Which Is The Best Hybrid Car To Buy
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which is the best hybrid car to buy
Plug-in hybrid cars can receive a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500 if the car is on this list. PHEVs have a larger electric battery with more capacity that you can recharge with an external power source.
The Prius is a classic hybrid car that keeps getting better. It ranks well in affordability, with a starting price of $25,075, and it also has great gas mileage at 56 mpg. On a ranking of the hybrid cars with the best gas mileage, it was topped only by the Hyundai Ioniq Blue, which has 59 mpg. The 2023 Prius will be the first Toyota vehicle to go "Beyond Zero" emissions as Toyota aims to maximize efficiency with as low emissions as possible. In the Prius L Eco, you have impressive safety features, like the pre-collision system with pedestrian detection and full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control that you can use on the highway to drive at a preset speed while maintaining a preset distance from the driver in front of you.
The Hyundai Santa Fe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is perfect for families with its large cargo volume and safety features. It has collision-avoidance assist features, lane-keeping assist, smart cruise control, and more. The Hyundai digital key allows you to lock the doors of your vehicle from the app, and it even remembers your seat, mirror, and navigation settings. You also get heated front seats and an all-wheel drive for extra stability in all road conditions. This is a plug-in hybrid, so it has a higher-capacity electric battery when compared to a series or parallel hybrid system. You can recharge the car with an external power source. The PHEV status of this car qualifies it for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500.
This luxury, sports activity PHEV is eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 and additional state incentives. The BMW xDrive system is the foundation of this car, taking you through any terrain with ease. The intelligent, all-wheel system collects and uses your driving data to transfer power to each wheel for the best control of your car in every season. If you lose traction on a slick or snow-filled road, the xDrive Dynamic Stability Control feature helps minimize the loss of traction so that you can power out of snow and drive safely. You can charge this car's electric battery easily with a BMW Wallbox or any power outlet, and you can check your charging status, range, and more from the My BMW app.
The Kia Niro hybrid boasts an impressive driving range of up to 588 miles -- meaning less time at gas stations or charging stations for your car. Kia uses a parallel hybrid system for this car, and regenerative braking too. You get a touchscreen display that shows you navigation and diagnostic information about your vehicle, and you get standard safety features too, like collision avoidance assist, lane following assist to keep you at the center of your lane, and highway driving assist that helps you match posted speed limits.
The Honda Insight is a quietly powerful hybrid that packs in 52 mpg and accelerates well. It's a functional car that prioritizes the user, with precision steering, a responsive touchscreen entertainment system that syncs up with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and plenty of cargo storage space. You can get more storage with the Toyota Prius, but the 15 cubic feet of storage with the Insight could be more than enough for your needs. The safety features included with the Insight are essential, like a rearview camera, stop sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, and more. Honda discontinued the Insight in June, but you can still purchase a used model.
The Toyota Prius L Eco stood out among the other options for its affordability and high fuel economy. For the price, you're getting a dependable hybrid with a long history. Toyota's climate-neutral commitments are also a standout. The other vehicles on this list offer their own benefits, depending on what you prioritize.
Each option below is uniquely suited to different lifestyles. If you know you're interested in a car that qualifies for the federal tax credit, the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV and the BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV are your best options. The Toyota Prius, Kia Niro, and Honda Insight will appeal to a variety of other buyers looking for a different type of hybrid. If you're set on a used vehicle, consider the Honda Insight.
We wanted this list to be different and highlight use cases, not just technical specifications. A hybrid car that might have great features might not have made it on this list because another vehicle outshone it for usability. I wanted to make sure that I could make a case for each of the cars highlighted here in terms of how the vehicle connects to your life, and how it might improve your life. Performance mattered, as well as comfort and the tech the car used.
Hybrid cars feature complex technology, like an electric motor, specific gears, etc, that leads to higher initial costs and maintenance costs. If you buy a new hybrid, you'll probably get a warranty with it, but if you're buying used, you're taking more of a risk.
Plug-in hybrid cars are eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500 if the car is on this list. A plug-in hybrid is different from a series or parallel hybrid system because it has a higher-capacity battery. You can recharge the car with an external power source. In a series hybrid system, like the BMW i3, the internal combustion engine recharges the battery while the electric side of things powers the wheels. In the parallel hybrid system, found in the Toyota Prius, both the electric motor and the internal combustion engine power the car's movements.
Yes, hybrid cars still use gasoline. However, they use less gas than traditional cars because the electric motor helps power the car, conserving fuel. In fact, most hybrid cars save up to 50% on gas consumption compared to traditional vehicles.
It depends on your situation. The average hybrid car costs about $3,000-$5,000 more than a traditional car. However, the savings in fuel and maintenance costs will offset the initial price difference over time. In addition, hybrid cars have many other benefits, such as being better for the environment and improving your gas mileage.
The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Blue is the base trim of the lineup and it gets the best fuel economy of the lot. This front-wheel-drive sedan uses a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. With its motor and battery pack this hybrid delivers 192 total system horsepower, making it one of the more responsive hybrids you can buy. See Hyundai Sonata models for sale near you
The Toyota Corolla Hybrid is a compact sedan with an attractive and comfortable cabin. It has a responsive hybrid powertrain with good handling. This compact sedan features quality materials throughout the interior with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to keep everyone connected. See Toyota Corolla models for sale near you
This list is comprised of straight-up hybrids. Unlike their Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) cousins, standard hybrids require no plugging in to achieve their best fuel economy; simply fill them with gasoline as you would a regular car and let the hybrid system do the work of extracting the maximum miles from the least amount of fuel. These are the best hybrid cars (the best hybrid SUVs are listed separately) available for 2022 and include a mix of 2021 and 2022 model year vehicles spanning both mainstream and premium markets. They are listed from highest to lowest mpg combined rating, according to the EPA.
The Hyundai Elantra hybrid carries over from 2022 to 2023 with no changes. That means the same 140-horsepower hybrid powertrain with front-wheel drive for this popular compact sedan. Clearly no contender for the horsepower sweepstakes, it at least has enough power to keep up with traffic while saving on fuel costs. Keeping things simple, just two trims are on offer for 2023: the base Blue ($25,445), EPA-rated at a commendable 54 mpg combined, 53 city and 56 highway, and the Limited ($30,045) that slips to 50, 49 and 52 mpg in the same metrics despite using the identical powertrain.
The Toyota Camry has worked hard to build its reputation as reliable, versatile sedan and that includes the hybrid variants. The 2023 LE model, which is hitting showrooms now, leads off with a 52 mpg combined rating and a $29,175 base MSRP including a $1025 destination fee. The SE, XLE and XSE give up a few mpg and come in at 44 mpg combined. All trims get Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, and the SE Nightside sub-model adds all-wheel drive. No matter how you work the numbers, the Camry is hard to beat at its price point, even with a few added-cost options tacked on.
A traditional hybrid like the ones in this list requires no external charging or special operating procedures; just fill your car with gas as usual, and the system will work to extract the best fuel efficiency possible. (Plug-in hybrids are similar in operation, with the addition of external charging.)
The primary advantage of a hybrid car is improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. For instance, low-speed stop-and-go traffic can be particularly inefficient with a gasoline engine; a hybrid utilizes the electric motor(s) in these situations to increase efficiency dramatically. Plus, electric motors make all of their available torque from 1 rpm and up, which is ideal for stop-and-go traffic; gasoline engines require revving to produce maximum torque. When needed, the system can also operate the electric motors and gasoline engine simultaneously for maximum output and acceleration when merging or getting up to speed.
Most hybrids have come down in price over the last few years, but many still demand a small premium over the cost of their non-hybrid counterparts. Hybrids are also heavier due to the battery pack and additional hardware, but the improved fuel economy negates the additional weight in all but a few very specialized instances. 041b061a72