Buying Hybrid Cars-What You Should Be Aware Of

The hybrid car is an attempt to reduce our dependence on gasoline while at the same time protecting the environment from pollution. The hybrid car combines the use of gasoline with battery power in one car. The extent to which this has been achieved efficiently, is subject to serious debate presently.

There are some very vital things you should be aware of before deciding on purchasing a hybrid car. Having this information at your finger tips will help you make a well informed decision whenever, you finally take the plunge.

1. The price - the price of the hybrid car is the much talked about of all the other things of the hybrid car. With hybrid car prices ranging from $20000 to $40,000 and difference with pure gasoline car being $3,000 to $10,000 no wonder price is the issue with hybrid car. Generally, the decision to buy is predicated on whether it is worthwhile in savings considering the difference in price. In periods of high gas prices significant savings could be made.

2. The battery cost. Hybrid car batteries cost between $2000 and $4000 depending on the manufacturer. Even though the battery is made up of many cells you can't just replace individual cells. The whole battery has to be replaced. This is so because the weak battery cells will drain power from the good ones if individual bad cells are replaced. even though the price of the battery is high it has a longer lifespan than the conventional car battery.

3. The battery life - The life time of a hybrid car is something you should be aware of since the batteries cost a lot. On average the batteries last from up to 7 to 9 years. The Honda, for example, gives a 8 year per 80,000 mile warranty while Toyota gives 8 year per 100,00 mile warranty. so you are covered for some considerable time before you begin to think of renewal of battery. Also, don't forget that the battery could exceed the warranty period. Most manufacturers should cover cost in case of failure during warranty period.

7. Few specialists, parts price are available - There are few specialists presently on the hybrid cars. Parts may not be readily available and the prices of parts could be very high indeed. All this is as a result of the fact that it is a new technology. As more and more people buy hybrid cars there will be more parts available and more specialists would emerge.

8. Price of gas - You may not really see the expected savings if you are using a hybrid car when gasoline price is low. But if there is any cause for gasoline prices to go as high as $4 or $5 per liter you may begin to see some considerable amount of savings because then you should be using the battery powered side of your hybrid.

9. Credit on purchase - You can get tax credit on your federal tax return with the purchase of a hybrid car. This is an incentive by U.S. government to encourage people to patronize hybrid car manufacturers. The general logic is that with more purchase of these cars manufacturers are encouraged to intensify research on these cars as well as use of alternative energies. To know how much credit you can get on the various brands of cars go to the IRS site on hybrid cars

To conclude - If you are looking for prestige, savings on gas in periods of high gas prices and you have the money to buy it, please go ahead and you will be glad you did.

For more timely guide and reviews on the advantages of hybrid cars and vehicles in the market checkout http://www.hybrid-car-site.com