Renting a Hybrid For the First Time? Tips to Know Before Reserving One
The one sure sign that shows that the time for clean cars such as hybrid cars has come is the fact that major and independent rental companies are now renting hybrid cars. This means that for your business or personal travels, you can now contribute to the protection of the environment by renting a hybrid car instead of a regular gasoline or diesel car.
The rental car industry plays its part to contribute to air pollution because of their large fleet of vehicles in operation every day. Travelers, both the business and pleasure kinds, rent cars when they go on trips. The cars are most often rented at the destination that you wish to visit. With the exception of some vacationers, most people require rental cars to get around one particular city, so the car will most likely be used for in-city driving and not long-range driving. This makes hybrid cars the perfect choice for rental car use since hybrid cars are most effective in stop-and-go traffic. If you look at the mile-per-gallon ratings of any hybrid car, the city mile per gallon (mpg) is always the higher number.
If you’ve never driven a hybrid car and are planning to rent a hybrid car for the first time, here are a few things you should know.
Availability of Hybrid Rental Cars
Your choice of a rental hybrid car may be very limited, at least for now. Car rental companies normally give you a list of available vehicles to choose from. The hybrid cars you should most likely expect from car rental companies include the well knownToyota Prius hybrid, the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Ford Escape Hybrid. Also depending on your destination you may also find the Nissan Altima Hybrid offered by some rental companies as well.
You may also come across the Insight hybrid car from Honda, but this car is still very new so fleet sales remain to be seen. Rental companies also have several other hybrid variants you can also choose from such as the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, but this vehicle may be more likely available from independent rental companies than at national branches.
Top rental companies such as Hertz and Enterprise have much larger hybrid fleet than any others, therefore do offer a separate section on their websites. Enterprise has a whole section on green rental cars. Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent Car allow you to select a hybrid as part of the rental reservation process. For Hertz, click here to read more information on its Green Collection.
Rental Rates
Hybrid car rental rates are definitely higher than conventional cars. Aside from the fact that you know you’re helping the environment when renting a hybrid, for some travelers, the benefits of higher mpg can offset the higher rate disadvantage. At 48 mpg in a Prius, you can go farther on a tank of gas, and won’t need to fill up as much as when you drive a conventional car. In the end, the extra cost of renting a hybrid versus the savings you get out of the reduced fill-ups can only be decided by your own personal travel needs.
Driving a Hybrid
Hybrid cars drive differently compared to normal cars. Hybrid cars are more fuel-efficient because of regenrative braking (regen), all-electric mode, and even idle-stop, among other features.
Regen in a hybrid allows the car to recharge its battery pack when coasting and braking. This feature recovers energy of the moving car during coasting and braking and puts it back into the battery pack, whereas in a conventional car, energy is not recovered during coasting and lost through brake heat during braking.
All-electric mode (EV mode) in a hybrid allows the car to drive for a short distance (about a mile or two) for under 25 mph using only the electric motor. No fuel is used when driving in EV mode. In fact the engine is not on at all in this mode. This important capability adds to the increase in mpg in a hybrid car.
Finally, idle-stop in a hybrid allows the car engine to turn off at stoplights. This helps cut down fuel consumption and engine emissions, and when combined with EV mode, can really enhance the hybrid car mileage performance especially in stop-and-go traffic. New drivers will need to get used to the engine turning off when the hybrid car comes to a stop, and have trust in the control system and the engine to restart when the light turns green and the accelerator pedal is pressed.
So if you’ve never driven a hybrid car before, you can rent one on your next trip. Whether you’re doing your part to help reduce emissions to the environment, or just wanting to try one out as a test drive to see if a hybrid car makes sense for your next car purchase, be sure to get the attendant to give you a full run down on the hybrid car you’re renting. They’re there to help make your driving a rental hybrid car a very good experience.
