Toyota Prius/Rental

Incentives
Many governments, from the national to local levels, are offering tax and other incentives to encourage people to purchase hybrid and alternative/clean fuels vehicles.

Carpool lane
Drivers of the Toyota Prius, or other Hybrid-Engine automobiles are allowed to drive by themselves in Carpool (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes in some US states such as Virginia, California (requires $8 one-time fee for a decal), Florida (requires $5 per year decal), and Utah (requires Clean Fuel-Clean Air license plate).

Parking
Los Angeles and San Jose, California and Salt Lake City, Utah allow free parking at meters for the Prius (and possibly other hybrids and clean vehicles) for the posted time limit.

London congestion charge
Prius drivers in London, UK, are exempt from the £8 ($14) daily London congestion charge (requires £10 per year registration).

Sales

 * In January 2005, the Prius became available in South Africa.
 * Toyota will increase production by an additional 50% for 2005, now producing 15,000 cars per month, and will import 100,000 into the United States for that model year.
 * In June 2004, the Wall Street Journal reported that the backlog for 2004 Prius has reached 22,000 in the US.
 * As of April 2004, the expected delivery time for Prius in the Netherlands is one year.
 * As of March 2004, the waiting list at a Sonoma County, California dealership was over 100 people long.
 * As of February 16, 2004, Toyota USA is not taking new internet orders for the 2004 Prius.
 * As of December 14, 2003, the waiting time in Dallas, Texas, USA, was 6 months.

Car rental
Many Toyota dealerships offer car rentals, allowing prospective buyers to try the Prius. Furthermore, most of the major rental car agencies in the United States are offering hybrid cars for rent. Enterprise Rent A Car has the largest fleet of hybrid cars available, with more than 4000 scattered throughout the country.1 EV Rental Cars, in partnership with Fox Rent-a-Car, offers the Prius for rent at the airports in Phoenix, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

In Australia, all the major car rental companies have the Prius in their rental fleets. This includes Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz heathrow and Thrifty. Availability at a given location varies and largely depends on demand, which is high, and the size of the rental location. It is advisable to book well in advance.

1 Source: www.Hybrid-Rental-Car.com