Silvercar by Audi Is a Smart Way to Rent a Premium Ride During the Pandemic

“Contactless Rental” makes copping a luxurious German car for the weekend safe and quick.

Maxim Staff

Sep 12, 2020

Having rented a myriad of road cars ranging from Fiat 500 Cinquecentos to Alfa Romeo 156s and E-class Mercedes, I have no idea if this is what the chaps who dreamed up Silvercar were thinking when they started their enterprise in Austin, TX with a small fleet of Audi A4’s all in silver (yes, you guessed it…) but by the time my favorite purveyor of German ergonomics and engineering stepped in to scoop them up they had somewhat figured it out.

A very easy to use app, a COVID-19-free “Contactless Rental” entry and drop off, and the chance to spin around in a chariot worthy of a fancy trip seemed to make sense to me. So when I was offered a test drive in May to check out their streamlined experience I said yes immediately. One Audi A5 later and I was making rapid progress for Duck, North Carolina from a coronavirus-drenched Gotham City.

I was not worried for the locals as I hadn’t left my apartment in months. And the Silvercar playbook seemed to assure me and everyone else involved that we had little to fear from the rental necessities – their Contactless Rental process smoothly driven by technology rather than in person service. Even the cops gave us a free pass with not so much as a single black and white pulling over drivers en route to Royal Farms in North Carolina for the best fried chicken a man could wish for before, during, or after pumping gas.

What’s more, there are no fuel upcharges, no mileage restrictions, a flat one-time fee for toll charges. Prices start at $49 a day. See all of Silvercar’s locations below: