Posted on April 02, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard

The next time you rent a hybrid, you won’t just be saving the planet, you may be saving precious pennies too, as US technology journalist Christopher Null found out on a recent trip to Oregon. 

On a whim, he decided not to rent his usual Chevy Impala (“or similar”) and instead opted for a Toyota Prius.  He says:  “I’d never driven a Prius and this was a great way to give it a spin, plus it was only $4 more (€2.50) a day than the Impala.  Touring the area, it dawned on me that in the age of  $3.50 (€2.20) gas, the Prius wasn’t just a green choice, it was also actually a really smart financial decision too.”

He was particularly impressed with the Prius’ real-time fuel efficiency indicator, saying:  “…When I filled up the car en route to the airport, it took a mere three gallons of gas to get back to full.  In a traditional car, I might have gotten 20 or so miles per gallon and used twice the amount of gas costing $23 (€14) to refuel instead of the $9.72 (€6) I actually spent.”

Overall, he spent $8 (€5) extra on the rental fee, but saved $13 (€8) on gas, making a tidy saving of $5 (€3).