In a pioneering move for the UK car rental industry, both Europcar and National (both part of Europcar UK Group) are going to introduce CO2 emissions data into the group ratings for their UK hire cars.

While this doesn’t apply to vans yet (in fact, it’s not yet possible), it almost certainly will in time – enabling renters to take the environment into consideration when selecting a hire van.

Europcar UK Group’s Fleet Director Tim Bailey explained that:

“Our environmental commitment is central to our business development strategy and the addition of this information to our car groups is just the first of a number of initiatives we are developing.”

The move means that Europcar and National will include cars’ emissions ratings as well as their shell size and transmission when placing cars into groups. Europcar UK Group’s goal is to enable customer to “make more informed choices about the vehicles they rent and, as a result, help them contribute to an overall reduction in CO2 emissions.”