Thrifty has very limited hybrid rental cars available at their airport locations. Even at San Francisco International Airport, it’s tough to find a Prius to rent from Thrity.

Thrifty Car Rental, not really one of the nation’s major rental car companies, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, a publicly traded company. Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car were formed in 1990 by Chrysler itself. The company rents mostly Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep cars in the United States. A quick check on Thrifty website also indicates other cars can be rented including the MINI Cooper S, the Hummer H2, the Ford Focus and even Ford vans, but they’re highly dependent on airport rental locations.

If you’re lucky, and if Thrifty decides to offer hybrids for rent at other locations, here’s what you do. Thrifty classifies the Prius as “Compact 2-4 Door.” So you’ll need to specify this car type while checking rates and availability, otherwise you can waste a lot of time looking around and clicking on “See More Cars.”

But you’re super lucky if you land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This is probably the only place in the U.S. that you can find a rental hybrid.

Here are some typical rates of renting a hybrid Prius from Thrifty at LAX. As we normally do with our other hybrid rental rate surveys, we took a look at three different rental rates for hybrid cars:

• a one-day rental (pick up on Monday and return next day); pick up June 15 and return June 16, 2009.
• a weekend rental (pick up on Friday and return on Monday); pick up June 19 and return June 22, 2009.
• a one-week rental (pick up on Monday and return the following Monday.); pick up June 15 and return June 22, 2009.

Here are some results. Note that taxes, surcharges and fees are not included in these rates, which could add more than $30 per day to the base rate.

Thifty one-day rental rate. June 15-16-2009: $114.59 per day for Toyota Prius.

Thifty weekend rental rate, May 19-22-2009: Average $105.49 per day for Toyota Prius, which is $316.47 for the weekend.

Thifty one-week rental rate. May 15-22-2009: Average $80.36 per day for Toyota Prius, which is $562.52 for the week.

Have you rented a hybrid from Thrifty? Share your experience with us.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Thrifty Car Rental – Finding a Hybrid Rental Car Can Be Tough

One of two brands owned by Enterprise Rent A Car, Alamo Rent A Car shares the company’s commitment to fuel economy, alternative fuels, and alternative technologies. Enterprise Rent A Car, which also owns National Rent A Car, stresses its commitment to fairness, honesty, and transparency in all of its pricing policies and business practices. The combination of these two major corporate commitments has driven the Enterprise group, already the industry leader, miles ahead of any of its competitors.

The Toyota Prius is the only hybrid car available for rent in the United States as noted on Alamo.com’s website. A quick survey of the website yields the following information for renting a Toyota Prius hybrid from Alamo.

As we normally do with our other hybrid rental car surveys, we took a look at three different rental rates for hybrid cars:

• a one-day rental (pick up on Monday and return next day),
• a weekend rental (pick up on Friday and return on Monday), and
• a one-week rental (pick up on Monday and return the following Monday.)

The survey covers San Francisco and San Diego, CA on the West Coast. Several attempts to reserve a hybrid at airports outside of California yielded availability of non-hybrid cars only. Specific dates in May 2009 were selected to obtain the availability information and rental rates. Your own itinerary will dictate availability and rates at the time of your inquiry.

Alamo Hybrid Rental Car Rates at San Francisco Airport

1. Alamo one-day rental rate, with prepay savings. May 11-12-2009: $177.95 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.
2. Alamo weekend rental rate, May 15-18-2009: Average $124.40 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.
3. Alamo one-week rental rate,with prepay savings, May 11-18-2009: Average $134.02 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.

Note that you could save from $10 to $15 with prepay savings so be sure to select these options when reserving. 

Alamo Hybrid Rental Car Rates at San Diego Airport

1. Alamo one-day rental rate, with prepay savings. May 11-12-2009: $105.47 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.
2. Alamo weekend rental rate, May 15-18-2009: Average $57.45 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.
3. Alamo one-week rental rate,with prepay savings, May 11-18-2009: Average $81.96 per day for Toyota Prius. Taxes, surcharges and fees are included.

Again you could save from $10 to $15 with prepay savings so be sure to select these options when reserving.

So it looks like you can rent hybrid cars from Alamo only in California (Alamo’s Los Angeles, Sacramento and Oakland airport locations have hybrid cars), and rental rates vary widely depending on your destination. At least in San Francisco International Airport, Hertz and Avis seem to have better rates for renting hybrid cars.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Alamo Rent A Car: Hybrid Rental Cars in California Airport Destinations

More and more rental car companies have begun making hybrid rental cars available to travelers. Since the creation of automobiles, tons of pollution have been emitted into the atmosphere from the manmade creations. Today, after a century of environmental abuse, the effects of global warming have become a worldwide issue.

So it is no surprise that hybrid car rentals have become more popular than conventional combustion engine cars over the last few years. For those wondering why anyone would spend extra money on renting a hybrid over a conventional car, here are a few reasons to do so.

The Environment Factor

For starters, hybrid rental cars are more environmentally-friendly than any other transportation method you can find from an airport rental car company. Sure there are a few smaller conventional gasoline cars that get great mileage, but nothing beats driving a hybrid with an electric motor. For those looking to help make the world a better place, renting a hybrid car to help reverse global warming and its negative effects is an obvious plus.

The Mileage/Fuel Cost Factor

In addition, you’ll spend less on fuel costs with a hybrid rental car than it would be with many other cars. The fact is, if a hybrid car can get up to three times as many miles per gallon than a conventional car, you are basically cutting your fuel cost by a third. And with technology improving all the time, the fuel advantage of a hybrid will continue to increase as well. For those thinking of renting a car for a long trip, this can be a great incentive to rent. In any case, remember to weigh the benefits of the lower fuel cost against the additional dollars needed per day to rent a hybrid.

The Test-Drive Factor

A not so obvious reason to rent a hybrid is the experience it provides. For those looking for a long-term car purchase, a hybrid car may very well be a possibility. But as hybrids are relatively new and different to operate, it’s probably wise to invest in a little more research to learn about them than when purchasing a gasoline powered car. Renting a hybrid car allows you to take a spin into your future purchase and see if it is really for you. Just as important, test driving a rental hybrid car for an extended period of time, such as a week or two, can allow you to see exactly how much you would save on fuel and how the car performs.

Some people rent hybrid cars as part of their business or personal travel plans, while others rent to specifically check them out first-hand. If you rent for a test drive purpose, you’ll have one additional side benefit. No car salesman.

Renting before buying is a practice used on many goods. Many try out gyms on trial basis or rent video games before purchasing them. Before you spend thousands of dollars on a hybrid car, it makes sense to check them out first. Using hybrid car rentals is an excellent way.

Go Ahead and Rent a Hybrid

Overall, a rental hybrid car can prove useful for many reasons. For those who want to be more eco-friendly, they offer a vehicle that pollutes less than the normal car. For those who want to save on fuel money, they offer better fuel-efficiency. And for those looking to perhaps buy a hybrid, they offer a cheap and effective tryout. These are just a few of the many reasons to rent and try out a hybrid car.

So have you rented a hybrid on your travel? Share your experience and tips in the comment below.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Reasons Why You Should Rent A Hybrid Car Over A Conventional Car

Although Enterprise still leads in fleet size, Hertz Rent A Car has rapidly closed the gap, increasing its total count of hybrid rental cars to nearly 5000, up from just 1200 at the middle of 2007. Hertz now has hybrid rental cars available at 50 of the major airports in the United States and at most of its major international destinations. The airport leader also guarantees reservations on 3400 of its hybrid rental cars in markets with greatest demand.

Since the tourist industry generally, and the rental car industry particularly, went eco-crazy beginning about 2007, the largest rental car companies have raced to catch up with Enterprise, the leader in hybrid rental cars and fuel friendly vehicles. Recognizing and responding to customers’ overwhelming demand for vehicles which run on alternative fuels and alternative technologies, most all of the industry main players rapidly have beefed up their fleets of hybrid rental cars. Even so, in major markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, they still barely meet the demand. Most could not guarantee reservations of hybrid car rentals until their fleets swelled over 5000 vehicles.

Like all the industry leaders, Hertz has acquired thousands of Toyota Prius hybrid and Nissan Altima hybrid rental cars, which the company advertises in its “Green Collection.” The Hertz Green Collection also features Ford Fusion, Toyota Corolla and Camry. Cars belong to the Green Collection by virtue of their EPA estimated combined mileage of 28mpg or more. Hertz promotes the entire Green Collection as “fuel efficient, environmentally-friendly cars that are both easy on the wallet and suitable for families and small groups traveling together.”  Hertz, ironically, gained a slight advantage from being half-a-step behind its competitors. Because they analyzed the other companies’ demographic data about hybrid rental cars, they can develop their ad campaigns precisely according to the needs and wants of the hybrid car rental market.

Hertz also benefitted from hybrid pioneers’ experience as it chose the hybrid models it wanted to include in its Green Collection. With only two models on the menu, Hertz has the industry’s least diversified list, though these are by far the two most reliable models available on the American market. Toyota Prius has proven amazingly dependable under even the most demanding road and traffic conditions; and Nissan Altima has surprised many Nissan skeptics, holding up to hundreds of thousands of rough miles in difficult urban areas.

Hertz executives, like their colleagues at all the other major hybrid car rental companies, cite customer’s lack of familiarity with hybrids as their biggest source of concern. Many customers choose a hybrid car rental so that they can test-drive one of the better models while they travel on business, and make a decision about later purchase on the basis of their experience with the rental.

The drawback is renters don’t always understand the Toyota Prius, technically a “full hybrid,” which can run on electricity only. When the car runs on just electricity, the Prius is so quiet that drivers often do not realize the engine is on or off. First-time hybrid drivers also have new things to learn about the regenerative braking system, which recoups energy back into the battery pack when the car slows down. Combining all this with the possibility of driving in a city for the first time, one can see potential problems with frustration and even safety.

Now, as they deliver the keys to hybrid rental cars customers, most Hertz customer service agents take a few minutes to explain how the Prius hybrid system behaves. For driving at low speeds, the battery pack powers the Prius directly through the electric motor. During acceleration and higher speeds, the engine plays a key role in powering the drive motor through a generator, while recharging the battery pack as needed. And during braking, the electric motor becomes a generator, slowing the vehicle momentum by converting vehicle speed back into electric energy to store in the battery pack. These few minutes devoted to hybrid 101 have huge impact on customers’ experience with Hertz’s hybrid rental cars.

Hertz has yet to announce plans for adding other models or other manufacturers to its hybrid rental car offerings, but it has outlined plans to continue building its stock of hybrids to nearly 10,000 by the middle of 2010.

Here’s a quick check on Hertz’s website for rates of renting hybrid cars for a week in mid May, 2009, picking up and returning to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). For the Toyota Prius Hybrid, this works out to be $109.48 per day, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid, $104.24 per day.

Hertz has very few off-airport locations. The company’s business has always depended on dominating the airport market, especially appealing to time-crunched business travelers at mid-week. Hertz customers pay for the luxury of convenience. Other leading companies advertise Prius and Altima hybrids at between $90 and $100 per day. So Hertz’s rates to rent hybrid cars are very competitive. Visit Hertz.com to check out their hybrid rental car availability.

Have experience renting hybrid cars from Hertz? Share your suggestions with us with your comments below.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Hertz Rent a Car: a Big and Competitive Player in Hybrid Car Rentals

Keeping up with and fending off its fiercest rivals in an industry suddenly obsessed with all things “green,” Avis now offers hybrid rental cars. During the summer of 2007, Avis caught the first wave of hybrid mania, building the core of its fleet of hybrid rental cars by introducing more than 1000 Toyota Prius hybrid models in its major markets.

The hybrid car rental math works out to consumers’ benefit, because hybrid cars like the Prius average upwads of 50 miles per gallon (mpg). Although hybrid car rentals average $10 to $15 more per day than their conventional engine counterparts, fuel savings more than offset the slightly higher rate. If a Prius renter drives just 500 miles, he or she will save up to $30 in fuel costs, even when fuel prices hover below $2.50 per gallon.

Late in 2007, Avis added 1000 Nissan Altimas Hybrid to its fleet of hybrid rental cars, but it made them available only in California where demand remains highest by a considerable margin. A standard mid-size sedan, the Nissan Altima Hybrid offers considerably more passenger room than the Toyota Prius, and it has a lot more trunk space. Because of its larger size, longer and wider wheel base, the Nissan Altima rides smoother than the Prius, and customers say it drives like the best European Touring sedans.

Meanwhile, throughout 2007, Avis continued acquiring Prius hybrids, making them more readily available in all the nation’s major markets, and growing the fleet to the point that its agents could guarantee availability of hybrid rental cars at all of Avis’s major outlets. By the middle of 2008, Enterprise Rent-A-Car operated a fleet of more than 3,000 hybrid rental cars, which complement its 41,000 flex-fuel cars and light trucks.

Like Hertz, which dominates the airport market, Avis focused its acquisitions on the Toyota Prius, arguably the best-engineered and definitely the most popular of all the hybrids on the American market. Equipping their Prius hybrid rental cars with customers’ favorite amenities-air conditioning, automatic transmission, and AM/FM stereo with CD player-Avis expects to capitalize on Prius’s popularity among younger drivers and eco-conscious families.

Not surprisingly, demand for Avis hybrid rental cars remains strongest throughout California, where gas prices consistently have stayed at least a dime above the national averages. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where economy, traffic congestion, and sky-high gas prices combine to make Avis hybrid rental cars an extremely attractive alternative even to bargain-basement sub-compacts, demand for Avis Prius models has remained steady.

In the greater New York City area, where the cost of everything is higher than anywhere else, demand for Avis hybrid rental cars also has outstripped demand for all other small economy cars.

A quick check on Avis website finds the following rates for the Toyota Prius. One weekday rental in mid May 2009 from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will cost you $160.99. Add $55.96 of taxes and surcharges and you’re up to $216.95 per day. That’s pretty steep for one day rental. On the other hand, a week’s rental of the Prius in mid May, 2009 will cost $564.99 and with taxes and surcharges the total comes out to $717.45, or just under $102.50 per day. Regardless of which car you rent from Avis, you can use the links below to get great discounts for hybrid car rentals.

Toyota wholeheartedly embraced Avis’s addition of Prius to its hybrid rental cars, expressing confidence that rental customers would like the way the Prius feels and handles, and they especially would appreciate dramatic savings on gas consumption. Toyota executives confidently predicted Avis hybrid rental cars’ popularity would drive their sales, and preliminary market research has confirmed their predictions.

As the Avis hybrid fleet has expanded and demands remain high, it is expected that rental rates will continue to come down. Going into spring and summer 2009, the average rate for a Prius will probably continue to run at about $95 per day; insurance and local charges would drive the average to just about $100 as noted above. Market analysts say more and more business travelers and tourists willingly will pay the slightly higher rates for hybrid rental cars, because they understand how fuel economy contributes to overall savings, and because they recognize how hybrids help reduce greenhouse gases and save precious fossil fuels.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Avis Committed to Provide Hybrid Rental Cars to Travelers

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Sitemap