What’s Your Most Surprising Rental Car Story?

Photo: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

For me, at least, renting a car usually comes at a pretty exciting time. If I need to rent a set of wheels, it’s because I’m going somewhere exciting on holiday or if I’m moving apartments, and then I just need something with enough space for all my Arctic Monkeys and Taylor Swift records.

It’s So Long To Steve’s BMW G 310 GS

Whatever the reason for needing a rental car, the experience of booking one and picking it up is usually a simple affair. You choose the rough size and shape car you want, pick the dates and location you’ll have it and then head to the rental desk to pick it up.

But sometimes, renting a car can come with all manner of surprises. So, whether it’s a bargain you found through Turo, or a pickup you scheduled with a reliable renter, we want to hear all about the surprising car rental stories you have.

Perhaps you’ve got a story about a mystery hatch that you booked, but turned out to be a chance encounter with the car of your dreams. Or, you might have scheduled something sensible, like a Kia Soul, only to end up getting an upgrade to a Camaro for your road trip across California.

Your surprises might have come away from the counter where you collected your keys. Maybe you were surprised to learn that the diesel you inadvertently rented didn’t run too well after you re-filled it with regular gas. Or, you might have been surprised by a low bridge that uncovered the true height of your rental truck.

Whatever the surprise, whether it’s good or bad, we want to hear all about it. So, head to the comments section below and let us know your most surprising rental car stories. We’ll round up some of the best tales in a slideshow next week.