Do you want to travel more sustainably with your rental car in the future and make your vacation trips more environmentally friendly? Then you've come to the right place! Most people would probably like to travel and discover the world every day. But unfortunately, the desire to travel also has a massive impact on our own health. ecological footprint.
Of course, this also applies to trips with rented cars! Fortunately, however, there are a number of ways to make sustainability a priority when choosing a rental car, both during the vacation and afterwards.
In this article, I will therefore give you my best tips for the road. You'll find out what you need to look out for in sustainable rental cars - and how you can travel in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Let's go!
Advantages: Why travel sustainably with a rental car?
Of course, you are flexibleyou can travel to any country stress-free and are also faster and more convenient on the road. But there's more!
Before we move straight on to the specific tips, I would like to give you a few additional tips. motivating reasons to always opt for a sustainable rental car from now on:
- Reduce emissions: Through a conscious driving style and environmentally friendly rental vehicles, you emit less or no CO2 emissions and pollutants during your trips (keyword air pollution) - and you're also much quieter on the road.
- Protect the environment: By attaching great importance to efficiency and sustainability in your rental car, you protect natural resources and counteract environmental problems such as climate change against.
- Save moneyYou benefit from lower travel costs, as more environmentally friendly and more economical vehicles require less fuel. At the same time, you can also take the opportunity to try out new technologies in the automotive industry.
- fulfill a role model function: Change comes from people who lead the way and do things differently. So when deciding on your rental car, always see yourself as a positive role model for your children and other people in our society.
10 tips: When is driving a rental car sustainable?
Motivated enough? Great! Then we can now move on to the promised tips. Use them to travel more ecologically on your next rental car search and your future vacation trips to be and to travel more sustainably.
1. plan your route as precisely as possible in advance
The less often you get lost, the less fuel you use for nothing! Sounds logical, doesn't it? Good route planning not only saves you time and money, but also protects the environment.
Also take into account the Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and the locations of Petrol stationsso that you can find the best possible route and avoid unnecessary stress.
2. choose a car rental company with a sustainable philosophy
Search specifically for a local car rental service that Electric and hybrid vehicles and the CO2 compensation offers and on Ecological cleaning methods sets.
When I once bought a Car rental at Malaga airport I found such a provider even without the help of the Internet! As there is no intermediary network prices were also much more affordable back then.
However, if you want to search for a sustainable rental car on the Internet, it is best to use the corresponding Filter functionswhere available.
3. choose a compact, environmentally friendly rental car
A truly sustainable rental car is electric and fundamentally only as large as absolutely necessary. So choose a rental car category that suits the size of your travel group and fulfills its purpose.
Avoid unnecessary frills. You'll definitely be cheaper and more efficient on the road - and you won't emit any pollutants either.
4. drive as efficiently as possible
Whether in everyday life or when traveling: It should come as no surprise to you that a Predictive and fuel-saving driving style makes your journeys more environmentally friendly.
Here are some tipsthat you can implement to this end.
- Shift up early enough.
- Avoid hard acceleration and abrupt braking.
- Do not let the engine warm up at idle.
- Switch off the car if you are going to be stationary for more than 10 seconds.
- Don't accelerate at full throttle, but ride as steadily and appropriately as possible.
Tip: I explain these and other tips in more detail in the article on sustainable driving. So take a look there too!
5. keep power consumption within limits
If you want to use a rental car sustainably, you should also manage your car's power consumption in addition to your driving style. This makes sense, not least with an electric car, as you have a directly noticeable Influence on the range have.
Here are some Power saving tips for your trips with the rental car:
- Roll down the windows and don't use the air conditioning.
- Park in the shade when the outside temperature is high.
- Do not charge your smartphone in the car.
- Avoid unnecessary power guzzlers, such as the rear window heater.
Can you think of any other tips? Feel free to write them in the comments!
6. combine the rental car with public transportation
In the spirit of soft mobility you should of course try first and foremost, Avoid car journeys as much as possible. So preferably use a rental car for routes that are not easily accessible by public transport - or when time is of the essence.
Combine journeys by car and public transport if possible. At many train stations there are now P+R parking spaceswith the help of which you can travel even more environmentally friendly in other countries.
7. avoid garbage on the road
As you can see, a sustainable rental car is the basis - but sustainable use is the bigger lever. Also the Conscious waste avoidance I count among them. Avoid disposable productscarry prepared meals and snacks for on the go in a reusable lunch box - and take reusable cutlery, a stainless steel drinking bottle and a cloth shopping bag with you.
Also make sure that you keep the Dispose of waste properly - and do not leave any waste in nature.
Recommendation: Even more tips for your Zero Waste Journey you get in the linked article.
8. offer a ride to travel acquaintances
The basic principle of car rental is sharing - and sharing is already sustainable per se. But with the rented car now also Save other people's car journeysis the ultimate.
So if you're already traveling by car, travels alone or at least still room in the car have, you can People you met on vacation and whom you trust can also offer you a ride.
So you reduce the number of vehicles on the road and your personal costs. Riding together is also always more fun 😉.
9. handle the rental car with care and keep yourself safe
Ideally, you should return the car at the end of the rental period. returned in perfect conditionso that the provider does not have to use any resources for repairs and the vehicle remains usable for as long as possible.
Treat the rental car with consideration and just like that, as if it were your own (sacred) car. However, always tick the insurance options that make sense for you in the "worst-case scenario". This will also protect you financially.
10. reduce the weight in the car as much as possible
The heavier the vehicle, the more energy it consumes. Experience has shown that it is actually always a little more efficient. To do this, remove unnecessary items from the trunk or the bench seats before the journey and pack only the essentials.
If you are driving to new accommodation, this may be difficult. But in my experience, this final tip is easy to implement once you've already moved in and the car is in the garage. on site for shorter trips uses.
Sustainable and environmentally conscious travel by rental car!
As you can see, it is very easy to travel ecologically and sustainably with a rented car. In my experience, the biggest challenge is finding the right provider. But you can be sure that the even easier in the future as more and more people want to travel more consciously and the Increasing demand for sustainable offerings.
Here and now you have the best tips for sustainable rental cars and environmentally conscious vacation trips. Use them to make your minimize our ecological footprint and to make a real difference on your next travels.
"A path is made by walking on it."
Franz Kafka (more under Travel quotes)
I hope that I have been able to give you some valuable suggestions with this article. Do you have any questions, further tips or your own experiences with sustainability when looking for a rental car that you would like to share? Then I look forward to your comment.
Stay sustainable and stay safe,
PS: Whether fire hazard, low range or boring appearance - unfortunately there are still many Prejudices against electric cars. I present them to you in the linked article and refute them one by one.
