Should I buy a Hybrid Car?
While hybrid cars have become very popular over the years, it’s not a new thing. In fact, Toyota introduced the first hybrid car—the Toyota Prius—to the United States in 1999.
Hybrid cars have been a very expensive option for new car buyers and this revolutionary technology hasn’t really taken off in South Africa, ‘till recently. The demand for hybrid cars increased drastically over the past few years and car brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Kia boast with the top selling hybrid cars.
So how exactly does a hybrid car work?
What it boils down too, is that hybrid cars run form an electric engine and a fuel engine, which uses energy stored in batterie packs. Unlike electric cars, hybrid cars don’t need to be plugged in to charge the battery, instead the electric engine powers the car when driving slower, and the fuel engine powers it at higher speeds and every time you hit the breaks the battery gets charged and the energy get stored in battery pack.
Positives of a hybrid car.
The highest positiveon the list considering continuous fuel hikes, is that hybrid cars improve fuel efficiency. Because hybrid cars don’t solely rely on their fuel engine, less fuel is needed as soon as the car switch over to it’s high voltage battery power.
Secondly, hybrid cars are more eco-friendly and offer greener driving solution therefor it ensures a smaller carbon footprint. Since hybrid cars can run on just electric energy for short trips, your hybrid car will produce less Co2. Not only is a hybrid car low on fuel pollution but in noise pollution too.
Due to a combination of a high voltage battery pack, electric and fuel motor, there’s far less wear and tear on your car’s engine. This means that less repairs and routine maintenance is needed which is a huge yearly cost saving.
Since hybrid cars rely on an internal combustion (IC) engine to fall back on, there’s no need to worry about how long the battery energy is going to last. The combination of the IC engine and regenerative braking of hybrid cars, will keep you going – stress free.
Negatives of a hybrid car.
The biggest drawback is that hybrid cars upfront cost is much higher than regular fuel cars and can be as much as 20 percent more expensive than a standard version car.
The second concern is the battery pack. According to Green Car Reports, battery replacement in a hybrid car is highly unlikely but if the battery needs to be replaced, it can get pricey.
The performance you get from hybrid cars largely depends on what model and type you choose. Although hybrid cars have twin-powered engines the combined power of both is often less than that of a fuel-powered engine. It is therefore suited for city driving and not for speed and acceleration.
With the market as fresh as it is in South Africa, the demand for hybrid cars is still rather low. This may mean that your hybrid car could depreciate faster than a regular fuel-powered version.
Is it worth getting a hybrid car?
Globally hybrid cars are becoming more in demand, as manufacturing prices are dropping therefor are becoming more affordable for the average driver.
Although hybrid cars cost more to buy up front than normal fuel powered cars, research shows that buying a hybrid car will save you more money in the first three years of ownership, even if fuel prices continue to drop. Hybrid technology is time-tested. As noted earlier, the Toyota Prius debuted more than 2 decades ago, which means they had plenty of time to work out the kinks for hybrid technolog.
And although there are so many brand new hybrids models available to buy currently, the pre-owned market is relatively strong for used hybrid cars.
You can have peace of mind with dependable quality, pre-owned hybrid cars, If you let us help you find your dream car at your convenience with SA Car Broker – your safe and reliable one-stop online car dealer.
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