How Much Do Hybrid Cars Cost?
- A hybrid is any vehicle that uses two or more sources of power for propulsion. In relation to cars, the term most often refers to a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), which relies on both an electric motor and an internal-combustion engine. The idea is to achieve greater fuel efficiency.
- There are three types of hybrid cars. The Petroleum Fuel Engine Assistance Hybrid relies mainly on its internal-combustion engine, with the electric motor being capable of only low speeds. Typically, this model will use the electric motor when idling, then to accelerate up to about 20 or 25 mph. At that point, the gasoline-powered engine will automatically be started and take over the job of providing propulsive power. The Toyota Prius is an example of this type of hybrid.
The Electric Engine Assistance type of hybrid uses a lower-power internal-combustion engine geared toward maximum fuel efficiency. The car has an electric motor that kicks in to provide the extra power for tasks like climbing hills or effecting hard acceleration. Honda hybrids work on this principle.
Finally, the Plug-In Hybrid Electic Vehicle (PHEV) represents an attempt to circumvent the limits on purely electric, battery-driven cars. It relies entirely on its battery for motive power during the first several dozen miles of driving. When the battery is exhausted, the on-board internal-combustion engine is used to either recharge the battery or power a short trip to a recharging station. - The typical new hybrid car (Honda Civic Hybrid or Toyota Prius) costs between $22,000 and 26,000. Among SUVs, the Ford Escape Hybrid costs $29,300, while the Toyota Highlander Hybrid runs $33,700. There are bigger SUV hybrids that are also more expensive, such as the hybrid versions of the Cadillac Escalade ($70,000) and Dodge Durango ($44,500). Finally, Lexus has a line of luxury hybrid cars that range between $40,000 and 100,000 in price.
- Hybrid batteries are often warrantied at between 7 and 10 years or 75,000 to 100,000 miles, and can generally be counted on to last that long. However, unlike a standard car battery, the nickel or lithium ion batteries of a hybrid car are very expensive to replace, costing between $3,000 and 6,000 depending on their size and type.
- A hybrid car will always be more expensive than its conventional counterpart. For example, prices for normal Honda Civics, which start at $15,200, do not become comparable to the basic hybrid version until the vehicle is a six-speed model and packed with options. The idea is that the extra expense will pay for itself at the gas pump. The price differences may narrow in the future, as hybrid production expands and the supply of the vehicles matches demand and achieves greater economy of scale. Still it is doubtful that the expensive battery will become that much cheaper in the middle term.
