Hybrid cars ? Are they a waste of money ? What is battery life and replacement ?

[chodaray]

Hybrid dual gas electric suv, best one to buy on the market for cars and higher gas miliage. ? Honda Toyota Ford Saturn ? OR non of the above.

[Curious1one]

They save on gas and pollutants a little bit

[NickN3584]

I'd suggest doing a search in the future- I'll copy my previous answer to this question here:Currently, there is no financial justification for buying a hybrid vehicle based on fuel costs alone. In california, the tax credit and ability to drive in the HOV lane mitigate this somewhat, but unfortunately the Escape Hybrid is only eligible for the federal $2K tax deduction but not the california clean air tax credit. Click on the link below for an analysis from the WSJ's detroit bureau chief on his analysis of the cost benefits of owning a hybrid vehicle.Also included is an in-depth analysis from Omninerd that breaks it down for you. Essentially, you should do it for the feel good environmental reasons and not necessarily savings from fuel. Also, depending on your view of oil companies, you may feel that giving your money to car companies is a better use of your money.Generally batteries should last around 5 years and will probably cost around $5000 to replace. However, this technology is always getting better and cheaper so in 5 years the batteries may drop in price, it's impossible to know right now. As for the best one, the Prius is the best for urban environments, the Civic is better for longer distances, and the Ford Escape Hybrid is a good balance of economy and practicality. The Accord Hybrid has a relatively small improvement in economy but does not suffer performance-wise. The Lexus RX400h and Highlander Hybrid are very fuel efficient in the city but a Toyota RAV4 V6 is faster and has almost the same MPG on the highway.

[dialm4speed]

A total waste of money! You have to own them for several years to realize any savings. Plus those batteries are going to be very expensive to replace.

[GigglyGiraffe]

Oooo I want one soooo bad ... but since I only drive 200 miles a month it's not cost effective for me. I've read that the Toyota is the best and has the largest number of modles to pick from ... Toyota is coming out with a convertable hybrid in 2-3 years ... ahhhh.

[rjm]

The hybird bubble deserves to be busted. I work for an auto company and we are already seeing a decline in sales. Do your research and you will find. Your miles per gallon weighed against the premium you pay for a hybrid means you will have to drive many many miles to overcome the price over a conventional car / truck. Hybrids only attain maximum mpg during city driving when the electric motor is "helping" the gas motor. Turn any electrical accessory on and poof, down goes your MPG. Ac or heat, or windows take electrical power, evencolder temps. Each time you use them it will requirethe gas engine to work harder to keep the batteries charged. Also, Hybrids weigh more then a conventional car, because of all the batteries.Hope this helps.