Background:
I recently got a new Audi e-tron to try out for a lease last year, and with that purchase I found out I would get 7 days of Silvercar rentals for free as part of the Always Audi Program! Pretty cool offer.
Silvercar by Audi started in 2012 to revolutionize the rental car industry. It offered an all-Audi fleet equipped with navigation and wifi, and didn’t charge huge fees for tolls or gas refills. Sometimes, it would be even cheaper or not much more than a standard rental car. In 2017, Audi fully acquired Silvercar and I had the great opportunity to try them out back in 2018 at Seattle/Tacoma Airport, and truly enjoyed my experience renting an Audi A4.
As of now in 2021, they shifted from shutting down their airport locations to moving operating to existing Audi dealerships. Currently Silvercar has 29 locations across the US, and they have the A4, A5, Q5 and Q7 in their fleet. While not the most convenient for airport travelers, there are some dealerships located quite close to airports, in particular- Orange County (SNA), Ontario (ONT) and San Jose (SJC) are all served by an Audi dealership within 5 miles from the airport. So depending on comparable prices across the other rental agencies, it could be worth a quick Uber of Lyft to the Audi dealership.
How the Always Audi Program Works:
Per the Silvercar website, “The Always Audi Program is a program available to Audi customers who have purchased or leased a new 2019 Audi vehicle or newer on or after August 19, 2019, through December 31, 2021. These eligible customers will receive a redemption code at no additional charge that is redeemable for seven rental days with Silvercar by Audi.”
How to get your 7 free Silvercar days!
After you purchase your Audi, within a few weeks you should receive an email from “Audi Experience” and get a redeemable code. Once you get that code, create a Silvercar account and redeem it under your profile and voila.
Rules to note:
- You don’t need to use all 7 days at once, you can split them up as you please.
- Rental Credits expire 12 months from the delivery date for vehicles purchased in 2021, 24 months from the delivery date for vehicles purchased in 2020, and 36 months from delivery date for vehicles purchased in 2019.
- Unfortunately, pre-owned vehicle purchases do not count.
Using my Free Silvercar Credit:
Due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, I’m not quite sure when I’ll use my rental days, but I’m thankful I have until late 2022 to use them. For example purposes, I wanted to see how the free credits actually worked, and it was pretty simple.
I did an example booking for 2 days at the Audi Stevens Creek in San Jose (5 miles from SJC Airport).
So it looks like you’re still on the hook for sales tax and fees. But, I’ll gladly take an Q7 for a 2 day rental at $28 🙂
Regular rates for the dates I used for the example at this location were $85/day for the A4, $95/day for the Q5 and $133/day for the Q7.
Delivery to You:
Silvercar has a service called “Delivery to You” at certain locations where they can deliver the car to you within a set radius (15/20 miles). This service does start at a $50 additional charge and unfortunately won’t take you to the airport.
The Verdict:
I think the 7 free rental days is a nice benefit to have, especially for a road trip or if I visit a city that has a local Silvercar nearby. Have any of you rented from Silvercar? Share your experiences below!
Safe travels,
Ty
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Audi’s are awful cars for the money.