jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

A friend is considering buying a hybrid and asked my opinion. I gave her some references, but I thought I'd ask for opinions here. Cost, operating expenses, and reliability are three areas of interest.

Triple G

Answer to all is "depends"

Primary geographic location (public charging availability differs)
Primary usage (short or long trips)

I found these resources helpful.

https://www.autolist.com/guides/are-hybrid-cars-worth-it#

https://www.moneysmartguides.com/are-hybrid-cars-worth-the-price

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/hybrids-evs/hybrids-vehicles-pay-for-themselves-a1092610835/

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Hybrids don't have to be plugged in, do they? Gas engine and electric motor, right?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Hybrids don't need charge stations. They have an engine as well as batteries.

Triple G

True, I was thinking of the full comparison among gas powered - hybrid - electric. The sources relate specifically to hybrids.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

We are on our second hybrid, Jerry. The first was a 2013 Toyota Prius which our son now owns. It now has over a hundred thousand miles on it and still gets 50-60 miles per gallon. We now have a Honda Insight which gets 45-55. Short drives, long drives--it makes no difference. If a big car isn't needed (these two are plenty roomy for four people), I'd recommend one of these anytime to anyone. There are larger hybrids that do almost as well. I'd tell your friend to go for it. I don't think he'd be sorry.

BrHawkeye

I've had my hybrid Camry nearly three years. It's peppier that the conventional Camry I had for eleven years before that, gets just over 48 miles to a gallon of gas and has a range of more than 540 miles. I do some highway driving but that's from mostly driving in town. The only issue I've had with it was a firmware problem shortly after purchase that was quickly resolved. I'm happy with this car.

V2volk Loc: St. Louis area

My friend has a RAV4 Hybrid and loves it. He gets his best mileage just driving around locally vs. highway. Personally I like the idea of a Hybrid much better than all electric. The car charges itself via braking so uses physics to charge its own battery. Now there will be a day to replace that battery but it is cheaper than the huge all electric car batteries.

Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

With the current level of technology in cars, your friend might want to consider a PHEV- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Imagine a Prius with enough range to travel 40 miles on its batteries alone. Most people drive 40 miles or less a day. You plug in the car when you get home, and it recharges enough on regular 110 volt house current so you can drive another 40 miles the next day! If you need to drive more than 40 miles, the engine kicks in and you can drive it on gasoline. See https://www.greencars.com/greencars-101/benefits-of-plug-in-hybrid-cars?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dynamic_blogs_combined&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAjwyqWkBhBMEiwAp2yUFgzHZLwPEpB6Ku88eDvieM6b25rSNyMKacUiMfllcKJ2RwTx0Is2yhoCGPgQAvD_BwE

george19

My 2009 BMW (midlife crisis purchase) was $2000 me to death at 150000 miles, so I needed a car. Went to the Honda dealer, because I was set on an Accord. Test drove a 2019 1.5l turbo, and it choked getting on the highway on the test drive. Went back the following week and asked about a 2l turbo…none in stock…but wife spotted a 2018 2l hybrid in the showroom. Took it out, same spot on the highway, and it didn’t fail.

Went from $45/week premium gas at 25 mpg (on a good day) to $45/month regular. Ok…I retired, so no commute, up to 45 mpg, 33 or so in winter. Most importantly, look at all the money I have left over for the REAL GAS!

50000 miles in 4 years, so far only tires and oil change. I had the starter battery go after not even 18 months, so I watch that (pro tip: trunk won’t open if battery is dead, so keep the jumper cables in the back seat).

Highway mileage is typically less than in town, mostly because of air resistance at speed, so now I want to know the efficiency of regenerative braking, as in what percent of braking power goes into regeneration as opposed to brake wear. I’d love 15 minutes with the engineers to talk about that.

First car out of showroom, first automatic, first leftover, first hybrid. I think I can make the full trip from the house to the vacation cabin rental in Maine on a single tank, but not sure I can make the last 10 miles to the nearest gas station, so I don’t chance it and gas up with about 80 miles to go (last chance gas station).

Oh…and with all the new stuff on this car (continuously variable transmission, electronic displays, hybrid) I sprung for the extended warranty. And with very strong reliability engineering in my past, that’s something I NEVER do.

The center display (audio, system status, etc) has an intermittent failure that resolves itself in 5 miles. Fortunately it doesn’t affect safety critical stuff like the backup camera, and I have workarounds to the other functions.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I bought a Prius in 2005. Used it until 2017 without major repairs. Got a new Prius in 2017 because the newer ones had better safety features and I was getting older.

The Prius is moderately roomy and comfortable. As a hybrid, it uses an electric motor supplemented by a gasoline engine. The electric motor does much of the propulsion and the gasoline engine provides charging for the battery and additional power for passing or hills. It has regenerative braking to help top off the battery. Gas mileage depends on driving style and ambient temperature and trip duration. It takes about 5 minutes to warm things up to get the best mileage. Trips less than 10 miles show reduced mileage. There is a dashboard display you can use to track your gas mileage so the car can train your driving style to improve the mileage (if you pay attention). Best gas mileage for the long term can be around 60 mpg. Heating in the winter and cooling in the summer reduces the mileage. Winter mileage runs around 45 for me (in New England). Summer is in the 60s for moderate days, 55 with the A/C running. Overall mileage for the 6 years I've owned the current car is around 55.

Had the first one for 12 years and when I traded it in, the primary battery was still in good working order. There is a 12 volt battery in addition to the primary battery. The 12 volt battery is some special type that costs a bit more than a regular lead/acid battery (around $250 for the last one I replaced). I have never had a lead/acid battery last more than 5-6 years in any vehicle or tractor I owned. But it's a lot cheaper than the primary battery.

I think the warranty was 50K miles and there was a period of free routine service from the dealer (may vary with dealers). After that I get oil changes and other service at my local repair guy since the dealer is usually pricey (they make their money on service, not cars). The Prius has been reliable. Both of them. The only real problem is that the newer cars don't come with a spare tire. Not even a donut. They come with a small inflation tool and sealant (at least they did when I got the current one). It is less than satisfactory. Join AAA.

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

I own a Toyota Highlander hybrid from 07, currently it has about 120k miles on it and it has been just fine. I don't see a whole lot of highway mileage benefit, but around town it does very well.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Forty miles? For folks who live in the country, that could be a trip to town--no thanks!

Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

But it still gets 51 mpg running on gas if the battery is discharged…

Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

But it still gets 51 mpg running on gas if the battery is discharged…