Consider These Five Things When Shopping for a Hybrid Vehicle

Many people rank car shopping right up there with having a tooth pulled. Wow! Visiting dealership after dealership and haggling with a salesperson is not a pleasant experience? All sarcasm aside, car shopping can be nerve-wracking. And when you add to the fact that you want to buy a hybrid car, your stressful shopping experience can be compounded. All you know about hybrids probably is that they supposedly get good gas mileage and you are hoping to save a few bucks in the long run. But do you know which hybrid vehicle to buy? How do you distinguish between them? Is one better over another? Consider the following five things when shopping for a hybrid vehicle:

Price Tag

Hybrid vehicles run the gamut from about $20,000 to over $50,000. That is quite a leap in price and these are just for the standard models available. No extras are included in that price range. In addition, just know that hybrids tend to be around $5,000 more that their non hybrid counterparts. Comparisons would be like apples to oranges. The hybrid vehicle that will tend to have the lowest price will have a manual transmission. That means dealing with a clutch and stick shift. If shifting gears doesn’t bother you, you have several options available to you depending on what you want to spend. Honda and Toyota have smaller hybrids available in the $20,000 range, give or take a thousand or two. Or you can go the opposite end of the spectrum to a luxury hybrid vehicle from Lexus to the tune of $50,000 or more. And remember, for sports utility vehicles the price tag of your hybrid will increase as well.

Size Matters

Early hybrid vehicles were small. But now that more and more consumers desire a hybrid, car manufacturers have increased the size of the vehicles. When shopping for one, keep in mind your own needs such as who you plan to transport regularly as well as if you plan to tow anything. Is it just for your work commute or do you plan to haul the family around? Keep some of those factors in mind when shopping for your hybrid.

For commuting and tooling around town, two-seaters like the Honda Insight might be optimal. For a small family, the hybrid version of the Honda Civic is a great option because it is a small sedan that will seat up to five people. Its trunk is smaller than a regular gasoline version because the trunk holds the battery. Toyota has the Prius hybrid, which comes in hatchbacks as well as sedans. Other car manufacturers have similar models available to the general public too. SUV models can be had as well. It just depends on the size and cost that will fit your lifestyle. So far, no one has a hybrid mini-van, but that will surely change in the near future.

The Look of the Vehicle

Do you want something a little out of the ordinary, with a Jetsons-type of look? Or do you want to blend in with the traffic on the road and just reap the benefits of a hybrid? Each car manufacturer’s hybrids have different appearances to suit a number of tastes. You just have to decide what will best reflect you, the owner.

Gas Mileage

Considering that the average gas-powered car gets between 20 to 22 miles to the gallon of gas, a hybrid is a dream. Of course, depending on the make and model of your choice will depend on what type of gas mileage you will receive with your hybrid. For instance, if you choose the manual transmission models of some of the smaller sedans or compacts from Toyota or Honda, you can expect around 50 miles per gallon or more. As you get to the larger hybrids like the SUVs, the mileage will be reduced. Determining what is important for you is a first step in the right gas mileage direction.

Probable Resale Value

If you are looking into purchasing a hybrid, chances are that you are somewhat of a risk-taker, someone who thinks outside the box. As hybrid technology evolves, you will want to trade up and get the next latest and greatest model. By choosing the best hybrid now with great resale value, you can ensure a great trade-in value in a few years. Protecting your investment and future prospects is a smart move.