Sure, hybrid cars are popular with the Hollywood celebrities who drive them around with as much pride as if they were Ferraris or Aston Martins. And sure, they'll help to save the environment. But for regular people, there are plenty of reasons not to get behind the wheel of a hybrid. They're just more trouble --and more expense-- than they're worth. Right?
Wrong. While most people profess to care about the environment, few of them decide to go to the effort of protecting it with a vehicle as Earth-friendly as a hybrid. And they use some pretty silly excuses to justify it. Here, you'll find six of the most popular excuses people use to avoid buying a hybrid; and why those excuses are just, well... silly.
Excuse 1: Hybrid Vehicles are too Expensive
While it's true that a hybrid car costs more on initial purchase than the traditional gas-using version of the same model, the cost difference is made up very quickly through gas savings. While, a gas-only Toyota Camry may cost about $3,500 less than a Toyota Prius, you'll save at least $800 annually on gas prices when they're low (about $2 a gallon) and significantly more when they're high. Plus, as gas prices rise, the resale value of the hybrid rises... while the gas-only vehicle's value plummets.
Excuse 2: Gas Prices are Low Right Now
In the last several months, the world (and especially the U.S.) has seen gas prices drop from astronomical levels to very manageable ones. And while that may seem like a good reason to stick with your gas guzzler... it's not. According to most experts, the current low price of gas is temporary. With production rates falling along with the value of the dollar (which increases production costs), gas prices are probably on their way back up.
Excuse 3: I Have No Place to Plug it In
A lot of people confuse hybrid cars with electric cars, and think that they need a special socket in their garage to "charge" a hybrid car. Actually, that's completely unnecessary. The electricity in hybrid cars works quite similarly to the car batteries in traditional vehicles. There's just more of it, because the energy created by the deceleration of the car is transformed into energy. It's just as low-maintenance as any traditional engine.
Excuse 4: They're Just Not Fast Enough
While previous hybrid car models were certainly slower and less powerful than their gas-only counterparts, hybrid engine technology has improved vastly in the last several years. In fact, they're just as snappy as traditional cars. And though more power means less fuel efficiency (as it does with gas-only vehicles), you can get plenty of power in your average hybrid vehicle.
Excuse 5: The Expensive Batteries are a Pain
When you think of replacing the large, complex batteries on a hybrid vehicle, you probably imagine that you have to do it as often as you would with a gas - only car. Fortunately, that's not true. While the special batteries used in hybrid engines are quite expensive to produce and replace, they don't need to be replaced very often. In fact, most hybrid manufacturers give warranties on their cars batteries that last 8 to 10 years.
The truth is, there are a lot of good reasons to buy a hybrid car - and saving money on fuel isn't the only one. As time goes by and technology improves, there are fewer and fewer reasons to go with a traditional gas-only engine. With a hybrid, you save money and you do your part to save the environment. And what other type of car provides you both with transportation and peace of mind?
