The year of the hybrid

Choosing a hybrid car over an equivalent petrol car can be a fantastic way for motorists to save money as fuel prices soar towards 140 pence per litre mark. As more hybrid models are launched, they are becoming available to an ever wider audience of car buyers.
 
TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk analysed the fuelling costs of a number of hybrid models now available to buy in the UK and compared them to an equivalent petrol car.
 
The results were impressive, on average it was found that buying a new hybrid car instead of a petrol equivalent could save you on average over £500 pounds a year in refuelling costs.
 
While the purchase price of a hybrid model tends to be higher than an ordinary petrol model, the difference in MPG capabilities means that you could recover the additional outlay within four years, meaning that a hybrid model can make economic as well as environmental sense.
 
In the case of the Auris, the hybrid model starts from £2,460 more than the range-topping 1.6 SR V-Matic of the non-hybrid range. But with a discrepancy of 31.5 mpg in combined fuel economy, the hybrid could save you £630.95 a year in fuel, meaning that you could recoup your initial additional outlay in four years. Add this to the strong residual values for a typical hybrid model and you could find that the initial expense is well worth it.
 
“More and more hybrid models are now reaching the market, and while 2011 was widely predicted to be the year of the electric car, in terms of real market presence and accessibility, then 2011 is a breakthrough year for hybrids,” explains the website’s editor, Faye Sunderland.
 
“Once the choice was limited to a couple of cars from just a couple of manufacturers; now more and more car makers are getting in on the act and introducing hybrid cars into more vehicle segments.
 
“This year sees the launch of the first B-segment hybrid; the Honda Jazz, the launch of Infiniti M35 hybrid and Peugeot’s first hybrid and the first diesel hybrid in the form of the 3008 HYbrid4. Range-extended models such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Vauxhall Ampera should be available to order before the end of the year, for delivery in 2012,” she adds.