Fuel economy. Fuel efficiency. Miles per gallon.
No matter which name you know it by, that fact remains: cars that can travel further while relying on less fuel tend to be more popular today. In fact, nearly half a million hybrids were sold in 2012 alone. Drivers have wised up to the fact that gas-guzzling automobiles won’t do them much good in the long run, especially given the ever-inflating prices they’re paying at the gas pump.
So, what car has the highest MPG? Traditionally, hybrids have gotten much more fuel economy out of them than standard gasoline-based vehicles. For example, let’s look at both models of the 2012 Honda Civic.
The Comparison
The Hybrid gets around 44 MPG for both city and highway driving. Per year, a driver’s average total miles traveled is around 15,000 miles, and at roughly $4 per gallon of gas, you could expect an annual cost of $1.3 million — just for gas. Seems like quite a bit, doesn’t it? The Non-Hybrid, on the other hand, only gets a total of 33 MPG, totaling about $1.8 million in gas for the entire year. It seems to be the better choice to opt for hybrid vehicles over non-hybrids then, right?
Of course, the numbers don’t lie. But there can be hidden costs to relying on hybrid vehicles and they all have to do with what goes on under the hood.
The Unexpected
As we said, hybrid cars tend to last longer and travel more miles than gasoline-based cars. But hybrid batteries? That’s an entirely different story. Studies have shown that a hybrid battery really only lasts an average of eight years before it needs replacing. For a hybrid owner, that can be disheartening news, especially since the dealership costs of hybrid battery replacement tend to be well over $4,000.
But you don’t have to go through the dealership to give your hybrid a jumpstart.
Third-party battery providers can most times provide you with a battery at a fraction of the cost of what the dealership wants. All you have to do is find a service and ask for a quote. Then, find a few more and obtain quotes from all of them. Then, when you have all your options laid out in front of you, it’ll be easy to see which one’s the most economical choice.
It’s not always about what car has the highest MPG. Sometimes, it’s simply about planning ahead and choosing the right replacement battery for your hybrid. Helpful research also found here.
