There are many circumstances in which a person may need to get a car rental from companies like Enterprise. Perhaps you’re going on vacation, or your personal vehicle is undergoing repairs. However, forgetting to return the car could look like theft for whatever company you decide to rent from. Though rare, car rental companies often report unreturned vehicles as stolen.

How long do car rental companies like Enterprise give you before reporting a car as stolen?

Car rental companies like Enterprise won’t report the car stolen immediately if you’re late returning it. Typically, they offer a grace period before starting to charge late fees. According to Enterprise, this is 29 minutes, and the amount of the charges will be on your contract. Other car rental companies may have different stipulations, but the 29-minute grace period is standard. 

The short grace period may seem overly strict to some. However, drivers need to realize they may be able to extend the rental. They can do this by calling the branch or doing it online. The issue is that car rental companies like Enterprise have many customers but may have a smaller inventory. So, if you can’t return it at the scheduled time, you need to pay for an extension to avoid fees and other issues. 

You could be reported for various forms of car theft for not returning it

The thing that some people don’t know is that not returning a rental car to companies like Enterprise can have harsher penalties than fees. There is no set timeframe, but many rental companies will report the car as being stolen if it’s not returned within a day. This is especially the case for people who fail to reach out and explain what’s happening. 

The law in many states makes not returning a rental car a form of grand theft auto. Specifically, this falls under stealing a car by trick. Though rare, this is a real problem for car rental companies. According to NPR, as of 2022, of the 25 million car rentals from Hertz, about 3,500 were reported stolen. However, it has since been found that the company falsely reported many of the cars. The company then paid customers about $168 million in damages. 

The situation can likely be fixed if failing to return the car is a harmless mistake. However, failing to communicate with the rental company or the police after they report the vehicle stolen could make you a felon in many cases, as the sheer cost of a vehicle makes it more than a misdemeanor.