With almost a quarter of 2016 already gone, many people are keen to upgrade their cars before the summer. After all: we’ll be concentrating more on barbecues and going on holiday in those times! Now is perhaps the busiest time of year for car dealers across the land.
A quick glance at classifieds sites will reveal that more people are putting their cars up for sale. You are perhaps thinking of doing that yourself in the next few days. But, have you thought about what type of car you’re going to replace it with?
There was once a time where motorists could only buy petrol or diesel vehicles. Nowadays, there is a whole host of alternative fuel options. From electric to hydrogen, you no longer have to rely on expensive fuel to propel your car!
As you might expect, many of us have reservations about cars with alternative fuels. For instance, range anxiety is something we worry about when driving an electric car. And hydrogen filling stations are as rare as England winning a major sporting event!
One solution to that problem is to opt for a hybrid car. Not sure what they are all about? Keep reading to find out more, including how they could benefit you. Here’s what you need to know:
What is a hybrid car?
In a nutshell, a “hybrid” vehicle is one that has two power sources. One of them is a small conventional petrol or diesel engine. The other is an electric motor.
During short journeys or those at low speeds, the electric motor powers the car. Some vehicles can offer a range of up to 100 miles before the batteries need a charge. With an electric car, one must “plug” their vehicle into a power socket for a few hours.
Hybrid cars differ in that the combustion engine recharges the batteries. What’s more, it also becomes the primary power source so that you can keep on driving.
Why is a hybrid car better than an electric one?
Perhaps the primary reason is the lack of range anxiety! You don’t have to worry about running out of juice. All you need to do is remember to add petrol or diesel to your tank when you’re running low. Of course, you’ll have experience of doing that already. You don’t need to do anything different.
With an electric car, once your batteries go flat you can no longer drive. At that point, panic will set in if you’re not anywhere near an electric charging station! Another disadvantage of owning an electric car is the amount of time your car needs to get charged.
As a hybrid owner, your car’s electric motor batteries get charged as you drive. That means you can drive at any time, just like you do in a standard petrol or diesel vehicle.
You may also notice the price difference of hybrid and electric cars. The former is almost always far cheaper than the latter! Let’s face it: when it comes to buying a car, the price will always be part of the decision-making process. As you can see, it makes more sense to buy a hybrid vehicle over an electric one.
There are plenty of choices on the market
Almost all car marques offer a model that has a hybrid option. Some cars, such as the Toyota Prius, are only available as a hybrid. But, more models that have petrol and diesel engines get offered in hybrid formats too.
You might think that hybrid vehicles are a new technology, but they’ve been around for a while. As a result, one can buy a used hybrid from the Car Deal Warehouse, for example. That makes such a vehicle more appealing than one powered just by an electric motor!
They are frugal on fuel
When a hybrid uses the combustion engine, the good news is it doesn’t consume much fuel. For instance, let’s say that a hybrid car is approaching some traffic lights and it’s running the engine. When the vehicle comes to a stop, the motor will shut down as if you turned off the ignition. Once you lift your foot off the brake pedal, the engine will restart itself.
If you only do a series of short journeys each week, you’ll find most of the time you’ll be using the electric motor. That means you won’t need to use any petrol or diesel at all in those cases! Perhaps the only time you’ll use the combustion engine in that scenario is on the weekend!
There’s no denying that hybrid cars offer superior fuel economy, even better than diesels!
You’ll lead a greener lifestyle
Do you worry about the environment? Of course, you do. We all do to an extent! As a race, humans are perhaps the biggest threat to our lovely planet. We pollute the atmosphere and cause climate change. It’s obvious engine emissions are one of the biggest ways we pollute the environment.
One of the ways to lead a greener lifestyle is by driving a hybrid car. Sure, you might think electric vehicles are better in that respect. But, they aren’t quite a practical option. 2016 will no doubt be the year that more people than ever buy hybrid cars. Especially if past buying trends are anything to go by!
You’ll own something different to your friends
I am willing to bet that most of your friends drive petrol or diesel cars. I can also virtually guarantee that less than 10% of them own a hybrid!
If you want to drive something different to what your friends own, a hybrid is the way forward! The thing about motorists is that some people are averse to change. They’re not too sure about any “new-fangled technology”. They’d rather stick with what they know.
But, life is all about trying out new experiences. How else will we expand our minds?
Thank you for reading today’s blog post. I hope that it has convinced you enough to go out and buy a hybrid!
