Renting EV vehicle in Norway

Short answer: I don't know, you should probably read the fine print of the contract. But I assume it is less of a problem for the rental company as they can just plug it in and don't have to drive it over to a petrol station.

On the other hand, some companies will use any opportunity they can find to add extra charges…

do rental car company expect you to bring back the car fully charged?

Definitely a question for the rental company.
Was it not mentioned in the reservation process?

Thanks Joe and Badger.
To answer Joe... I rented with Hertz via Auto Europe platform...
The information is just a generic disclaimer stating, you need to "bring back the car with full tank of gas...."
Well it didn't address the EV... so hence, my question on this forum for anybody who had experience renting EV in Norway...

CHARGE LEVEL AT PICK-UP AND RETURN– Hertz will endeavor to provide the EV at time of vehicle pick-up with a battery charge of 80%. You are required to return the EV with a minimum charge of 10%. You are responsible to maintain a sufficient charge on the EV during your rental. You will be responsible for the cost of any tow if the EV is not drivable due to a low battery. You are not authorized to call a private tow on Hertz’ behalf. All tows of the EV must be by flatbed and must be arranged through Hertz Emergency Roadside Assistance.

Had to really dig to find it on the Hertz site

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/#review-and-book

EDIT-Addendum

The link I included above was for a pick up in Oslo and the quoted text is from the details for a rental in Oslo, not just a generic Hertz verbiage. ( I see the link no longer has the specific info active)

To get to the text now with that link you would have to insert the location and some dates and select the EV option and then rummage around in the 'fine print' stuff in the 'reservation' process ( before you get to any personal info input)

Hi Joe..
thank you so much... appreciate this immensely.
I heard from others on different forums, that Hertz USA is a different company than Hertz Europe... and therefore policies may not be universal...

I did some research, and I came across this on tripadvisor forum...
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g190455-i550-k14000072-EV_rental_experience_in_Norway-Norway.html

The post says... "The fuel policy at the ev is full/empty without extra payment for last charge from Hertz. "
I have no idea what that means... does that mean we can bring the car full or empty and charge it at Hertz w/o charge???
thanks again, Joe...

I drive an EV in the US, but I would hesitate to assume that 100% of their charging opportunities are working. Norway may have a better batting average than the US, but I've driven up to a lot of broken EVSEs from NJ to Maine. Did they tell you how to pay for charging? It's not that easy here!

I've just spent 3 weeks in Norway (without a car). I found myself noticing cars with cords attached in all sorts of places--something I've never seen in the US. I think it's safe to assume it's much easier to find a place to charge an EV in Norway. What I can't tell you is anything about payment procedures, etc.

Hi Gene,
My husband and I are currently traveling in Norway (now in Bergen). We rented an EV from Hertz & just returned it yesterday. We did not recharge the car after driving it to the airport (our drop-off location). We were told there would be a 25 Euro fee plus the cost of the charge. They consider it fully charged at 80%.

So do check when you get the car! We loved driving the EV and there is a good infrastructure for charging in Norway. We did need to download & register for an app called Elton which shows you the location of charging stations, & more importantly allows you to pay. We had trouble using our charge cards directly on the chargers. And not all charging stations work with Elton either. You probably want to research this online before your trip. At one small town, the hotel had it’s own charger they let us use.

Anyway, I recommend the EV in Norway, as long as you get up to speed on the charging apps & types of payments. Good Luck!

Thank you elskerfjel...
That's tremendously helpful.
Hertz might've changed their policy, because other posts from trip advisor and here at Rick Steve were noting as long as we bring back EV with greater than 10% charged, there is no additional payment.

I spoke to my CC company, and my CC is covering all rental car insurance including Norway, as long as I decline insurance from the Hertz. Did you find Hertz to be overly aggressive with nicks and scratches?? - I am wondering whether to get 0 deductible insurance from them, to cover their potential nitpicking fiasco at the airport.

And when do they fully settle your credit card bill?? I heard it take few days, since they have to calculate all the tolls you went through with their "EZ Pass" - any potential surprises??

I know that's lot of questions, but I'll be picking up my EV from Hertz at Bergen airport as well.. so your input is greatly appreciated...