Hybrid vehicles ‘could be the way forward’ for car hire customers

Car hire customers at Manchester Airport wanting to do their bit for the environment may consider a plug-in hybrid.

These vehicles use electric power and they do not give out emissions for journeys under 10km, but they can also be filled with petrol if a car hire customer wants to go on longer trips, an expert noted.

Graham Smith, managing director of Toyota Motor Europe, stated that hybrids will be used until hydrogen-powered vehicles come onto the market and the company will have a hybrid version of each motor in its collection by the 2020s.

He added: "The UK-built Auris will be available with petrol, diesel and hybrid power from the middle of this year and is a strong indication of where we are going."

Recent figures from Clean Green Cars show Toyota’s new vehicles have the lowest average carbon dioxide levels in the UK with a 5.4 per cent decrease in emissions in the first quarter of 2010, compared to that of last year.


Click here to compare car hire prices