinced.
Lawmakers, Customers, and the AI Damage Debate
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has demanded that Hertz explain how these fees are set and whether the system is fair for customers. Across the political aisle, Representative Nancy Mace, who chairs a subcommittee on government technology, asked for similar details.
Consumer advocate Lindsay Owens in Washington is watching closely. “We’ve seen cases where customers have disputed the damage because they think it’s a shadow and not actually a dent or a scratch or a mark,” said Owens. While the technology can be a good thing for both companies and renters, she warned, “the problem is when these technologies are being used to overcharge customers.”
Hertz says it waived Foley’s charges after looking at his case, saying, “We strive to get it right for every customer — and when we fall short, we work to make it right.”
UVeye, the inspection company behind the scanning booths, says its systems are already analyzing millions of rentals each month at dealerships and other rental companies. Sixt confirmed it uses the software at selected sites, while competitors like Avis and Enterprise say they are sticking to human assessors.
These AI scanners are fine tuned for each company’s needs, according to a UVeye spokesperson, who claimed the tech is meant to bring more transparency, reduce manual errors, and alert customers about issues early.
Out of the more than 675,000 Hertz vehicle scans so far, over 97 percent have not led to any extra damage charges.
Foley, who helps companies manage AI in his day job, says he would have chosen a different rental company if he had known about the automated damage checks. After getting his money back, he admitted, “It shouldn’t take the amount of publicity I received following my post to be treated like a valued customer.” AI shakes up car rentals with new damage checks
