Let's talk Hybrids

[sam_gordon]

I'm now in the market for a new (to me) car. My 2015 Camry got rear ended earlier this month and when I turned it in to get it fixed, insurance decided to total it.

So I'm looking for a new car and I'm thinking Hybrid. I don't think I'm ready for full electric yet, and couldn't afford it if I was. I'm probably looking for something 3-5 years old, sedan. What hybrid do you have and do you like it? We've been a Toyota family for a while, but I'm not opposed to other brands as long as the quality and reliability is there.

So, give me some suggestions...

 

[kdonnel]

In the 3-5 year old range you should be able to find Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, and Ford options.

Accord, Camry, Avalon, Sonata, Fusion, Ioniq, Optima, Corolla, Prius, etc.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/used/2019-hybrid-cars

Toyota has been making great hybrids for a long time and have sold the technology to other automakers.

 

[Lilias]

I just got a 22 Prius and overall I've really enjoyed it. You've been driving a Toyota already, so you'll be used to all the safety features that a lot of people don't like about them.

The hybrid features are really fun and it's kind of like a game to see how often I can get away with the car running on just the battery (impossible on the highway unless you're going downhill, but almost always when not highway if you do it right). I was initially not even going to test drive it because of how low the HP was. I was coming from a higher HP car so I figured it would be a bore to drive. BUT it drives better than my previous car and even my zoomzooming husband thinks it's fun to drive and didn't believe the HP is as low as it is.

I will say that not one but TWO of my tires busted (one had to be totally replaced) before the car was 3 months old. I don't know if I had REALLY bad luck or what, but maybe keep that in mind if you do decide to get a Prius. Tires are not covered by any kind of warranty (though your dealer might offer one--I declined it at purchase because I naively thought anything that went wrong within the first year would be covered by Toyota lol)

 

[mrsstats79]

I have had the Prius in the past and liked it but was not crazy about the view out the back window. We had the full electric bolt but that had issues with the battery recall and you are limited in driving distance. We have a Ford Fusion hybred which we really like and it gets good gas mileage. It is a 2019. We also have a 2022 Hyundai Tuson Hybred, not as good on the gas mileage as the Ford but still a good car.

 

[Skippy918]

My dh loves his Prius. We’ve had the 2004 model and now have a 2016 model. Great car, very versatile and lots of trunk space cause it’s a hatchback.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We bought DW a 2011 Camry Hybrid in 2014 and it's still going strong. The mpg isn't awesome compared to present-day hybrids, but it's better than the mpg on a conventional Camry of that era, so the extra cost over the conventional Camry ended up being worth it.

We looked at Priuses back then and DW didn't think it felt very substantial around her. That was 8 years ago, and the current Priuses probably have a different feel. YMMV.

 

[firefly_ris]

We are looking into ordering a Ford Maverick. It's a small pickup but it's a unibody and seats 5 and is well reviewed so far. It will be a wait to receive one however.

 

[_19disnA]

Know some friends who have had two Prius in the past several years and they always said good things about them. Among the various brands offering hybrids, I would check to see how long the battery takes to recharge, how far you can go on a charge and if you need to install a higher voltage outlet in your garage. "Hybrid" tends to be more of a marketing term without a precise definition and each car company defines it based on the features/benefits of the models they happen to offer. With some, you can drive fully electric for a certain distance/speed. With others, the electric battery is only there to assist the gas engine so you theoretically get better fuel economy. Depends mostly on how/where you drive to gain the most benefit. The size of the battery determines how far you can drive using only electricity.

Most hybrids sell at a premium to regular gas engine vehicles but manufacturers tend to obscure the difference by including that as a package with several other features, so it can be hard to do direct cost comparisons. Need to determine if how you drive is suitable for a hybrid and how much gas your would actually save since the battery/controls/electronic components all add cost to the vehicle.

 

[nw6675]

My husband has driven a Honda Insight for years just to go to/from work. Honestly, he can't kill it off. The guys at work tease him since he is the only one without a big truck or SUV. But, he is always the one to get there in the snow and ice (although, that may be due to work ethic lol) and loves getting 40+ miles to the gallon.

 

[sam_gordon]

Among the various brands offering hybrids, I would check to see how long the battery takes to recharge, how far you can go on a charge and if you need to install a higher voltage outlet in your garage. "Hybrid" tends to be more of a marketing term without a precise definition and each car company defines it based on the features/benefits of the models they happen to offer. With some, you can drive fully electric for a certain distance/speed. With others, the electric battery is only there to assist the gas engine so you theoretically get better fuel economy. Depends mostly on how/where you drive to gain the most benefit. The size of the battery determines how far you can drive using only electricity.

Just to clarify, I'm not planning/picturing a plug in hybrid. Something like the Prius (but a sedan, ideally a Camry or Avalon) that utilizes both gas & battery. I was getting just under 30mpg average on my Camry. The 2019+ Toyotas say they get over 50 in city or highway. Heck, even 40mpg should give me a savings of ~625 gallons/year. At $3/gallon, that's $1875/year. Assuming I keep the car for 5 years, that's nearly $10k.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I had a 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid I bought new for 5 years. It was a nice, reliable car with no issues. I traded it in at 50K miles. I was able to get 40 MPG or more when the weather was good. Here in NH, hybrids use as much gas as any other car in the winter and is slower to warm up the interior.

It was so quiet, we called it a *golf cart*. We're considering a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for DH when his lease is up next year.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

We have a plug-in hybrid Volvo and it's great! Charge it for a few hours and you get a decent range on pure electric. And with charge points (free) sprouting up all over the place, it's free gas!

 

[tvguy]

We have a a 2020 Camry LE Hybrid. Never owned a Toyota before. Bought it new, have 9,000 miles on it. Love it so far. Usually get right about 50, but have gotten as high as 56 mpg. It is rated at 52/53. An important thing to know, is the LE.......which is the entry level Camry and it uses a different, lighter, more powerful battery, smaller and lighter tires and wheels.....so it gets better mileage than the higher trim levels.
Our daughter has a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid, she bought used from Hertz with 16,000 miles on it. It gets lower mpg than the Camry, does not come with a spare tire like the Camry does. And Toyota throws in a few extras that Ford does not......Toyota Safety Sense....and individual temperature control for the front seat passengers. Both were sticker priced at about $30,000 and both were selling.....in July 2020 for about $28,000.
Only thing we have noticed that is both good and bad, the front doors open VERY wide. Great for getting in and out, but not so great for when you have to close the door it is a LONG reach. And ALL the current body style Camrys are VERY low to the ground, so get used to scraping the front bumper on cement parking spot stops, and on curbs if you park too close.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Just to clarify, I'm not planning/picturing a plug in hybrid. Something like the Prius (but a sedan, ideally a Camry or Avalon) that utilizes both gas & battery. I was getting just under 30mpg average on my Camry. The 2019+ Toyotas say they get over 50 in city or highway. Heck, even 40mpg should give me a savings of ~625 gallons/year. At $3/gallon, that's $1875/year. Assuming I keep the car for 5 years, that's nearly $10k.

New cars - We just went through this - ended up buying a Honda CR-V (Hybrid), but it's not a plug-in but gets good gas mileage (especially for a AWD SUV) but we did have to get the Touring trim. We do like it but it is definitely not what we were shopping for. That's kinda what you are stuck with on new cars now - the profit margins are greater for the more expensive trim models so that's what they are making. The only reasonably priced PIH is Hyundai and currently they will place you on a wait list to get the car in a couple of months - and charge you $6k OVER MSRP for the privilege - no thank you.

We own two older PIH cars - a Ford Fusion and a Chevy Volt. The Volt is BY FAR the better choice - longer range, better gas mileage when you are running on gas. It's a 4-seater but it does have roughly the same cargo space as the Fusion. The trunk space in the Fusion is almost nil. Neither have a spare tire. Biggest problem with the Volt is they stopped making them. I think the last model year was 2014? If you can get one with decent mileage on it (say 60-70k) you will not be disappointed. Mine has 125k on it and still runs great. I've had to replace the front axels and that's about it. I own a 2012 and get about 35 miles to the charge. The Fusion you are lucky to get 20 miles to the charge. It's been very reliable too (roughly the same miles as the Volt on mine).

 

[Lumpy1106]

We have a plug-in hybrid Volvo and it's great! Charge it for a few hours and you get a decent range on pure electric. And with charge points (free) sprouting up all over the place, it's free gas!

Where are you finding free charge points?

To the OP - Neapolitan may be talking about the chargers at Whole Foods and some of the malls - yes, those are free (well, paid for by Whole Foods). I charge my car at a Charge Point charger (that's a name brand) at work. Costs vary (in fact Disney charges about 50% more) but I pay $1/hour and I get roughly 10 miles for every hour I charge. I ran the number back when gas was more reasonably priced and found I was coming out ahead if gas was > $3/gal, otherwise it was costing me more to plug it in. You can plug it in for free if you can find an available charger at Whole Foods etc. BUT who goes shopping for 3-4 hours? Usually the 15-20 minutes I'm in the supermarket aren't worth the hassle - I'll do a drive-by but if the charger isn't available I don't stress about it.

Any of the pay-for chargers (Charge Point is the largest network) you have to register and set up a credit card to pay for it. Not a huge deal but can be confusing, especially for some of the lesser-known chargers. Once you've done that, you just scan your phone on the charger to unlock it.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We have a plug-in hybrid Volvo and it's great! Charge it for a few hours and you get a decent range on pure electric. And with charge points (free) sprouting up all over the place, it's free gas!

Well, not exactly free. My Dad ran a power plant for 40 years. Electricity comes from somewhere and at a cost. Not being political. Just a fact.

 

[sheilafri]

I have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid and I love it. It qualified for the $7500 tax credit making it competitive with an ICE version. It plugs in to a regular outlet and basically recharges overnight. If we can’t recharge, it doesn’t matter as we get better mileage than the ICE version due to a CVT.

DS has a 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid, not a plug-in, which he also loves. Some trunk space is sacrificed to the batteries but works well for him. Passenger interior door handle trim has become loose is the only issue.

DD has a Chevy Volt Plug-in which she also loves as she lives in Canada where gas is really pricey.

I just got a Mustang Mach-E, a full EV, which I really love. I think many people would find an EV very much suits their needs. We have relatively inexpensive electricity and I’m paying about $.03 a mile for fuel. I have to remember to drive the Pacifica occasionally as we are keeping it for long road trips of 1000+ miles.

None of us have had any mechanical issues or needed other repair work.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Well, not exactly free. My Dad ran a power plant for 40 years. Electricity comes from somewhere and at a cost. Not being political. Just a fact.

What I meant was, our charging stations around us are often free to use and with no intermediary parties, it may as well be free to us

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Where are you finding free charge points?

To the OP - Neapolitan may be talking about the chargers at Whole Foods and some of the malls - yes, those are free (well, paid for by Whole Foods). I charge my car at a Charge Point charger (that's a name brand) at work. Costs vary (in fact Disney charges about 50% more) but I pay $1/hour and I get roughly 10 miles for every hour I charge. I ran the number back when gas was more reasonably priced and found I was coming out ahead if gas was > $3/gal, otherwise it was costing me more to plug it in. You can plug it in for free if you can find an available charger at Whole Foods etc. BUT who goes shopping for 3-4 hours? Usually the 15-20 minutes I'm in the supermarket aren't worth the hassle - I'll do a drive-by but if the charger isn't available I don't stress about it.

Any of the pay-for chargers (Charge Point is the largest network) you have to register and set up a credit card to pay for it. Not a huge deal but can be confusing, especially for some of the lesser-known chargers. Once you've done that, you just scan your phone on the charger to unlock it.

The closest charge point to us that doesn't charge for a zap is our local fitness club They have 4 points and usually you'd expect to find two occupied. So you can fill up whilst you go for a workout. Equally satisfactory are the points at a local restaurant. Grab a bite to eat, something to drink and have a pleasant conversation between yourselves and by the time you're done, so is the car

Often they do charge you per juice up though, but it doesn't cost much compared to petrol prices - mind you, gold ingots are cheap compared to petrol prices over here!

 

[MICKIMINI]

We could never survive with electric only here in NH. It is 7 miles to the grocery store. When it is -20 it just wouldn't work as you'd freeze to death waiting for a charge. Hybrid's that use gas are great or at least my Fusion was.

Glad to know there are companies that offer free charging, but I don't know of a single charger in our area (southern/seacoast NH). I'm sure there are a few, but electric are not practical in many parts of the country - yet.