With the threat of global warming and other environmental concerns at the forefront of the American mindset, many travelers have begun turning to hybrid vehicles as their rental transportation option for business and personal trips. And airport hybrid rental companies are only too happy to oblige. While fuel efficient hybrid cars are popular, they are also expensive to own. On the other hand, hybrid car rentals have been growing in popularity in recent years, causing many rental companies to constantly try to add more hybrid cars to their fleets to meet demand, especially at airports.
For those interested in renting a hybrid car at air airport destinations while traveling on business or trying one out before spending thousands of dollars to buy one, here is a list of the top ten hybrid car rental companies, in no order in particular.
- Company – One of the top leaders in the green movement, Enterprise has outfitted its locations across the country with more than 7,000 hybrid cars. Their new hybrid cars are priced slightly higher than their other vehicles, and they have a great selection. The Enterprise website makes it easy for travelers to find hybrid cars to rent at airports.
- hertz – Hertz, one of the most recognized car rental companies in the country, joined the hybrid movement late, but quickly grew to own more than 4,000 vehicles. Conveniently located at most major airports, Hertz is a great choice for travelers.
- Toyota Rent A Car – It’s not common knowledge that Toyota dealers are making their cars available for rent, including many of Toyota’s best-known hybrid models. Go to their website toyota.com/rental/, then enter your zip code to find the nearest participating Toyota dealers.
- Midway Car Rental – Established in the early 1970s, Midway is the largest private car rental company in Los Angeles. With more than 1,500 vehicles in its fleet and offices in areas around Los Angeles and Hollywood, Midway has hybrid cars and other fuel-efficient vehicles for rent.
- Poplar – Owned by the same company that also owns National Car Rental, Alamo Rent-a-Car offers several different hybrid car rental models throughout the United States. Your bids may be low, for now, but as the popularity of hybrids continues to grow, so will your bids.
- Warning – Like Hertz, Avis is a large organization that often operates near airports. Unlike its competitor, however, Avis only offers hybrid car rentals in select cities in the United States. Still, for those flying into a big city, it’s a good bet that Avis has a Prius or Escape hybrid available.
- Fox Rent-a-Car – Located primarily in California, Fox Rent-a-Car offers free mileage and low rates to steer customers away from the larger companies. They have also recently embraced the hybrid car rental market with Toyota Priuses offered at several of their locations.
- National – National Car Rental offers midsize hybrids in most regions of the country at a reasonable price. And when they can’t offer environmentally friendly cars, they offer charitable contributions to help the cause instead.
- Thrifty- Another lesser known rental agency, Thrifty is a company whose marketing strategy is to offer lower prices to consumers. So when the San Francisco airport offered a $15 discount to everyone who rented hybrids, Thrifty was quick to join many other companies in offering hybrids. However, outside of the Bay Area, deals remain slim.
- FindExotic.com – While FindExotic.com is not a rental company itself, FindExotic.com is great for finding hybrid rentals in various areas and is such a great resource that it deserves a listing spot.
These are just ten of the many rental agencies that are rapidly becoming providers of hybrid rental cars. And although the total number of these vehicles remains between ten and fifteen percent of all cars offered, there is no doubt that they will continue to grow in popularity.