Hybrids cost more to fix, study says!
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
A comparison on the driving habits of hybrid owners against non-hybrid car drivers reveals that since hybrid owners drive 25% more than their non-hybrid counterparts, it potentially negates the benefits of the added battery pack and electric motor.
The startling results of the survey conducted by Quality Planning were generated from analyzing 360,000 vehicles from 2007 to 2008. When commuting, hybrid and non-hybrid drivers are comparable. In non-commuting scenarios however, hybrid owners drive their vehicles 25% more (equivalent to 2,000 miles). President of Quality Planning Dr. Raj Bhat explains that it could be because high-mileage drivers are generally more interested in hybrids. Continued after the jump!
More traffic tickets have been discovered to go to hybrid owners. The study saw a 65% difference as Toyota Prius owners received .38 tickets per 100,000 miles driven, versus a non-hybrid average of .23 tickets per 100,000 miles.
Dr. Bhat said that it‚ probably because hybrid owners typically live in the cities, where more tickets are normally issued. Now the worst news for hybrid aficionados would have to be that repair costs are significantly higher for hybrid owners. Case in point, the Ford Escape Hybrid is 31% more expensive to repair than the gasoline-only model. A Toyota Highlander Hybrid costs 45% more. Nonetheless, a recent report by IntelliChoice asserts that in the long-term, hybrids and diesels are cheaper to maintain than gasoline-only cars.
[via autoblog]
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