Enterprise goes green with hybrid rentals - Apr. 9, 2008 I'm not sure I agree with the extra '$5 to $15' per day comment. I rented a car in Kansas City from Hertz about 8 weeks ago - a nice new Prius. Same rate as the other mid sized cars.
I rented one at Enterprise back in 2005. It was a bit of serendipity; we needed to rent a car and I had been put on a list in 2004 for a Prius. They had one available and it was an opportunity to see if it would work for me. It did cost more, but it was worth it for the information I gained. I recommend people who are considering a Prius to rent one first. You won't have a salesperson with you, you get to see what's it's like during your commute and you can see what the seats are like.
I had a Prius rental from Alamo in Orlando a month ago, and bought my own Prius when I came back. I am glad to see more rental companies putting hybrids into their fleets. I wonder why the cost difference over other midsize cars? Is it just because the Prius costs more to buy?
Last time I had to rent a car here in Spokane (Prius had a fender-bender) I asked about renting a Prius. They had one in their fleet, but it was not available, and was considerably more expensive because it was considered a "specialty vehicle." Maybe because they only had one, so it was by special request. Or maybe just because they could. On the other hand, it's probably more expensive than their lower-priced cars. They have to price with the cost of the car in mind.
i wasnt given a choice - heres a 2008 prius, is that ok? same rate - this was from hertz a few weeks ago.
Avis in Florida wanted $15 extra over other mid size cars. The cost for them to purchase a loaded mid size v prius does not justify the price increase.
I'm not sure if someone can verify this. I'd imagine car manufacturers offer very deep discounts particularly for models that don't sell very well like a Chevy Malibu or something along those lines. Toyota may just not discount them that much because they're in short supply. It may in fact be that a Prius is discounted 10% where another car is discounted 40%.
I rented a Prius last summer at Vegas and luv it. No premium whatsoever. Took a trip to Grand Canyon and back with another few days of city driving inside Vegas for only $50. The gas money saved was equal to the rental cost. I am seriously considering buying a Prius and therefore lurking around the bulletin board.
