The hidden costs of a hybrid car
5:11 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It's got a shiny, front-end grill, fancy technology and gets good gas mileage.
It's the hybrid.
The sale of hybrid cars went up 38 percent last year. And with gas prices continuing to rise, many drivers are thinking about buying one for themselves.
But there are some hybrid hidden costs that may make you re-think that "green" investment.
How about insuring a hybrid?
Joe Magnuson, an insurance specialist, compared the cost of insuring a hybrid versus the cost of insuring a middle-of-the-line non-hybrid and came up with the following estimated results:
* The Toyota Camry Hybrid runs about 6.5% higher in insurance premiums vs. the LE or XE model
* The Ford Escape Hybrid is about 8.9% higher than the XLT model of the non-hybrid
* The Mazda Tribute Hybrid is about 7.8% higher in insurance cost than the non-hybrid "I" Sport model
* The Honda Civic Hybrid is the anamoly, as it is only .8% higher in auto cost than the non-hybrid 'LX' model of the Civic
Insurance rates for hybrids are higher because the vehicles are heavier. As a result, they cause more damage in accidents.
"Our only problem is getting enough availability of them. "
Toyota sells the Camry and Highlander in the fuel-efficient model. Their most popular, the Prius, gets 48 miles to the gallon in the city and 45 miles to the gallon on the highway.
But to get the savings at the pump, you'll have to pay about $4,500 more for a hybrid than a normal car.
Steve Cain, general manager at Lewis Toyota, says gas mileage isn't the only reason people are buying it.
"They're wanting to be green, it puts out fewer emissions," he said.
But going green could cost you more green in repairs under the hood of a hybrid.
Cain showed me under the hood of a Prius.
If the battery went bad after the 8-year, 100-thousand mile warranty expired, he says drivers could replace a cell instead of the entire battery. That cost is $400 to $600.
But--
"If you had to replace the whole battery system, you might be looking at $3,000 to $4,000 to replace the whole thing," Cain said.
A battery for a normal car ranges from $90 to $160.
And you may want to think twice before taking a hybrid your local mechanic. That's because many of them aren't familiar with the car's complicated system.
"If it's out of warranty and they're not as familiar with the vehicle, it's going to take somebody a little more time to figure out the problem, than somebody that's been under the vehicle and trained to be under the vehicle," Cain said.
Comments
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Apr. 24, 2008 at 5:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)kengrubb (anonymous)
Folks on greenhybrid.com routinely report 60+ MPG with their Priuses. If you do a lot of city driving, you can easily beat the 48 MPG government rating. For anyone concerned about the durability of a Prius, you might want to Google the Internet for information about Vancouver, BC cabbie Andrew Grant. He logged 199K miles on his 2001 Prius taxicab with no hybrid related repairs. It was traded for a 2004 Prius which he subsequently logged 240K miles and only a warranty covered fly-by-write throttle issue. I believe hybrid battery reliability is truly a settled issue.
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