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Gas vs. Hybrid Vehicles – Which are More Cost Effective?

2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid
 

Do skyrocketing gas prices have you thinking about making a hybrid vehicle your next car, like a lot of Temecula drivers have done? There are certainly several great Toyota hybrid vehicles to choose from, like the Toyota Prius Prime. But, if you’ve had a chance to compare hybrid vs. gas vehicles, you’ve discovered that hybrid vehicles cost more than their gas-powered counterparts. Is the extra cost worth it? We do a detailed gas vs. hybrid vehicles comparison below to help you decide.

 

 

Gas vs. Hybrid Vehicles – Upfront Costs

In order to compare hybrid vs. gas vehicles, it’s important to understand that there are two kinds of Toyota hybrid vehicles – plug-in hybrids and standard hybrids which are not plugged in. Plug-in hybrids get by far the best gas mileage on our Canyon Lake roads but are also the most expensive compared to gas and hybrid cars. However, plug-in hybrids qualify for the federal tax credit, whereas standard hybrids do not. Here is a comparison of the RAV4 prices:

2022 Toyota RAV4 Starting MSRPs

  • 2022 RAV4 (gas) – $26,975
  • 2022 RAV4 Hybrid – $29,575 ($2,600 price difference)
  • 2022 RAV4 Prime (plug-in hybrid) – $40,300 ($9,575 price difference after $3,750 federal tax credit)

Gas vs. Hybrid Vehicles – Gas and Maintenance Costs

It’s hard to get a solid number on exactly how much you can save on your Murrieta commute with a hybrid car nowadays, as gas prices have fluctuated wildly. Most recent estimates we’ve found are from Forbes that states that plug-in hybrids can save you as much as $1,300 per year in gas. Standard hybrids would save substantially less. Maintenance is around $300 less on average for plug-in hybrids, and around the same for standard hybrids as gas vehicles. Here’s a breakdown of gas mileage for the RAV4:

2022 Toyota RAV4 EPA-Estimated Gas Mileage

  • 2022 RAV4 (gas) – 27/35 mpg
  • 2022 RAV4 Hybrid – 41/35 mpg
  • 2022 RAV4 Prime (plug-in hybrid) – 38/94 mpg/mpge

How Long Does It Take for a Hybrid Vehicle to Pay for Itself?

According to this 2016 article from MotorTrend, it would take about 4 years and 2 months for a RAV4 Hybrid owner to break even on their purchase. Gas prices have gone up since then, but the difference in sticker prices between the hybrid and gas version of this vehicle has also gone up at about the same rate. What about the plug-in hybrid RAV4 Prime? According to our calculations, it would take around 5 and a half years to almost 8 years to break even on the purchase of the plug-in hybrid, depending on whether your insurance company charges a higher premium for electric cars.

Compare Hybrid vs. Gas Vehicles at Temecula Valley Toyota

We’ll be glad to walk you through the differences between the Toyota hybrid vehicles and gas cars on our lot. Why not stop by and take a test drive? If you’d like to learn more, check out our posts on which Toyota models are hybrid and the difference between hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Remember, we’re just down the road from Wildomar. So, drop in and let us guide you to your next car.

 

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