Secura Insurance said it is changing more than 65 of its fleet of company vehicles to more fuel efficient Ford Escape Hybrids out of concerns about the environmental and rising gasoline costs.

But the changeover won't save the company any money during a three-year lease period even though the hybrid vehicles have been performing at 9-10 miles better per gallon than the other fleet cars, said Scott Huiras, senior vice president of claims.

“It's actually just a tiny bit more expensive to lease the hybrid,” said Mr. Huiras, explaining that the hybrid car's total cost is $31,174 for the next three years if gas prices remain stable. For the cars with traditional engines, the combined cost of the vehicle, gas, insurance and resale comes to $30,299 per vehicle lease period assuming that gas prices stay constant, Mr. Huiras said.

The decision to convert the fleet is in line with Secura's desire “to be leading contributors to the well-being of the communities we work in,” said Mr. Huiras.

All 65 fleet vehicles, company cars used by agents, will be transitioned into hybrids within the next two years. “From this point forward all of those vehicles will be hybrids,” said Mr. Huiras.

At this point, Secura has “not seriously considered” lowering rates for its clients who drive hybrid vehicles, he said.

Special Reports /

Insurer Fleet Goes Gas Efficient

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