The burning question, would a hybrid be better for me?

[Bug One]

hmm so mixed opinions

Regardless of depreciation and cost to buy, out of say these 2, what what yield me better results on money saving ? (tax, fuel, service, etc etc) and would it be much difference between the two ?


https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201912235573147?maximum-mileage=60000&make=SEAT&advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=12000&postcode=ox394je&aggregatedTrim=FR&quantity-of-doors=5&body-type=Hatchback&transmission=Automatic&radius=1500&annual-tax-cars=TO_30&model=LEON&sort=price-asc&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&maximum-badge-engine-size=1.6&page=1

or

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201910293799820?make=TOYOTA&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&annual-tax-cars=EQ_0&transmission=Automatic&postcode=ox394je&year-from=2016&body-type=Hatchback&fuel-type=Hybrid – Petrol/Electric&radius=1500&aggregatedTrim=Excel&model=AURIS&sort=price-asc&maximum-mileage=60000&advertising-location=at_cars&price-from=10000&page=1

Ahh - I see your already considering alternative options to the hybrid. Never driven an Auris, but I've driven that generation Leon FR spec as a hire car and it was really nice. I'd have happily kept it.

Plus, never been keen on CVTs.

 

[ShiWarrior]

Thanks Bug One

no not talked out of a Hybrid, trying to see which would be better, if you are correct then a little engine with a turbo is the best way to go ?

 

[Psycho Sonny]

yes, too big , but thanks anyway


recommending me cars is ok, but as i said i need to know what would save me money in the long run for the journies i do
i still think hybrid would be best for me, than petrol, but im not sure?

the hybrids do like 50-60 mpg in the ct200h guise.

so what would a non hybrid do? 40mpg?

then take in the cost of petrol per number of miles per year. then the cost of the cars into it.

so how much is the petrol car costing vs hybrid?

what is the difference in mpg? and how many miles per year do you do?

all you need to is a spreadsheet and it will tell you which is better for you.

I really don't see how a hybrid is going to be any better in this scenario than a 'normal' car.

The main advantage of a hybrid is that you recover some of the energy that is otherwise lost under braking. It can also help making a smaller engine feel a bit more punchy. However, the disadvantage is an increase in cost (initial outlay), weight (economy) and complexity (servicing / maintenance risk).

This is obviously different if you can plug the hybrid in, as you're then able to do some of your driving using only electricity - which, if you can plug in at home, is generally a lot cheaper than petrol. As you can't do that, I don't see a hybrid really being anything other than a liability for you.

that isn't the only advantage. you also get all the energy from rolling as well as going downhill. it's constantly being charged and discharged.

 

[ShiWarrior]

the hybrids do like 50-60 mpg in the ct200h guise.

so what would a non hybrid do? 40mpg?

then take in the cost of petrol per number of miles per year. then the cost of the cars into it.

so how much is the petrol car costing vs hybrid?

what is the difference in mpg? and how many miles per year do you do?

all you need to is a spreadsheet and it will tell you which is better for you.

as i said , cost my car around £1,300 a year (fuel) , add 235 tax to that = £1500
on board CPU says 28.5 mpg

i have a budget spreadsheet, and i pay around £60 a month on fuel
approx 7000 miles a year

 

[Psycho Sonny]

as i said , cost my car around £1,300 a year (fuel) , add 235 tax to that = £1500
on board CPU says 28.5 mpg

i have a budget spreadsheet, and i pay around £60 a month on fuel
approx 7000 miles a year

I've done rough calculations based on current car 30 mpg and new car 55mpg and 7000 miles per year equals a fuel saving of £580 a year going hybrid.

Plus the road tax you are talking £800 per year.

I used petrol cost of £1.20 if its higher than that then savings are greater.

I think Lexus are now making hybrids that don't require any plugging in? Can't say I've kept an eye on the hybrid market as I've always fallen outside the intended market. But you'd be paying for a brand new car; even "keeping it until it dies" you'd still experience a lot of service costs that any other car would.

If the goal is to save on your current fuel and ownership costs, buying a new car isn't one of them, especially with only 7,000 miles a year. Heck, my 2006 civic 1.8 returns much better MPG than that, and has negligible servicing costs. Granted, it isn't going to be brand spanking new, and it may not have auto-braking, but I'm sure you could find a spec with everything else. And you'd be saving half your budget whilst at it.

I know you've said that you park 1/4 mile away from home, and can't charge at work, but what about other opportunities in your lifestyle? Do you do a weekly shop that has outlets for charging that you could utilize? You do so little mileage that it wouldn't take long to charge for day-to-day use I'd have thought?

Driving a 2006 civic and a 2015 lexus ct200h are 2 completely different things though. You aren't paying just for mpg

 

[ShiWarrior]

I've done rough calculations based on current car 30 mpg and new car 55mpg and 7000 miles per year equals a fuel saving of £580 a year going hybrid.

Plus the road tax you are talking £800 per year.

I used petrol cost of £1.20 if its higher than that then savings are greater.

cost of fuel is 130.9 here

 

[Bug One]

that isn't the only advantage. you also get all the energy from rolling as well as going downhill. it's constantly being charged and discharged.

Going downhill? That'd be braking then. Recovering energy from rolling - if you're not meaning to slow down, then that will be costing you fuel.

In the real world you get forced to brake by traffic and road obstacles, so that's where you're able to claw some of that lost energy back. But the additional weight of the motor and battery will have some negative effect on efficiency too - compared to just the same bare engine.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

cost of fuel is 130.9 here

call it £800 anyway just to be safe it won't effect it too much say £850 max i can't be bothered doing all the calcs again.

Going downhill? That'd be braking then. Recovering energy from rolling - if you're not meaning to slow down, then that will be costing you fuel.

In the real world you get forced to brake by traffic and road obstacles, so that's where you're able to claw some of that lost energy back. But the additional weight of the motor and battery will have some negative effect on efficiency too - compared to just the same bare engine.

no it's not braking when you are going downhill. it's free rolling. same as when you coast once you have built up speed and see traffic lights ahead are red so instead of braking you roll up to the lights and brake when needed.

so you get energy not just when braking but rolling too. for instance when i get off the motorway i have a long stretch downhill. i don't need to touch the accelerator and the car will gain speed. during that whole stretch the battery gets charged.

 

[Bug One]

No it's not braking when you are going downhill. it's free rolling. same as when you coast once you have built up speed and see traffic lights ahead are red so instead of braking you roll up to the lights and brake when needed.

so you get energy not just when braking but rolling too. for instance when i get off the motorway i have a long stretch downhill. i don't need to touch the accelerator and the car will gain speed. during that whole stretch the battery gets charged.

You use regen as a form of slowing you down - whether that be actually slowing down, or accelerating slower than if you weren't using regen, or maintaining a constant speed downhill. If you weren't using regen, you'd be going faster.

I'm not saying a hybrid doesn't have it's uses - I very much enjoyed mine. But there are drawbacks as well.

 

[bJN]

Driving a 2006 civic and a 2015 lexus ct200h are 2 completely different things though. You aren't paying just for mpg

You're missing the point I was trying to get across - if the OP is looking to lower his monthly outlay by buying something more efficient, you can spend a lot less money and still achieve that without the need to go hybrid / electric in a much newer car.

 

[HangTime]

Don't think you are going to save that much money. It rarely makes financial sense to switch cars to save on fuel if you are only doing 7000 miles a year. Even if you halved your running costs it would take years to claw back the outlay, so you have to ask yourself if you are just looking for an excuse to change cars.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Don't think you are going to save that much money. It rarely makes financial sense to switch cars to save on fuel if you are only doing 7000 miles a year. Even if you halved your running costs it would take years to claw back the outlay, so you have to ask yourself if you are just looking for an excuse to change cars.

true, but if you factor in repairs and if he needs a reliable car for work then he may not save money but he may be able to drive a better car for similar money which saves him the hassle of getting it fixed now and again.

albeit he would probably want to look at an older car or a prius or an auris over a lexus if he is wanting to save money.

 

[MagicBoy]

the hybrids do like 50-60 mpg in the ct200h guise.

so what would a non hybrid do? 40mpg?

Couple of mates own a new Focus EcoBoost 125 and a Leon 1.5 TSI 150. They're both returning similar figures - 40mpg on the commute, 47mpg on a run. The SEAT has cylinder deactivation at cruising speed which really helps.

I was looking at both as a possible lease via work, so like all good mates they handed me the keys to take them for a good drive. They're more dynamic to drive than the Auris (and I assume the Ct200h).

 

[jpaul]

Should maybe get the journey profile from your 6mile work trip ? average speed stop/starts (measure with a phone app ?)
hybrid's ice would , like a pure ICE be getting up to temp, for 2-3, so beating 30mpg much, maybe challenging.

I think (someone already commented?) hybrids warm up strategy, presumably needs to be get up to temp, sitting in a netherland of partial solicitation, while cold, would not be good for mpg or wear.

 

[Bug One]

This is where a plug in would actually be ideal (bar the inability to charge it overnight). Because you could likely do your entire daily commute using electricity, and only resort to petrol for the longer journeys.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

If you want to get some basic costs of running the cars then this is useful

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/car-running-costs-calculator

I found this really quite accurate on residuals etc

Of this, will allow you to do some quite specific modelling, its really aimed at company car vs cash allowance, but its a good reliable way of getting into the costs a little more

https://comcar.co.uk/cashorcar/simple/

 

[ShiWarrior]

Couple of mates own a new Focus EcoBoost 125 and a Leon 1.5 TSI 150. They're both returning similar figures - 40mpg on the commute, 47mpg on a run. The SEAT has cylinder deactivation at cruising speed which really helps.

I was looking at both as a possible lease via work, so like all good mates they handed me the keys to take them for a good drive. They're more dynamic to drive than the Auris (and I assume the Ct200h).

whats his commute like though ? (compared to mine)
mine is too short to get any decent MPG out of the car, hence why its under 30 mpg, my older Clio Sport (2L) was averaging 30-35 mpg and the Focus is worse on fuel

if people are getting circa 40 mpg out of the Leon, there is no point in me getting one, as id be down to around 30 mpg in it, so defeats the object

 

[ShiWarrior]

Should maybe get the journey profile from your 6mile work trip ? average speed stop/starts (measure with a phone app ?)
hybrid's ice would , like a pure ICE be getting up to temp, for 2-3, so beating 30mpg much, maybe challenging.

I think (someone already commented?) hybrids warm up strategy, presumably needs to be get up to temp, sitting in a netherland of partial solicitation, while cold, would not be good for mpg or wear.

theres an app that does this ?

 

[ShiWarrior]

If you want to get some basic costs of running the cars then this is useful

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/car-running-costs-calculator

I found this really quite accurate on residuals etc

Of this, will allow you to do some quite specific modelling, its really aimed at company car vs cash allowance, but its a good reliable way of getting into the costs a little more

https://comcar.co.uk/cashorcar/simple/

Thank You

i will take a look

 

[weathmatth]

Don't think you are going to save that much money. It rarely makes financial sense to switch cars to save on fuel if you are only doing 7000 miles a year. Even if you halved your running costs it would take years to claw back the outlay, so you have to ask yourself if you are just looking for an excuse to change cars.

This^^

If your looking to save money for a few years, then surely your best solution is keeping what you have, providing that its running fine and you have no big bills coming up on it, i.e timing belt etc.