The Hillsborough County (Fla.) Property Appraiser's office is switching the majority of its fleet to Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles in an effort to save taxpayer dollars.

The office is leasing 22 Toyota Prius vehicles for a three-year period with service agreements and is also looking into a fleet reduction to further reduce costs, according to release from the office.

The property appraiser's office previously used a fleet of traditional internal combustion engine cars. These vehicles are used to appraise both residential and commercial properties in the county.

The office expects that the vehicles will help save thousands of dollars per year in fuel costs, and a maintenance contract with the dealership means the office will not spend any money on service for the three-year term of the leases.