Hybrid vs petrol: which costs less a week?
A hybrid uses less fuel but usually rents for more. Pick two cars from the live fleet, enter your weekly kilometres and fuel price, and see the all-in weekly cost of each, plus the distance where the hybrid starts winning.
| Km/week | Hybrid | Petrol |
|---|
Fuel = km × L/100km ÷ 100 × price. Official combined figures from the Green Vehicle Guide for each model; the generation of an individual car may differ. Estimates only.
Worked example: is a hybrid cheaper to rent?
From today's listings: the 2013 Toyota Aqua Hybrid at $190 a week (3.9 L/100 km official) against the 2013 Toyota Yaris at $150 a week (6.4 L/100 km), with fuel at $2.00 a litre.
| km a week | Hybrid: rent + fuel | Petrol: rent + fuel |
|---|---|---|
| 300 | $213.40 | $188.40 |
| 600 | $236.80 | $226.80 |
| 1,000 | $268.00 | $278.00 |
| 1,500 | $307.00 | $342.00 |
The hybrid costs $40 a week more to rent and saves about $5.00 in fuel every 100 km, so it becomes the cheaper car above about 800 km a week.
Official combined fuel figures from the Green Vehicle Guide; real-world use is usually higher. Prices are today's listings.
How to read the result
The hybrid saves fuel every kilometre, but its higher weekly rent is a fixed cost. Below the break-even distance the cheaper petrol car costs less overall; above it, the hybrid does. Stop-start city driving widens the hybrid's advantage, because that is where its electric motor saves the most.
Driving for Uber or DiDi? Run your full numbers, including the service fee and GST, in the rideshare profit calculator. To see what's available now, browse hybrid car rental.