Hybrid Cars Pros Cons
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Hybrid cars are pretty cool. Gas? Electric? They are actually both. Hybrid cars use both electric motors and gasoline engines to make the vehicle move. Sometimes the car is powered by the electric motor and other times it is powered by the gas engine. They look just like regular cars and most new hybrid cars do not drive any differently from normal vehicles. But just like every new, cool, and hip piece of technology there are some downsides. There is always a catch. Today we are going to briefly go over the pros and cons to owning a hybrid car.
Let us start with the cons. Everyone always wants the bad news first so we will start there. To begin, most hybrid cars will cost about 10% to 15% more to buy or lease than their gasoline-only counterparts. Most of the tax benefits of owning a hybrid are being phased out nowadays so check with your local and state tax officials to see what kinds of benefits are still available. Also, if you are looking to buy a used hybrid car you will probably have to replace the battery pack if it is an older car. You can expect to pay at least $3,000 for a replacement. Keep these cons in mind before jumping the gun.
Now the pros. The good news. With a hybrid car you will obviously increase your fuel efficiency. You will definitely save money on gas as you will not be needing to make frequent trips to the gas station to fill up. Hybrid cars are great in the city as they do not emit as much greenhouse gases and typically run on cleaner electric power. Lastly, unlike EVs hybrids generally do not need to be plugged in to have power to drive. There is no “range anxiety” with hybrids. Because they have gasoline engines all you really have to do is keep some gas in the tank. Hybrids are the great middle ground between EVs and gasoline powered cars. You get a little bit of both.
Keep these pros and cons in mind when deciding on whether or not to invest in a hybrid. If a hybrid is the right type of vehicle for you, great. If not, there are plenty of other options, you just have to find the right fit.
For more information on hybrids reach out to us here at Midtown Autoworks.