Hybrid Car Owners Not Buying Again

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

Once you "go hybrid," it seems you can turn back after all. Only 35 percent of hybrid car owners bought a hybrid again when they purchased a new vehicle in 2011, according to a report by automotive research group Polk.

But some regions of the country showed a surprisingly higher level of loyalty to hybrid cars, like West Palm Beach, Fla., and Phoenix, than other parts of the U.S. Hybrid cars couple a traditional gasoline engine with a battery pack to boost mileage.

The report was based on Polk's analysis of new vehicle registrations of 75,000 hybrid owners who returned to market to purchase a new vehicle last year. The new purchases either replaced the previous hybrid or added to a household fleet.

If repurchase behavior among Toyota Prius owners isn't factored in, hybrid loyalty dropped to under 25 percent. In March, Prius sales made up just under half of the hybrid market, Hybridcars.com reported.

Brad Smith, director, loyalty management practice at Polk, said he expected higher loyalty among hybrid owners, but the report was not entirely surprising given the many competing options for drivers.

"With diesel, plug-in electrics, and hybrid cars there are so many alternatives to gasoline," he said.

Hybrids, however, only make up only about 2.5 percent of the new car market. But, an increasing number of hybrid models are being introduced.

"There's more opportunity for owners to be loyal to the hybrid-fuel type," Smith said.

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[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Seriously, we looked at these a year ago when we bought a new car for Alla. The Prius was double the cost of her Yaris and barely gets 10% better gas mileage. Add the cost of battery replacement for the Prius and there is no possible way you could ever make up the difference in cost. They cannot be justified in terms of cost savings, not for normal driving.

Man made global warming is a hoax, but I would have bought a Prius if it saved money. I am all about saving money. If you want one "just because" then by all means, but to try and justify it financially is impossible unless you drive a hell of a lot of miles.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Can you afford to put a new $7,000 battery in your used hybrid?

[unlockingsky 94]

....... justify it financially is impossible unless you drive a hell of a lot of miles.

hell of a lot of miles = more maintenance cost

still doesn't justify cost-benefit

[luckytxn 2,264]

Can you afford to put a new $7,000 battery in your used hybrid?

Wow. Has gone way up. A few years ago it was only $4,000.00 plus a large haz mat disposal fee.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Man made global warming is a hoax,

And you're the expert.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Wow. Has gone way up. A few years ago it was only $4,000.00 plus a large haz mat disposal fee.

Even regular lead-acid batteries have doubled over the last few years, I paid $40-$50 wholesale for RV batteries for near 15 years, now they are close to $100 each. I bought a new battery for my cordless drill, and that was $70. Interstate will take almost any kind of battery with no disposal fee.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Face it! The US dollar has been diluted over the last five years. Wait until the economy finally gets rolling again, and interest rates start spiking. And, we are coming out of two major conflicts. History tends to repeat itself.

Edited April 11, 2012 by ☼

[Neonred 3,562]

I'm on my second hybrid, both of them Toyota Camrys. The Camry hybrid is a very comfortable car and has the highest return on the extra investment, I read somewhere it's about a year and a half, over a similarly equipped non hybrid. It's only slightly more expensive than a Prius but a heck of a lot nicer. My wife loves this car and won't drive anything else. MPG is mid 30's around town where we do most of our driving, and up to 42 on the open road. Sure I could get that with a cheap shite box car, but I don't want or need a cheap shite box car. I could get better MPG with the Prius, but I wanted a nicer and more comfortable car with great mileage.

I'm happy and the wife is happy. That's all that matters.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Even regular lead-acid batteries have doubled over the last few years, I paid $40-$50 wholesale for RV batteries for near 15 years, now they are close to $100 each. I bought a new battery for my cordless drill, and that was $70. Interstate will take almost any kind of battery with no disposal fee.

Strangely I have been running old used lead acid batteries down to the border for Mexico. They have a place down there that recycles them for the lead.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Gas needs to go up a couple of dollars a gallon to make the hybrid's extra cost pay for itself in a reasonable time.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Gas needs to go up a couple of dollars a gallon to make the hybrid's extra cost pay for itself in a reasonable time.

Hybrids and electric vehicles are and will continue to go down in price as production and component parts costs go down.

But really, what's funny is that nobody mentions cost when talking about buying a 70g Cadillac Escalade, not to mention the price they're willing to pay at the gas pump. When it comes to car purchases, consumers buy for value. If they think buying a hybrid gives them value, they'll get it, even if a car of similar size is cheaper. Singling out hybrids because of their cost is silly.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Gas needs to go up a couple of dollars a gallon to make the hybrid's extra cost pay for itself in a reasonable time.

I don't know how. I can get a conventional car that gets the same mileage, and same appointments for a lot less. You still have to pay for electricity if you decide to charge the batteries using a power cord. I just drove a 2012 Honda Civic that gets 42 mpg, and is a decent ride. The hybrid version gets around 45 mpg.

Edited April 11, 2012 by ☼

[Visitor 90]

I used to be a precision test driver in the Mojave Desert years ago and drove first and second generation hybrid cars. For security reasons I can't go into specifics but suffice to say I don't like hybrids. Having said that, however, I would still like to see what the latest generations of hybrids are like now compared to what I drove years ago. Sure hope they made some positive changes to them.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I don't know how. I can get a conventional car that gets the same mileage, and same appointments for a lot less. You still have to pay for electricity if you decide to charge the batteries using a power cord. I just drove a 2012 Honda Civic that gets 42 mpg, and is a decent ride. The hybrid version gets around 45 mpg.

Car companies aren't necessarily producing hybrids for the highest fuel efficiency. Many are using it as a way to market larger cars that traditionally are not fuel efficient. Meanwhile, fuel efficient technology continues to move forward, which is why many of the crossover SUV's are getting 20mpg or better on gasoline alone. Their hybrid counterparts are getting about 10mpg above that.