Tell me about your hybrid vehicle experiences

[LuvOrlando]

When we were in Orlando to visit Universal, EPIC, IOA and some WDW spots we were unexpectedly given a Hybrid Pacifica. At first it stressed me out because I'm unfamiliar and it was empty with e teeny bit of charge but we filled it with gas and overall some of the experience was pretty good.

As our Compass slides towards the end of its life with us wanting it, we are now considering it might be a good thing to have a hybrid second car for unexpected energy issues, which seem to be a theme since my early childhood in the 70s. It seems like the industry has added a decent amount of charging stations to the infrastructure so that is a good thing. We didn't use the charging stations at EPIC because I didn't feel like learning was the way to go on our vacay and I wasn't sure if chargers are proprietary or universal fit plus I read about fees for leaving them too long at some places, who wants the headache of running back like it is a meter. Anyhoo, still, the extended milage seemed to be useful so now I am wondering about the pragmatic side of it like price of upkeep though because more components seems like more things that can break. Is the electric side of the vehicle expensive to fix? Do they break easily? Is it tough to find mechanics? Whole new world, feeling a bit "Your mission, should you choose to accept it" TBH, but the rental was an overall good experience so now it is in the running.

I was in a Tesla once recently too, UBER I think, and liked it more than expected. But an entirely electric vehicle seems like a bigger undertaking, however, the buffer for assisted driving does seem to be an intelligent feature as I get older, feels pragmatic.

 

[soccerdad72]

I don't have any experience with hybrid vehicles, but I'm confused - a hybrid shouldn't require charging, unless you're talking about a plug-in hybrid.

I'd like our next second vehicle to be a PHEV, but inventory in our area is limited. Hopefully they'll become more widely available in the next couple years.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I don't have any experience with hybrid vehicles, but I'm confused - a hybrid shouldn't require charging, unless you're talking about a plug-in hybrid.

I'd like our next second vehicle to be a PHEV, but inventory in our area is limited. Hopefully they'll become more widely available in the next couple years.

It had a regular fuel tank opening where they normally go which we used. It also had what looked like another one in the front towards the hood we figured was for electric. The gas didn't contribute to charging the electric storage while we had it, at least I didn't see it in the gauge so I THINK it is intended to be plugged in

 

[sam_gordon]

Oldest DD's first car was a Prius (Hybrid). Youngest DD's first car is a Hybrid Camry. I've driven and ridden in both. I would be satisfied with either. Oldest's gave up on her, but it wasn't the Hybrid system, and she put a LOT of miles on it. Youngest's is still going (knock on wood) and it's a 2007.

When we replace DW's minivan, I will definitely look at a Hybrid, would probably prefer it, but don't know that it will be the plug-in variety.

I don't think there's anything wrong with hybrid systems at all. You need to look at the manufacturer's reputation and experience with the vehicle (which you could say about any).

 

[soccerdad72]

It had a regular fuel tank opening where they normally go which we used. It also had what looked like another one in the front towards the hood we figured was for electric. The gas didn't contribute to charging the electric storage while we had it, at least I didn't see it in the gauge so I THINK it is intended to be plugged in

It must have been a plug in hybrid.

 

[craedaisy12]

I have a 2016 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. This August will make 10 years with it. My husband and I traded in both our cars and got this one because he has a work vehicle. We haven't had any issues with the hybrid part. We have only had normal car issues.

It charges when we drive. We had to get a new car battery end of last year... definitely used the life of it and the hybrid works better now with our new battery. We have over 192,000 miles on it! I know hybrid cars are different now a days but we enjoy it. We get an average of 30 MPG.

 

[DeeBee3]

I'm looking into the hybrid forester. I have a gas one now and have only ever owned Subarus. I drive a lot of miles so the idea of saving on gas is very attractive. What I like about the Forester is that it is not a plug-in. I don't have to worry about an at-home charger or if my older home has the right infrastructure for the electricity. The gas engine itself regenerates the battery which is MUCH smaller than all-electric.

 

[DeeBee3]

I have a 2016 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. This August will make 10 years with it. My husband and I traded in both our cars and got this one because he has a work vehicle. We haven't had any issues with the hybrid part. We have only had normal car issues.

It charges when we drive. We had to get a new car battery end of last year... definitely used the life of it and the hybrid works better now with our new battery. We have over 192,000 miles on it! I know hybrid cars are different now a days but we enjoy it. We get an average of 30 MPG.

How much does replacing a battery cost?

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I have not owned one, but I drove one on a recent work trip, and it was fine, just like any other car, except it only used like 1/3 tank of gas for at least 8 hours of driving time. It was the non plug-in hybrid.

We are looking to get a new car in the next couple of years, maybe Rav4. I was looking at prices recently, and right now I'd choose the non-plug-in hybrid model. The plug-in hybrid lists at about 10K more than the non-plug-in, and the fully electric is another 10K over that. While I'd like the plug-in variety, it's not worth the cost adder to me, plus the non-plug-in hybrid technology has been around quite a long time at this point, so I feel really good about it.

 

[_19disnA]

Have to compare features/prices to see what works for you. Some car companies want to jump on the 'hybrid' bandwagon by adding some type of lithium battery and use it as more of a marketing thing. Check to see how much it adds to the price and what actual benefit you get from it. The main purpose is to supplement the gas engine to provide extra power.

Some car companies don't make it easy to figure out what this feature actually costs either by burying it in with a number of other features or by only offering the hybrid in one line of their cars.

 

[longboard55]

I have a Lexus, amazing car, gets average 34 mpg for a mid size SUV and 40 if you just go 65 on a flat surface. Long range- over 400 miles, 12 gallon fill up instead of 20. It was only a couple thousand more than the gas version. The actual plug in hybrid was a lot more.