5 Advantages of Hybrid Cars
1. Fuel Economy
Hybrid cars are proven to be more fuel efficient than conventional petrol/diesel vehicles due to improvements in weight reduction, aerodynamics and a smaller engine. Hybrid cars will also run purely on the electric motor whenever possible, which makes a large impact on the car’s fuel economy.
2. Require Less Maintenance
Hybrid cars require less maintenance than traditional gas-powered cars, as hybrids are designed to last longer and run better than gas-powered cars. They have fewer parts, which means they require less maintenance than a traditional car.
3. Light Materials
Hybrid cars are made up of lighter materials and the engine is significantly smaller and lighter so that less energy is required to run the vehicle.
The petrol engine used in hybrid cars is smaller and lighter as they aren’t solely responsible for powering the car because there’s an electric motor to support powering the car.
4. A More Reliable Fuel Type
In a recent Which? Car Survey on Hybrid Car Reliability, Hybrid cars were found to be the most reliable by fuel type by having fewer faults. This is because hybrid models are mechanically simpler and have fewer parts than other car types, which keeps their fault percentage much lower.
5. Good Resale Value
Hybrid cars often have a higher resale value compared to petrol/diesel cars because they achieve a higher gas mileage.
Similarly to petrol/diesel cars, the value of a hybrid car will depreciate, but its resale value will typically be higher because of less maintenance being required and its higher gas mileage
5 Disadvantages of Hybrid Cars
1. Higher Insurance
Hybrid cars usually have a higher insurance cost than petrol or diesel cars because the technology used inside them is much more expensive to repair or replace.
Some insurance companies offer discounts on insuring hybrid vehicles as an incentive to drive one because hybrid cars are much better for the environment than regular petrol or diesel cars.
2. Higher Upfront Cost
Electric and hybrid cars are more expensive than traditional petrol/diesel cars, and with this will come a higher upfront cost.
Once you start driving your hybrid car, the running costs will be considerably lower, so the savings on this will make the higher upfront cost worth it in the long run.
3. Performance
Hybrid cars are often manufactured with the goal of improving fuel efficiency and being better for the environment. This means the car is often designed with this in mind, fuel efficiency is improved at the sacrifice of performance.
A fully hybrid car will be slower in speed compared to its counterparts.
4. Poorer Handling
Hybrids are built with two engines into one car, and this weight affects the handling of the car. This is important to keep in mind when looking to either purchase or lease a hybrid car.
5. Battery Replacement Can Be Expensive
A lot of hybrid cars and electric vehicles use a battery that uses specific rare-earth materials that can only be mined in certain areas of the world. Due to the rarity of these materials, the batteries in hybrid cars are quite expensive when it comes to replacing them.
