From Grist newsletter: It Only Hertz a Little Rental and car-share companies get hip to hybrids Fueled by consumers' green interests, rental, car-service, and car-sharing companies are increasingly turning to hybrids. (Hear the collective sigh of relief from guilt-prone enviros who cringe with every tap on the rental accelerator.) Big renters Enterprise, Hertz, and Avis have all recently added several thousand Toyota Priuses and other hybrids to their fleets, and smallish company EV Rental Cars, based mainly in California, is all-hybrid. Upscale car-service companies such as L.A.-based Evo Limo and New York-based OZOcar also give low-emission rides around town. Car-sharers like Flexcar -- which has a 30 percent hybrid fleet -- and Zipcar are also getting hip to the hoopla. The downside: unless you're tooling around in a big West Coast or Northeast city -- particularly the usual suspects Seattle, San Francisco, L.A., Boston, New York, or D.C. -- you're less likely to have the hybrid option. In addition, hybrids sometimes cost more to rent. Because saving the planet don't come cheap. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/business...and&emc=rss
Yea, but try to find one at the Denver International Airport. I've waited to reserve a car for a trip next month hoping they'd add a few to their fleets, but none of the 3 major rental agencies have any hybrids in Denver. Argh!
I rented a Prius from Hertz last month (here in the Silicon Valley) for 5 days when 2 of my other cars were down for maintenance. Yes, they wanted to charge a premium price because it was a Prius. Keith
I was given a Camry Hybrid at National in Seattle early Monday morning, when the Emerald Aisle was closed.
So I'm in Milwaukee at the Hertz desk flipping through the car book and see they have a Prius available. Sweet! Then I ask how much more than the one I had booked - $20 per day :huh: on top of an already overpriced last minute rental. Ok - give me the econobox Chevy Cobalt :mellow: The visiblility on the side mirrors and out the back window is terrible, it takes both hands to kind of keep it between the lines on the interstate (the thing was all over the place), and there is NO headroom even with the seat all the way back (I'm only 6'). The two good things - it has leather seats and a sunroof. As I'm walking out to the lot I see the super white Prius :wub: that could have been mine I guess next time I'll try to book earlier and get the Prius instead.
Prius's are becoming a rental lot mainstay. Avis has them, so does Thrifty, as does Hertz and others. Heh, it's the new Pontiac Grand Am, in that regard.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sparkyAZ @ Nov 14 2007, 08:21 PM) [snapback]539796[/snapback]</div> Hmm.. that's odd. I had the Cobalt Coupe 1LT for a week. Yes the rearward visibilty is crap. They might as well left out the rear window. But I had plenty of headroom (no leather or moonroof).
I rented two Prii when I was in Australia about a month ago from Hertz, one in Canberra and one in Brisbane. A little more expensive, but worth it. It was fun driving on the wrong side. (I got used to it pretty quickly, except that I kept hitting the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal.)
I actually contacted Avis about not having a "green" choice available on their web profile, since this is what my company's travel agency uses when booking travel, and car rentals, for me. I got a reply this past Monday from a customer service rep: November 13, 2007 Dear : Thank you for contacting us on the Avis website regarding renting a “Green†car through Avis; your email to Avis headquarters has been forwarded to my attention. Reports such as yours are most appreciated, since they help us target and correct areas of service which might be improved. Any difficulties or problems encountered by a customer are a concern to us, and we apologize most sincerely for any inconvenience you may have been caused when this option was not an available choice to add to your Wizard profile. Although many of our larger corporate locations are now able to offer the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle for your rental, unfortunately adding this preference to your profile is not yet possible. Please know, however, that we are working with all due diligence to update this area of the database. For now, though, you can check the availability of the Prius when you confirm a reservation at avis.com, or you may ask your travel agent to do so. We value your patronage most sincerely, Ms. Wytcherley, and we thank you for the opportunity to assist you in this matter. We hope to see you at an Avis counter in the near future in order to demonstrate that we can live up to your expectations as a quality rental car provider. If you have any further questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact us again. Sincerely, Senior Customer Service Agent
The Prius is under the "Cool" cars or something like that.. along with the Solstice, Mustang convertible and H3. Avis also has NAHs for rent.
I just checked Avis's website. You can rent a Prius out of Newark Airport but for $115 a day!!! Holy smokes even at $3+ a gallon, it pays to just rent a cheap little car. WOW what a rip off.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paprius4030 @ Nov 15 2007, 11:53 AM) [snapback]540019[/snapback]</div> It's Newark, New Jersey! Of course the Prius would have a premium, there's a high demand. It's valued by the mob for its ability to sneak up on stool pigeons and then silently coast out to the meadowlands to "make a deposit."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chrome @ Nov 15 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]540027[/snapback]</div> Yep, actually, whenever I rent a "midsize" at Newark (and I fly there about twice a month), it equals about $130 for the day. So I'm actually looking forward to the Prius for the next trip.
I rented from Dollar in Seattle last week. They had me scheduled for a Subaru Forester, but quickly switched me to a 2008 Prius when I saw one in the garage. It was a lot of fun to drive around Seattle until it snowed. The Prius did fine, but Seattle drivers are scary in the snow.
I rented from Alamo in Monterey, CA last week...using Costco discount, price was $58 for 3 days, I kid you not...when i got to the desk at the airport, they asked would I like Prius or a (something else, I forget what)...silly question, a nice black Pruis, no nav system, brand new, incredible deal. I think the car (08 I guess) drove a little better than my '04, re the old wandering a bit at highway speeds on the freeway.
Chevrolet Cobalt was my drivers ed car, and what a piece of rubbish it was. It was only at 30,000 miles when I drove it, but it was already in a state of disrepair. I also found it rather odd that an auto school would choose one of the least safe cars sold and not bother to equip it with side or curtain airbags... The Prius ought to be a great investment for fleets long term just because of it's longevity and reliability (also sadly because of the premium they can charge for it). Zipcar has them and doesn't charge a premium for them, though Zipcar is overpriced.
