Reasons Not to Buy a Hybrid Car (yet)

At the risk of heresy, here are good reasons to wait on buying a hybrid vehicle:

1. Hybrids cost more upfront; Sticker price along with taxes including sales and license fees tend to be 10-30% higher, usually about $3,000 or more. Whether you make this difference up depends; on 1) when you sell it 2) resale value 3) your income tax situation 4) how much you drive 5) your insurance company 6) the state you live in 7) how you finance your vehicle 8) where you take it for service 9) what type of warranties you bought 10) where you park and how you commute. A study of typical consumer showed that most did not calculate these economic variables, and bought hybrid for image related reasons.

2. Hybrid vehicle choices are limited, but expanding dramatically every year; waiting may be better. Larger and less expensive hybrid cars, trucks, and SUVs will become available.

3. Hybrids on the market today rely on gasoline, for which there is no synthetic substitute (unlike diesel engines, which can run on bio-diesel).

4. Car battery disposal, when the car eventually is retired. There is no known methods on the disposal and could potentially create dangerous environmental impact. The 12V batteries in all cars are highly recyclable since the infrastructure is very well in place, unlike the newer batteries used in hybrids.

5. Extra weight and usually lack of performance in terms of acceleration and speed. Heavy cars require more energy to move, and greatly affect safety and handling. The Camry hybrid is about 300lbs more than it's counterpart.

6. Real world mileage is lower than the EPA estimates.

7. It takes more energy to manufacture a hybrid than to a regular car. Compare the energy consumed by a HUMMER and a Prius over their entire lives (including the gas they will consume), a Prius will consume more than a HUMMER.

See also Top Reasons to Buy a Hybrid Car.