Car hire companies worldwide have been responding to increased consumer demand for green cars – even as fuel efficiency becomes less of an issue for many drivers with petrol prices falling from last year’s highs.
So what has each rental company been doing? Here is a quick guide:
- - Hertz – First introduced the “Green Collection” in 2006 including fuel efficient cars like the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. These models carry the Environmental Protection Agency’s “SmartWay” certification that indicates lower greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions. Hertz now offers 3,400 Toyota Prius models in its US fleet.
- - Avis and Budget – Now offer 2,500 hybrids in its US fleet consisting of Toyota Prius and Nissan Altima models.
- - Advantage Rent-a-Car – Has pledged to turn its entire rental fleet “green” by 2010.
- - Enterprise – Offers 440,000 vehicles capable of 28mpg or better. Around 5,000 of its total vehicles are hybrids (including the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry and Ford Escape) with 73,000 more that can run ethanol based biofuels.
Currently however, green car rentals do come with a catch – renting a hybrid car can cost from $5-$15 more a day than the conventional alternative.
