The Most Fuel-Efficient Rental Cars

Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt are now available as rental cars, as are a host of hybrids. By Nick Chambers

Smart ForTwo Electric

Gas Mileage: Not rated, but probably about 100 MPGe
Rental Availability: Select U.S. cities
Rental Company: Hertz
Rental Terms: Hourly

The Smart ForTwo Electric is perhaps the most quirky of the bunch, as it is built off of the exact same platform as the gas-powered Smart ForTwo—which is already an incredibly quirky vehicle.

In some ways, the ForTwo Electric has come full circle for the company, given that the original Smart concept was for an electric vehicle. At the time, EVs weren’t yet considered ready for the mainstream by automakers and the concept was changed to gas-powered. Many people already think the conventional Smart ForTwo is an electric car, so it’s probably a change for the best.

In any event, you can now rent the tiny electric two-seater as an hourly rental under the Connect by Hertz car sharing program. Although it lacks the utility of larger cars such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt, it’ll be a boon when fighting for parking in the city or dodging traffic.

The Smart ForTwo Electric can only go about 60-70 miles on a full battery and is limited to a top speed of 60 mph—so is best suited for the city.