When a £260 bill for three days' eco car hire arrived, I was surprised. I'd filled up the tank once for £50 and my nifty low-emission VW Bluemotion was, I thought, not much more than £30 a day. Was it a computer error? Nope. I just hadn't read the smallprint: after 30 miles there was a charge of 23p a mile.
Labels like "ethical" "green" or "responsible" can be misleading – and can carry a weighty price-tag too. Green cars are no exception and the jargon can be confusing.
Biofuel, for example, means a plant-based alternative to petrol while biodiesel is diesel blended with plant oil. Hydrogen-cell cars are potentially pollution free but not widespread, while hybrid-technology cars combine a standard engine with an electric motor and are common – the most famous is the Toyota Prius. Fully electric cars are a rarity.
I choose not to own a car and usually get about on public transport. I know all about car pooling and ride sharing and I'm familiar with companies like Streetcar and WhizzGo, which hire cars by the hour. But these are not an option for longer rentals.
So is it possible to rent an "eco car" under a standard rental agreement, that doesn't end up costing a fortune?
Digging about online I discovered Hertz and Avis will deliver a Prius to my central London hotel for £75 a day, which is handy for someone, but not me. And Holiday Autos have eco-friendly cars in locations all over Europe, but I couldn't find one in the UK.
Wading through Google I stumbled across Green Motion, a small company based in the south east. They have two hybrids: a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic for £45 a day.
And then another, Go Green car rental, a small company close to my family in Crewe. Low-emission cars with Go Green cost from £159 and the Prius or Civic Hybrid are £239 a week.
So after many pages of internet eco waffle and unfulfilled promises, I found the answer. Yes I can hire an eco car, so long as it's a hybrid and I'm prepared to pay a little extra.
My question then is why aren't all car hire companies committed to greening their fleet? And what can be done to encourage them to do it?
The best eco car hire
Green Motion
In several UK locations and hire the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic for £220 a week including insurance. Other low emission cars are available
Go Green
Toyota Prius or Honda Civic hybrids for £239 a week including insurance. Small low emission cars from £159 a week
Hertz
Select 'Green Collection' to access a variety of greenish cars from
£142 a week
Avis Prestige
Toyota Prius for £150 for two days including delivery
Holiday Autos
Hybrid and low emission cars for rent in Europe. For example the Ford Focus for £102 a week in Alicante. But you can't search specifically for an eco car
Streetcar
VW Polo Bluemotions for an annual fee of £50 then you pay £4 an hour
WhizzGo
Hybrids and low emission Citroens for an annual fee of £50 then £6.20 per hour for a Toyota Prius in London including the congestion charge
Green Van Hire
Brighton only. Grass covered vans for charities and green businesses or normal style transit vans that run on waste vegetable oil cost £45 a day plus extra for special fuel. Fuel costs work out at £4 for 25 miles
Eco Drive
Cornwall only. The company hopes to have electric cars to rent by the end of the year
Lift share
Free to join websites liftshare.org and lift share solutions arrange lifts
National Car Share
An easy-to-use website for car pooling
