Has anyone rented a Prius before?

prices vary by region and by when you are renting it. most major rental car companies have priuses in their fleets. check out the websites and just choose the prius/hybrid option. I'd say if on average you can get a compact car for $20/day, then a prius will be around $45/day

 

I rent a Prius from Hertz every time I travel for Business to the LA area and the rate has been $500 / week unlimited miles. That is with my company's corp discount.

 

My dealer provides free loaners, and has several 2010 Prius in their fleet, which they also rent.

Regarding cost to rent, why don't you call your local dealer (and/or check their site and other dealers in your area), and check the websites of the rental car companies? As pointed out above, these prices vary by geography.

 

If Zipcar is in your area, you can rent those by the hour. That is what I did when I was in the market for a Prius. I "test drove" the 2010 model for two hours, without a sales person nagging me along the way. It was a great way to check out the features on my time frame, and only cost $14.

 

Fremont Toyota - 2010 Prius III w/ nav $40 / day, 200 mile limit

toyota sunnyvale - they had a Prius V last year, $40 / day no mile limit IIRC.

 

I rented a Prius from Hertz in Denver last May (unfortunately was an '09) and I've rented Priori from Enterprise many times.

 

I have considered renting Prius each time I travel, but the mark-up over a regular car is too high to accept. OTOH, I think it is a very smart way to "try before you buy."

Dealerships may be more reasonable than car rental agencies. Just call around.

 

Yes I have.

We rented a Prius when we went to Texas 2 years ago. It was the same as other rentals there, so we took it. We had owned ours for about 9 months at that time.
I don't remember the cost. But it must have been the same as the other cars, or we wouldn't have done it.

 

I rented a 2010 Prius for a day before we purchased. A test drive is really not enough time to try everything out. We rented from the local dealer and it was around $40 for the day.

 

if you're renting from Hertz, Avis, etc...be sure to call the rental location that you'll be renting from directly...sometimes they will not indicate they have Prius' online but they do in fact have them at that location (such was the case at Del Rio, TX - Hertz).

 

I paid full tank of gas to rent my friend's Prius for 1 week!! LOL

 

I rented from National last August before buying.
They charged a lot but it was a bargain to be sure that the seating would work for me and that no other issues arose.

If you are renting to try before buying, make sure you are getting a 2010. It is quite different from earlier models in ways that may be very important to you.

 

@TimTim, yes, I did end up purchasing one. I decided on a CPO 2008 versus a new one. It will work for a year or so until I get a nice used Gen 3. I just couldn't stomach 30k for the package/options I wanted.

Zipcar up here is $35 a year with a $50 driving credit when you sign up. I already had a membership because I would use a truck when doing yardwork, dump runs, etc.

 

Years ago, we were headed to a business meeting in Sonapanoma (yea, right!), and the rental agency did not have the compact we reserved. The clerk shyly offered a Gen I Prius as a last resort, and I jumped at the chance to drive one.

Heading north on I-something out of San Francisco, it was clear that the Prius wheelbase and the breaks in the concrete freeway were in serious disagreement--lots of bouncing. Once we got on asphalt that all went away.

The experience was otherwise totally positive, and it kept me watching Prius developments to now being a Gen III owner. I think getting rental agencies to offer Priuses at affordable (even with a subsidy from Toyota) rates at airports is about the best advertising that Toyota could do.

 

Yes, I rented one in San Fransisco back in March. Drove it through the area(hills, town, freeway)
Arrived at my local airport, started, My VW TDI and thought...... time to get a prius!

Just two weeks ago, I finally pulled the trigger.
2010 Package IV, with Sunroof and Nav!


A long test drive sealed my deal.