Car rental firms expand hybrid fleets

Major car rental firms across the United States and Europe are expanding their offering of hybrid vehicles, as this option becomes ever more popular among renters who want to save money on the high cost of fuel, as well as all those who wish to limit the industry’s negative effect on the environment. The Toyota Prius appears to be the uncontested favourite vehicle when it comes to hybrid car rentals and Enterprise seems to be ahead of other firms when it comes to the acquisition of these automobiles. The world’s largest car hire company already has 5,000 hybrid cars in its fleet in the United States alone, and these include not only the Toyota Prius, but also the Ford Escape and the classy Nissan Altima. Hertz, the world’s second largest car rental company, is not too far behind its major competitor, with a total of 4,000 hybrid passenger vehicles in its fleet, and the majority of these are Toyota Priuses.

Enterprise spokesperson Ned Maniscalco told journalists that his firm believes that there is a great deal of interest in hybrid vehicles on the part of rental clients, mainly due to the savings that all those cars offer that can run on petrol which is high in ethanol. One Enterprise worker, however, told a Toledo-based newspaper that at first, most clients were very hesitant to rent hybrids, as they were not sure if they would be reliable. Yet the initial concerns quickly evaporated and many car hire companies are struggling to keep up with new hybrid purchases, as the number of clients keen on renting these cars increases.

Most hybrid cars can run for around 50 miles per gallon of petrol and they tend to cost around $6 more per day than regular mid-sized vehicles.

www.enterprise.com