Yes, you can rent an exotic car in NYC in winter. The real issue is tires. Many of the exotic rental cars come on summer tires. Summer performance tires lose grip below about 40 degrees F, so colder days need extra care. The rubber just stiffens in the cold and grip drops even on dry pavement. You have to handle them differently in the cold.
Cold tires don’t grip as well as warm ones, and for good reason. The traction is provided by the rubber coming in contact with the road. When it gets cold, it gets harder. The tire doesn’t conform as well to the road surface, and the grip isn’t as good. Renting an exotic car in fall, winter, or spring means you have to understand the limits of the colder temperatures.
Just how cold? GM has actually published a very interesting bulletin about the Corvette and Camaro ZL1, pointing out that below about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the tire is actually damaged by cold. GM’s advice is not to use or even drive the car on days colder than about 20 degrees.
Compounding the problem is snow. Summer tires have almost no grip on snow or ice. Central Park averages about 29.8 inches of snow a season. February is the snowiest month. Now, the city does plow when there’s more than two inches on the ground, but lightly falling snow accumulates on the roads for as long as it falls, so if it’s snowing, some of the roads will likely be slippery. If the forecast calls for snow or freezing rain, your best bet is to wait and hope to get a break for sunny weather.
Cold weather, cold tires, and no traction is a dangerous combination, and AWD can’t fix that. No matter how good the AWD is, it can’t give the car better traction than its tires. What it can do is deal with slippery roads. If the traction decreases from light rain or slick roads, it still sends the power mostly to the rear wheels, but if the Huracán senses that its back end has lost traction, it smoothly begins to send some power to the front as well. The end result is that it’s easier to manage during slippery conditions.
Standing water after a storm can pool in the dips on New York streets. The Huracán is a low car, with only 4.3 inches of ground clearance. Hitting standing water at speed can risk hydroplaning or even water in the side radiator intakes. The safest approach is to know your routes and watch the forecast.
The Cost of Gas and Tolls
Driving into Manhattan’s congestion zone costs $9 at peak hours with E-ZPass, charged once a day. The trouble is that there’s one charge that most people forget: on top of sales taxes, New York State tacks on an additional 12% charge on car rentals within the state.
Rental Insurance
Winter’s ice, snow, and cold temperatures can lead to crashes. For cars over $50,000, New York law allows the rental company to assess what’s called a “damage waiver,” and there’s no fixed dollar limit on what that can be, so read the waiver price before you sign. New York law says if you decline the waiver, you owe the lesser of actual reasonable repair cost or the car’s fair market value, so damages are capped. You won’t have to pay loss of use charges either.
Even if you have insurance, it may not cover an exotic car rental. You can try to rely on credit card rental insurance, though on premium cars, there can be problems. In the case of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll get coverage only as long as the car’s MSRP is no more than $125,000 and it’s not a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren, which are on the excluded list. So check your own card and insurance carefully before relying on it.
Age can also be an issue. In New York a company can’t refuse to rent to anyone 18 or older just because of age, if insurance is available for that age. But they’re legally allowed to pass on to you the extra insurance cost.
Match the Car to the Season
If you own an exotic, you’re stuck with whatever one you picked, regardless of the conditions. When you rent, you can match the car to the season. You might choose a Lamborghini Huracan to zoom away on a summer weekend to the Hamptons. Or, go for a Bentley Flying Spur for a winter business trip.
Check the forecast first. Since it’s best to limit summer tires to around 40 degrees, it’s worth checking the forecast and waiting for a day that’s warmer. When it comes to NYC in winter, know that there’s the potential for very cold days, snow and rain, and delays, but if you choose your days carefully, you can have a fun driving experience.
