Planning to book a rental car for an upcoming trip? If so, consider going green and booking one a hybrid option now offered by many of the leading car rental companies.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz and Avis are among the car-rental companies responding to a client demand for eco-friendly options while traveling. Enterprise has the largest fleet of hybrid cars available for rental, with four moels and about 5,000 of the vehicles on lots across the U.S. Hertz boasts about 3,400 hybrids at their top 50 airport locations and offers a Green Collection program, which allows customers to book specific makes and models of hybrid vehicles. Avis provides three classes of hybrids with over 2,500 of them at airports in Seattle, New York, Boston and select cities in California.

Not only are hybrid rentals a great option for individuals and families looking to travel green, they can also save some money, a big draw especially for those using the rentals to drive extended distances.

“If you drive 500 miles and get 50 miles per gallon, it will cost you $30 in gas,” notes Hertz spokesperson Paula Rivera. “In an ordinary car that gets 20 miles per gallon, you’ll spend $75.” The farther you go, the greater the savings.

Hybrid rentals may or may not cost more per day depending on the availability of vehicles at the time of booking. The only way to know for sure is to compare costs and decide if the option is right for you. Though you can book a hybrid online or by phone with Avis, Fox and Hertz, Enterprise only allows the class or size of car to be selected with no current option to specifically book a hybrid, however in January, they launched a program that allows renters to offset their emissions by paying $1.25 per rental, with all money collected being forwarded to TerraPass.

» MSNBC Travel