Of course, there are many reasons why you may want to. The first one that comes to mind is that it might be fun to give a hybrid car a test drive. If you already own a hybrid, it is a great opportunity to try a new model. While hybrid rentals were once limited to the common Toyota Prius, rental companies are now offering a wide range of models from the Toyota Highlander to the Nissan Altima hybrid, Honda Civic hybrids to the Saturn VUE. Because of this, renting a hybrid vehicle is a great option or any hybrid fan.

If you do not have your own hybrid car at home, a rental might be the perfect opportunity to see what people are talking about. Providing an excellent opportunity for an extended test drive, a hybrid rental allows you to see how various models of hybrid handle, how the performance matches your expectations, and to decide which model would be right for you.

There are also the environmental reasons for renting a hybrid, which are discussed frequently. While driving your rental hybrid, your contribution of carbon to the atmosphere will be significantly lower, as will your use of rapidly diminishing natural resources. While this may not be reason enough for you to pay more to rent a hybrid, it is certainly a positive side effect to keep in mind.

Once you have rented one, hybrid cars can also be more convenient. You will spend less time searching for gas stations and filling up the car. More significantly, some states, like traffic choked California, allow hybrid drivers to use commuter lanes even if they are alone in the car. This can speed up rush hour drives dramatically.

A final reason to rent a hybrid is that the extra cost may not be as high as it initially appears. While hybrid cars typically cost around $10 per day more than a standard car, they use significantly less fuel. Many rental agencies don’t even require customers to replenish a hybrid’s fuel tank before returning the car. Depending on the amount and type of driving you will be doing, these savings could even negate the higher daily rate.
The reasons to rent a hybrid car are numerous. Ultimately, the appeal still depends on personal perceptions of value. At its most basic, a rental car is a tool to get you around a new place, for a limited amount of time. However, a rental car can be much more. It can be an opportunity to try something new, an introduction to unique experiences, and a chance to see the world through an exciting new window.

If you ask me whether I would pay more for a hybrid car I would have to answer that I would. For these reasons and many more I offer an emphatic “yes.”

Today, many agencies have introduced hybrid cars to their rental fleets, and these new additions are available from most main offices. Enterprise has the largest number of hybrids, spread across the most rental locations. They have made a commitment to providing this option to their customers and have established themselves as a place to go for those looking to rent hybrids.

However, Enterprise is not the only company with this availability. Many popular agencies like Avis, Hertz, National, and others have been slowly building their hybrid fleets. This is a good thing for the consumer because it means that those looking for hybrids may have the opportunity to shop around and find the best price. If you are a frequent renter with a favorite company, it is worth checking the next time you need to rent a car. Chances are, a hybrid option is available.

If the largest companies do not have hybrid availability in your desired location, it is not time to give up. Many of the smaller companies, notably Fox Rent a Car, have introduced extensive hybrid fleets as a way to establish themselves leaders in these niche markets. If you have never tried one of these companies before, a hybrid rental may be an excellent opportunity. Fox Rent a Car has offices in a variety of locations, mostly on the west coast and southwest, and offers guaranteed hybrid reservations in advance.

The rental agencies are not the only ones in the travel industry looking to expand hybrid rental options. Many internet booking companies like Orbitz and Priceline have introduced the option to search for hybrid car rentals. These websites can be excellent, easy ways to search for hybrid rental availability and to compare prices across many companies. Orbitz in particular has taken a company-wide green initiative and hybrid rental cars are only one of the many options that have resulted. The company also offers green travel tips and bookings at environmentally-friendly hotels, among many other things.

Another common challenge to those looking to rent hybrids was regional availability. While hybrid rentals have been available at major airports and very popular rental locations for some time, those using smaller rental offices were out of luck. While this, too, is improving, it can still be a challenge for many travelers. For many, the solution has been to use the Toyota dealership rental program. Many Toyota dealerships in towns and cities across the country participate in the program, offering their vehicles for rent at prices competitive with the larger, dedicated, rental companies. Many of these dealerships offer not only Prius hybrids, but Camry and Highlander hybrids for rent as well.

Once a challenge to find, hybrid rental cars have slowly become more available. Now that most of the major companies, and many smaller ones, offer hybrid options you can easily shop around and look several different places if need be. As the size of hybrid fleets, and the number of companies that maintain them, increase, the regional availability will only improve. This is just one more reason to give a hybrid rental a try.

How much of this is a reluctance of rental agencies to take a chance on a new product? How much is it the lack of consumer demand for green alternatives? It is true that the popularity of hybrid vehicles is small compared to that of standard, full fuel, cars and trucks. While sales of the Toyota Prius increased a reported 60% in 2007, they still represent a fraction of Toyota’s total business. In the Area of vehicle rentals, the popularity is even less.

Industry analysts believe that the additional cost of hybrid rentals prevents them from becoming more popular. Typically costing $5 to $15 per day more than a standard rental, hybrids have trouble appealing to budget conscious consumers, even with the added value of their fuel savings. Often competing in budget car classes, many looking to rent in that area are not interested enough in driving a hybrid to pay the extra rental fees.

But is this the only thing preventing greater expansion of hybrid fleets? Even with the introduction of “Green Branches” by Enterprise in Atlanta earlier this year, the company maintains only 4,000 hybrids out of a fleet of 1.1 million. The green branches are certainly a move in the right direction but even there, only 60% of available vehicles are hybrids. By making more hybrid vehicles available and promoting their benefits, rental companies could easily increase their popularity among otherwise uninterested consumers. As popularity increases, the price of renting these green cars, which cost less to maintain to begin with, could eventually equal that of standard rentals.

Among rental companies, the battle to be green is not only about offering more hybrids in more targeted markets. Both Enterprise and Hertz have initiated large-scale and generous donation programs to give money to various environmental causes. The value of these actions is great and should not be criticized. However, consumers who attempt to rent hybrid vehicles only to find that they are not available in their areas can’t help but ask if this money could be directed to more relevant activities.

The availability of hybrid rentals is slowly increasing. Eventually, hybrids may be common enough that their rental fees will be equal to, or even less than, those of full fuel rentals. Until then, rental companies will try to be, or at least appear to be, green to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, while at the same time focusing their energy on maintaining their fleets as they always have. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the consumer to increase awareness and promote expansion though greater demand.

How much green-cred do under 10,000 hybrid rentals get the industry? Maybe not much, but it is the responsibility of the consumer as much as the agencies to become more environmentally friendly.

The first place to look may be other hybrids made by Toyota. These include an SUV, the Highlander hybrid, and a more traditional sedan, the Camry hybrid. The Highlander hybrid is a roomy, crossover SUV. It features a comfortable, large, interior and optional third row seat. If you need more space, either for storage or passengers, than this hybrid is the way to go.

The Camry hybrid takes the number one most popular car of the last ten years and adds the fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness of a hybrid. As a full-size sedan, the Camry hybrid is a slightly more roomy alternative to the Prius, perfect for a family.

These Toyota hybrids are great alternatives to the excellent but common Prius. Both vehicles are available from popular rental agencies like Fox Rent a Car, Enterprise, National, and Alamo. If these companies do not have a Camry or Highlander hybrid available, try calling a dealership in your area. Many Toyota dealerships participate in a rental program and have most models available.

Of course, Toyota is not the only company that manufactures hybrid vehicles. Another popular hybrid is the Honda Civic. These small sedans remain roomy and functional, with ample trunk space, while at the same time achieving excellent gas mileage. Honda Civic hybrids are not as commonly available for rent, but some popular companies, like Fox Rent a Car, have them in their fleets.

Another SUV style vehicle option is the Ford Escape hybrid. Like the Toyota Highlander, the Escape hybrid operates in fully electric, hybrid, and full fuel modes. The roomy vehicle has been marketed towards people looking for a vehicle with a smaller footprint, that doesn’t compromise convenience. The Ford Escape hybrid can be rented from Fox Rent a Car, Avis, or Budget.

The Nissan Altima hybrid, praised for its performance during acceleration, has been described as a hybrid with more pep and personality than is commonly found in other hybrid vehicles. The sedan style car has only been released in a few states, so taking advantage of a rental may be the best way to experience this standout hybrid. The Altima hybrid is available for rent from Enterprise, National, and Alamo.

Another sedan style hybrid now available for rent is the Saturn Aura hybrid. Building off the popular Aura style, this roomy sedan uses the electric motor for additional bursts of power and to power all electrical components and accessories. Also available is the Saturn VUE, a crossover SUV that uses the same hybrid system as the Aura. Both of these vehicles are available for rent from Enterprise, National, and Alamo.

If you are a familiar fan of the very popular Prius, it might be a good idea to give a different model a try. Renting a hybrid is a great way to give one of these exciting new vehicles an extended test drive. Fortunately, rental agencies have begun to respond to the growing demand for hybrid rentals and now offer a wide variety of hybrid models from many different automakers.

The Toyota Prius is a four-door, five passenger vehicle. The size and interior roominess is comparable to other mid-size sedans, whether they have hybrid or standard, full-fuel, engines. It features a hatchback that provides some additional rear storage and accessibility. The 2008 Prius is available in three different models, differentiated by their included base amenities. The standard model offers touchscreen controls, keyless entry, push-button ignition, fully powered accessories, and stereo with six speakers and a CD player.

The engine of the Prius is what sets it apart from many other cars. It features a 1.5 liter gasoline engine and two electric motors. One motor works driving the wheels while the other is used solely for generating power to recharge the batteries. The Prius is still the most efficient hybrid on the market and the 2008 model claims to achieve 48 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway. Note that the EPA changed its process for rating fuel economy in 2008 and as a result the efficiency numbers of all hybrids have come down.

The engine provides a combined total of 100 horsepower. Hybrids offer this, usually higher, combined power rating because their fuel engines and electric motors work together, one increasing output when the other’s performance decreases. Though the 2008 Prius has been tested going zero to 60 in less than 11 seconds, the variable transmission is smooth and provides an easy transition when accelerating and decelerating.

The Prius comes standard with full front and side impact airbags and anti-lock brakes. In government and independent safety tests the Prius earned close to the highest scores possible.

The dashboard has inherited the design of previous models and features a large center touchscreen control, digital gauges, adjustable steering wheel, and adjustable seats. Some people, however, have trouble finding a comfortable driving position because the seats do not have height adjustments and the steering wheel adjustment is limited. Some have also complained that the quality of the dashboard plastics has gone down in the 2008 Prius, though the complaint is an admittedly small one.

The driving is just as smooth as previous models and, once adjusted to the small differences between driving a hybrid compared to a standard fuel car, is easy and effortless. Some drivers have trouble adjusting to the keyless entry system, which utilizes a hands-free sensor attached to the driver’s key ring and the pushbutton ignition. This is different than the keyed door locks and ignitions of most cars and does take a little getting used to.

In 2008 a standard model was introduced, which also lacks some other features like cruise control and heated mirrors, but features a $1,400 reduction in base price.

Overall, the Toyota Prius remains an excellent choice, not only for people looking to buy a hybrid, but anyone looking for a new car. And, at under $20,000 it is a great value as well.

If you have a lot to carry and are worried about the amount of storage space available in the Prius, a Toyota Highlander hybrid would be an excellent alternative. The Highlander is a hybrid SUV manufactured by Toyota to fill the market niche of environmentally minded consumers in need of a larger vehicle. The Highlander is a crossover SUV, meaning it is a bit smaller than a full size truck or SUV, but it is often described as roomy for a vehicle of its class.

Another reason to look into a Highlander is if you have a load that needs towing. While an excellent vehicle, the Prius is in no way built to handle serious towing. As a crossover SUV, the highlander is capable of light to medium duty towing. The Highlander features an all wheel drive system that is powered by a gasoline engine and two electric motors. The gasoline engine is a 3.3 liter, 209 horsepower V6 engine. While this seems a little low for a SUV of this size, the combined horsepower of the gasoline engine and electric motor averages 270 horsepower. The second electric motor engages when the wheels slip or to provide additional torque, which will often be the case when towing.

While not as efficient as the smaller Prius, the Highlander hybrid gets between 25 an 37 miles per gallon. This can be compared to an average of 15 to 20 miles per gallon for a standard, full fuel, Highlander. Of course, when fully loaded or towing a load, the fuel efficiency will be reduced.

Though not available from all rental agencies, the Toyota Highlander hybrid is included in some company’s fleets. Fox Rent a Car was the first agency to introduce Highlander hybrid rentals and would be a good first place to look. While not one of the largest rental chains in the country, Fox has a surprisingly large number of hybrid vehicles, including the Highlander hybrid, at many of their offices.

If Fox Rent a Car is inconvenient for your location, or they do not have a Highlander hybrid available, you might want to search the Toyota dealership rental program. With participating dealerships around the country, this may be the easiest way to find a Highlander hybrid available for rent. The program allows you to rent most models available at the dealership, charges competitive rates, and allows renters to drive up to 150 miles per day with their vehicles.

If you need a rental car the with the size and power of an SUV, but you like the fuel savings and environmental friendliness of a hybrid, a Toyota Highlander hybrid rental will be right for you.

Approximately a quarter of the vehicles at the Hallandale Beach “E85/FlexFuel branch” – located at 25 Pembroke Rd. – are FlexFuel vehicles that have the ability to run on E85 fuel, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 has been available primarily in the Midwest, but availability is growing in other parts of the country, including the Southeast. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the use of E85 can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent.

“An important component of Enterprise’s environmental stewardship program is to embrace new, clean fuels and automotive technologies,” said Alan Levine, Vice President General Manager of Enterprise in South Florida. “As these technologies and alternative fuels become commercially viable, we’ll continue to support them and work with our partners to educate and encourage our customers to use them.”

To help increase the use of E85 within its own fleet and with customers, Enterprise will ensure that 25 percent of the vehicles at its rental location in Hallandale Beach are E85-capable FlexFuel vehicles, and commit to fueling those vehicles with E85. The branch will also offer customers educational materials about E85 and provide a map detailing area E85 fueling locations.

The Taylor family of companies, which includes Enterprise, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of FlexFuel vehicles – more than 73,000 cars and trucks that have the ability to run on E85 or gasoline or a combination of the two. The companies also own more than 4,000 gas/electric hybrid vehicles.

In order to build consumer awareness and increase the number of cars being fueled with E85, Enterprise is actively deploying the majority of its FlexFuel vehicles near E85 fueling stations. The Hallandale Beach “E85/FlexFuel branch” joins similar Enterprise branches in Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Grapevine, Texas; and Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio.

To mark the designation of the Hallandale Beach branch, Enterprise fueled several of its FlexFuel vehicles with E85 at the grand opening of the Hallandale Beach U-Gas, one of four E85 fueling stations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The stations marked their openings with a special $1.85-per-gallon E85 fuel promotion by Protec Fuel Management and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC).

“E85 fuel offers consumers a commercially viable option for gasoline vehicles,” said Steve Walk, director of Protec Fuel Management, which has partnered with EPIC in several states where the company has helped to make E85 available to consumers. “In addition, E85’s ability to help reduce carbon emissions makes it less harmful to the environment.”

The Broward County E85 station is in Hallandale Beach (Hallandale Beach U-Gas, 990 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.); Miami-Dade stations are located in Miami (Midway U-Gas, 210 NW 79th Ave.), Hialeah (West Hialeah U-Gas, 7950 West 28th Ave.), and Palmetto Bay (Falls U-Gas, 14395 South Dixie Hwy.).

“In order to be successful in the future, our business needs two things – cars and fuel,” Levine said. “For us, environmental stewardship is about sustaining our business for the long term by addressing the parts of the world our business touches. Embracing renewable fuel blends like E85 and alternative technologies like FlexFuel is a step in the right direction to reduce vehicle emissions and limit our dependence on fossil fuels.”

With gas prices going through the roof and regulators requiring cars to be ever more miserly, Volkswagen is bringing new meaning to the term “fuel efficiency” with a bullet-shaped microcar that gets a stunning 282 235 mpg.

Volkswagen’s had its super-thrifty One-Liter Car concept vehicle — so named because that’s how much fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers — stashed away for six years. The body’s made of carbon fiber to minimize weight (the entire car weighs just 660 pounds) and company execs didn’t expect the material to become cheap enough to produce the car until 2012.

But VW’s decided to build the car two years ahead of schedule.

According to Britain’s Car magazine, VW has approved a plan to build a limited number of One-Liters in 2010. They’ll probably be built in the company’s prototype shop, which has the capacity to build as many as 1,000 per year. That’s not a lot, but it’s enough to help VW get a lot of attention while showing how much light weight and an efficient engine can achieve.

VW unveiled the slick two-seater concept six years ago at a stockholder’s meeting in Hamburg. To prove it was a real car, Chairman Ferdinand Piech personally drove it from Wolfsburg to Hamburg. At the time, he said the car could see production when the cost of its carbon monocoque dropped from 35,000 Euros (about $55,000) to 5,000 Euros (about $8,000) — something he figured would happen in 2012. With carbon fiber being used in everything from airliners to laptops these days, VW’s apparently decided the cost is competitive enough to build at least a few hundred One-Liters.

VW’s engineers — who spent three years developing the car — made extensive use of magnesium, titanium and aluminum to bring it in at less than one-third the weight of a Toyota Echo. According to Canadian Driver, the front suspension assembly weighs just 18 pounds. The six-speed transmission features a magnesium case, titanium bolts and hollow gears; it weighs a tad more than 50 pounds. The 16-inch wheels are carbon fiber. The magnesium steering wheel weighs a little more than a pound. How much of the concept car’s exotic hardware makes it to the production model remains to be seen.

Low weight only gets you so far in the quest for ultimate fuel economy; aerodynamics plays a big role. The One-Liter is long and low, coming in at 11.4 feet long, 4.1 feet wide and 3.3 feet tall. It features an aircraft-like canopy, flat wheel covers and a belly pan to smooth the airflow under the car. The engine cooling vents open only when needed, and video cameras take the place of mirrors. The passenger sits behind the driver to keep the car narrow. The car has a coefficient of drag of 0.16; the average car comes in around 0.30 and the Honda Insight had a Cd of 0.25.

As for the engine, the concept had a one-cylinder diesel engine producing 8.5 horsepower and 13.5 foot-pounds of torque. Car says the production model will use a two-cylinder turbodiesel for a little more oomph. Doubling the number of cylinders is sure to cut fuel economy, so VW may install a diesel-hybrid drivetrain. The engine turns off at stop lights to save fuel, then automatically restarts when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal.

(Update: The car reportedly has anti-lock brakes, stability control and airbags. According to Canadian Driver, “Volkswagen says the One-Liter Car is as safe as a GT sports car registered for racing. With the aid of computer crash simulations, the car was designed with built-in crash tubes, pressure sensors for airbag control and front crumple zones.”)

What’s it gonna cost? Car quotes “one well-placed insider” who says the One-Liter could have a sticker price of anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 Euros (about $31,750 to $47,622). That’s a lot of money. But then, the One-Liter, despite its diminutive size, is a lot of car.

Note/Update: Turns out the 282 mpg figure refers to Imperial gallons; the proper figure when converted to U.S. gallons is 235 mpg.

The main advantage of this mixture is that it reduces the vehicle’s dependence on nonrenewable resources. E85 fuel utilizes feedstock for 85% of its composition. In the United States, the most commonly used feedstock is corn, as it is the cheapest and most abundant. However, E85 fuel can utilize a variety of materials for feedstock from potatoes to wheat, sugar cane to beets, depending on what is cheap and available.

The ethanol mixture fuel can also cheaper than standard gasoline. While E85 fuels are cheaper at the pump than standard gasoline, the mileage vehicles can achieve with them is significantly reduced. Informal tests have found that in stop-and-go city driving the loss in mileage is negligible and E85 fueled cars end up cheaper. However, the same tests show that when spending significant time on the highway, the loss in mileage makes E85 slightly more expensive.

Another advantage of using E85 vehicles is that they produce fewer harmful emissions. In fact, E85 vehicles produce an average of 50% fewer emissions than standard fuel cars and trucks. In addition to this, buying E85 fuel supports domestic agricultural industry. If you are concerned about the environmental or economic impacts of driving, a flexfuel vehicle is an excellent option.

At present, availability of E85 fuel is the major obstacle to more widespread acceptance. E85 refilling stations are, at the moment, not very common throughout the country. However, the fuel is becoming easier to find all the time, particularly in places where a lot of corn is already grown, like in mid-western states. As more vehicles are released that can utilize the E85 fuel mixture, it is expected to become more common across the country.

If you are eager to try a flexfuel vehicle, but the availability of fueling stations in your area is limited, there is no need to worry. Flexfuel cars can use regular gasoline as well as an E85 mixture of up to 85% ethanol. If you are looking to buy a new car than this versatility, and the rapidly growing popularity of E85 fuel, make excellent reasons to consider a flexfuel vehicle.

It is important to note that a standard car engine cannot utilize the E85 mixture. While most modern engines can handle a mixed fuel up to 10% ethanol, any higher percentage can cause serious damage to the vehicle.

As car companies begin to manufacture more E85 vehicles, gasoline prices continue to rise, and customer demand increases, the demand for E85 rentals also increases. While hybrid rental vehicles have become easier to find, E85 rentals are still rare.

Enterprise Rent a Car established itself as the first company willing to develop an E85 fleet for rental. Offering a few vehicles in select branches, the company plans to expand the program as demand and fuel availability increases.

If you are looking to rent a greener vehicle, especially in the mid-west, a flex fuel, E85, vehicle may be an exciting opportunity to experience cutting edge automotive technology. While availability is still very limited, the flex fuel vehicles represent one step towards a reduced reliance on gasoline and greener driving future.

Besides hybrid offerings, Hertz maintains what it calls the “Green Collection.” This group of vehicles includes more than 35,000 fuel efficient and environmentally friendly cars. Models available in this category include the Ford Fusion, Buick LaCrosse, Toyota Camry, Subaru Outback, and Hyundai Sonata, all with an EPA rated average of 31 miles per gallon or more. More than 40% of Hertz’s fleet gets 34 miles per gallon or better.

As an addition to the Green Collection, Hertz, at a cost of $68 million, added 3,400 Prius hybrids to rental offices across the country. This addition complements the 268,000 vehicles, about 60% of the company’s entire fleet, already in service that achieve 28 mpg fuel economy or better. The hybrids were initially introduced to Manhattan and 50 major airports in the United States at a rate of $50 per weekend day. The New York City rental fleet received the most hybrids with one hundred specifically assigned to the city. These vehicles are also available through the hourly rental program which Hertz introduced to New York in 2007.

At the time of the announcement, Hertz also introduced plans to donate $1 million to the National Park Foundation and $250,000 to New York City environmental programs. These donations were intended to compliment the new fleet of rentals and establish Hertz as a leader in environmentally friendly transport.

In addition to these initiatives, Hertz has taken efforts to improve the environmentally friendliness of the entire company. They have installed vapor recovery controls on 99% of their vehicles, significantly reducing their emissions during the fuel process. In addition to this, water recycling systems have been installed in all Hertz car washes, allowing the facilities to recycle or reuse up to 80% of their wastewater. Finally, fluids like used oil and brake fluid, are saved and recycled, saving 1.2 million gallons of oil and up to 18,000 gallons of other fluids. These programs are representative of Hertz’s commitment to green initiatives in the rental industry.

By the summer of 2008, Hertz plans to have 4,300 Prius hybrids available at locations across the country. Hertz, which is the most popular rental company at U.S. airports, charges $5 to $10 more per day for a hybrid car. They claim that this added rental fee is easily made up by fuel savings, which are estimated at $20 to $45 per 500 miles. Of course, there is the added convenience and positive environmental impact which, though not a financial savings, are great reasons to support the Hertz hybrid expansion.

From initiatives in the their offices, to the car washes and maintenance garages, to the vehicles available for rent, Hertz has made a commitment to establishing an environmentally friendly industry. If you are looking to rent a hybrid this summer, one of the 4,300 or more offered by Hertz is a great place go.