Renting a car: it'll cost you to save on gas

The priciest rental car? It's a hybrid, of course. Expensive and in short supply as travellers try to cur down on gas use. Not only is there a waiting list to BUY a hybrid car in many parts of the U.S. It is equally difficult to rent one. Guess those rental agencies were not prepared for cost-conscious customers not snapping up the big traditional vehicles.

HYBRIDS ARE HOT IN

California which leads the nation in hybrid purchases. Florida is second, New York, Texas and Illinois round out the top five. California's lead is significant with nearly forty thousand hybrids registered during the first five months of this year. Florida had less than nine thousand.

New York may see a significant rise in its hybrid numbers as Mayor Bloomberg in New York city pushes his five-year plan to have an all-hybrid taxi fleet.