Following the rules to the letter to get revenge against someone is one thing, but accidental malicious compliance is something astonishingly rare—and we’re here for it! Anyone who’s ever driven a car before has probably thought about how bad it’d be for them to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. But have you considered that it might happen just as you were rolling in to return your rental car?

Well, that’s exactly what happened to redditor u/ma77mc, from Sydney, who’d been visiting his grandmother at the Gold Coast. He regaled the internet with a highly amusing post about having been told to bring back the rental with an empty tank, which was exactly what happened. Scroll down for the full story.

Bored Panda got in touch with u/ma77mc to hear more about what happened, and he was kind enough to answer our questions. The OP also shared some tips and tricks to keep in mind if you’re new to renting cars. Read on for the full interview.

When a car rental service employee tells you to come back with an empty tank of gas, they might not mean it literally

Image credits: Obi – @pixel7propix (not the actual photo)

One Australian shared an amusing story about running out of gas at the last moment while returning his rental car

Image credits: sippakorn yamkasikorn (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Erik Mclean (not the actual photo)

Image credits: ma77mc

The driver had a solid Plan B, just in case he’d run out of fuel

Image credits: why kei (not the actual photo)

“As I was approaching the airport, it became apparent that I was running out of fuel,” the author of the post, u/ma77mc, told Bored Panda that he was slightly worried, “but not overly so.”

“The airport was very close and was, at the time very small and I was a regular, I knew I didn’t have far to go and as long as I didn’t stop, I should be fine.” What’s more, the redditor’s grandmother lived 10 minutes from the airport and was still capable of driving at the time.

“I knew there was a full jerrycan in the garage because I had filled it myself that morning so, worst case scenario, I would just call her and she would bring it to me,” he revealed that there was a very solid Plan B in case things went south.

The OP told Bored Panda that he rents cars quite often. “Well over 100 in the last 15 years,” he said. We were interested to hear the advice he’d give someone who’s entirely new to car rentals.

“If you are going to rent regularly, join a program, and use that program where possible. I find I get upgrades more often than not,” u/ma77mc said.

“Do your research before renting. I never take the insurance waiver domestically as I use my employer’s program code that brings it down to a reasonable level.” Meanwhile, when the Australian travels abroad to the US or Europe, he books rentals mostly through websites “because the insurance is included so I don’t get the upsell at the counter.”

The amusing story got quite a bit of attention on the internet

Image credits: Negative Space (not the actual photo)

We were also curious whether the redditor had run out of fuel any other time. He opened up that it’s happened only once before, not counting the r/MaliciousCompliance story. “It was my first car, the day I bought it. I didn’t realize the fuel gauge didn’t work. Today, I am the type of person that the 50% mark is my indication to refuel,” he said.

“The reality was, I didn’t set out to run out of fuel. I was a cheap 25-year-old who apparently had accidentally taken the prepaid fuel option. My goal was to put in as little fuel as possible to get the most value that I could.”

Redditor u/ma77mc’s story had a big chunk of the r/MaliciousCompliance subreddit chuckling. At the time of writing, the post had over 4.4k upvotes and a Gold Award.

However, the real victory was the discussion that the OP sparked. Other internet users shared their own stories about running out of gas. However, nobody had a story quite like literally having to push a rental vehicle into the parking spot like the author of the post did.

It just goes to show that malicious compliance doesn’t have to be served cold. It can be dished up “with a mixture of pride and embarrassment!” The rental service staff couldn’t quite believe that the car was literally, fully, completely empty. But lo and behold—it was!

Running out of gas doesn’t necessarily have to be a huge pain in the neck

Image credits: alexlucru123 (not the actual photo)

If you ever happen to run out of gas, a lot depends on where it happened. If you’re literally in the rental returns area, then that’s not a huge deal. You can either do what the OP did (push the vehicle into the nearest parking spot) or reach out to a nearby staff member for assistance.

Now, things get a little trickier if you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, on some random road with nothing but tumbleweed to keep you company. According to Nationwide, as soon as you realize that you’re running out of gas, you should switch on your hazard lights and get to the side of the road “as safely as possible.”

Leave the lights on, put your car in park, and then try to get a hold of roadside assistance. Check with them if they might be able to tow your car to a local dealership or gas station. If they’re unable to assist you, consider reaching out to a friend. If they live nearby and you know your exact location, they could drive over with a can of gas. Or they could take you to a station where you can fill up on fuel, and then they’ll drive you back. While you’re waiting for help, stay in the car.

Obviously, not everyone has local friends willing to drive around looking for them if it’s a busy workday. Consider flagging down a stranger and asking for their help if you feel safe. They could either drive you to the nearest gas station or they could help you make a call if your phone’s out of charge. It’s best to trust your gut and never accept free rides if your inner alarm bells are going off.

However, if it’s a lonely road with very little traffic, you might just have to take out your phone, find where the nearest gas station is, and hike there. Lock the car, bring some food and water if it’s going to be a longer walk than expected. And if there’s no station even reasonably nearby, consider calling the authorities for assistance.

The author shared some more context in the comments of his post

Here’s what some internet users had to say about the hilarious story. Some of them even had similar tales of their own to share

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