Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

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

Caribou Loc: St. Louis, MO

I have a 2013 Prius. It's a hybrid since it's both gas and electric. I love it. Until the issues with all-electric cars are completely worked out (notably, charging them and not having to stop every few hundred miles and hope you can find a working charger) I'll stick with my Prius. I can get as much as 70 MPG around town. On the highway it's less because you are relying completely on the gas engine. It has been very reliable. We have a larger non-hybrid car we use for long trips.

I would highly recommend a hybrid, Prius in particular.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

We just purchased an AWD hybrid. With the four electric motors and a turbocharged engine we get a lot more horsepower. Ours is the most powerful so it was a tradeoff. We don't get quite as much mpg as the less powerful vehicles, but better than our older all gas car. We're getting 27/28 mpg with 366 h.p. The 275 h.p. options get 34 mpg. Now that we're retired and only drive about 10K/yr, we don't need the higher mpg. One nice thing about hybrid is that while waiting in line for anything, the gas engine is not running. Also, from 0-36 the electric engines power the vehicle, then the gas engine takes over.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

In the Fall, we leased a new Subaru Crosstrek Sport. I considered the Hybrid but when I researched it I found it wasn’t worth it.
Note that this applies to the Subaru Crosstrek I researched although you probably should consider some of the items I will mention.
First off, the hybrid is about $9,000 more.
Second, the batteries take up some of the cargo space.
Third, and most important, I would only have gained 14 non-gasoline miles. Seems like barely enough to get me to a gas station if I’m on the highway and running out of fuel.
Just to get that 14 miles for $9000 didn’t seem worth it.

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

We have a 2016 (gen 4) Prius. We live in a rural area, but it's only 8 miles to town. We have to drive 65-70 for that stretch, but once in town we slow down. 63 mpg in the summer time, 59 in the winter when the engine runs more.

Ours is not a plugin. Plugins will run 40-45 miles on battery alone, so if you have short trips you may never need gas. The battery charges as you drive using engine power, and from regenerative braking. Our type of standard hybrid will only go about 3-4 miles on battery power and only if the speed is under 25 mph. Just step on it and the engine starts.

What I didn't know prior to getting the Prius, and maybe others don't either, is that it is not just battery until it dies, then just gas engine. The two work together, sometimes running at the same time, sometimes only with gas when the battery is depleted, and sometimes all-battery even at highway speeds. The last three miles to the house from town has a 50 mph speed limit which is regularly ignored, so we drive between 55 and 60 for that stretch. 2½ of that 3 miles is all electric and the engine only starts when we hit a slight upgrade at that 2½ mile point.

We love our Prius.

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

In an ignored 50mph area, going only 60 could get you tailgated. CT 15 (Merritt) has a 55 speed limit but the speed you see is usually 75-80 (when there isn't construction).

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

Nah, they just pass me at 75. The road has light traffic.

Red6

From some of the technical articles I have read, hybrids are the way we should go rather than full electric. Hybrids partially charge themselves while driving using the gas engine, regenerative braking etc. This gives a much longer range (equivalent to a gas-powered car) while delivering better gas mileage.

There are plug-in available hybrids that allow the car to "top off" the batteries when that is possible. But I do not think it is required. It just allows the batteries to be kept charged more fully from a cheaper electric source.

I know several people who have hybrids and love them. I think there are a lot of people who discourage their use because they still use gas. Personally, I do not think the infrastructure is ready for everyone to be driving full electric and range is still an issue.

Rich2236 Loc: E. Hampstead, New Hampshire

IMHO....I would prefer a hybrid over total electric any day. Total electric charging stations are far and few in between, but the old fashioned gasoline stations are like fly ---- all around. A friend with a hybrid is averaging approximately 60 mpg with his hybrid. Also, a hybrid does not need a plug-in.

It takes oil to run the generators that produce electricity to power total electric cars. This is what is called a "Catch 22" situation. These "GRAND PUBAHS" who are pushing total electric, well.....

And, I think that those windmills dotting the countryside are an an abomination to the eye and the senses, plus they do not generate enough electricity either. They really are a "blight" on the landscape, ie: just drive highway 10 going towards Palm Springs, and you will see what I mean!

We are still a far distance from total electric!!!

I do not have a hybrid. Not because I don't want one, or can't afford one, (well I can't,) but I am in my "Golden Years, and that's another story," and the fact that my wife and I do not travel as much now as we did when we were younger.

Walkabout08

There are two versions of hybrid vehicles, regenerative electric plus gas and the so called plug-in hybrid vehicles. The later are those that have a modest sized battery and run exclusively on electricity until the battery is depleted after which it switches over to gas.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

It's a nope for me.

On reading and searching up the matter:
1. Cost more.
2. Sell less
3. If you do not drive it often, what you can save in gas you already lost in the cars initial price.
4. Only specialized shop can fix
5. Hard to find spare parts
6. Energy is not produced, Hybrid only better in harnessing the energy already there or getting it from another source. And since hybid is heavier, requiring more energy to move it about, so in the long run it just balance out.
7. Wont last as long/less reliable than a normal simple gas car
8. Cost more to repair
9. Manufactring all those extra parts is more waste for environment
10. Disposing of those parts is more dangerous to the environment
11. Modern ICE engines have come a long way from their old cousins in efficiency. No need to go hybrid to save the planet.

12. I end up buying Toyota Rush 3 weeks ago LOL

Thats Wifey & our daughter happy with their new ride.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, I agree.

fldiverman

Out 2022 hyundai elantra hybrid is awesome. 50+ mpg, practically drives itself, and bigger inside the cabin and trunk than it looks. We've had it over a year now with no mechanical problems at all. Still looks like new (it's garage kept.) Would buy it again in a heartbeat. It's not a plug in so no worries about charging. It's been on several 300+ mile trips and was comfortable and easy to drive.

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

I have owned a Hyundai Ioniq for six years now and love it. Not a single problem with maintenance and well over 60mpg on the highway and between 50 and 60 around town. Mileage goes down some in the winter when we need the heater because that runs the gas engine a little more. Still get close to 60 on the highway even then.

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

It's interesting that you get better mileage on the highway than in the city, since our Prius is the opposite. We have made two trips from Arizona to Minnesota and back (1500 miles each way) many trips from home to Phoenix and Tucson (about 270 miles each way) and our mileage is always higher in town where the engine shuts down when you stop or just goes to battery when driving less than 25 mph. I once had a short discussion with Consumer Reports about this same topic, after they reported the same kind of results for my Prius. I said my experience was the opposite of their results and they responded that they "...test their cars under all conditions," and so of course I was wrong, and could not possibly be getting better gas mileage when the engine wasn't even running as much or as hard...