Hybrid Vs Petrol Cost in The Long Run

yummypinacolada on 04/02/2024 - 20:00

Looking for advice as I'm clueless about cars. I don't have a preference in a car; I just need something basic that will get me from point A to point B. So, my ideal car is one that will save me money. I'm considering getting a Toyota hybrid, which has been recommended to me the most. However, the cost of a basic hybrid car compared to other basic petrol cars is about a $10,000 difference. For example, if I'm looking to get a Corolla or Corolla Cross, which costs around $40,000, I could get a Mitsubishi ASX or Hyundai I30 for around $30,000. I know I'm not comparing within the same model, but I've heard all of these cars I mentioned are pretty reliable.

I also think that I won't be driving a lot, probably around 12,000 kilometers a year, and the insurance for hybrid cars is also a little bit more expensive. With that said, am I going to be saving money in the long run (say for the next 7 years) if I buy a hybrid, or would sticking to petrol do better for my scenario?

Automotive

Comments

  • kerfuffle on 04/02/2024 - 20:17
    +7

    I drive less than you in a year. I have a Corolla ZR hybrid sedan which I've owned for a year now. Insurance does suck (and you will want the windscreen option if you have a ZR hatch or sedan), but being able to go to the petrol station once a month on average is great!

    • geekcohen on 05/02/2024 - 05:32
      +8

      you will want the windscreen option

      I think for pretty much every new car you want this. All new cars come with so many sensors on/in the screen that it is expensive compared to old school cars. My wife only had her car less than 12 months and got a stone in the windscreen. Replacement and then all the tech collaboration needed to be done.

      • kerfuffle on 05/02/2024 - 07:04
        +1

        Yeah fair point. For the ZR, the head-up display is projected straight onto the windscreen instead of onto a panel like Mazda and it’s at least $3000 or so to replace … Also covers sunroof too (for the sedan)

        • public-secret on 06/02/2024 - 11:57
          -2

          A bit off-topic, but my 2017 CX-5 HUD is onto the windscreen mate.

          • kerfuffle on 06/02/2024 - 21:24
            -1

            @public-secret: Not your mate. My brother’s 2021 Mazda 2 is on a panel.

            • public-secret on 06/02/2024 - 22:06
              -1

              @kerfuffle: @kerfuffle Fair enough. Mine is the top end and that could be the reason.

              • kerfuffle on 06/02/2024 - 23:50
                -2

                @public-secret: So is my brother's.

                • notfrodo on 07/02/2024 - 13:52
                  -1

                  @kerfuffle: Mazda2s have a flip up cover. CX5 projects directly to the screen for all models from around 2018 I think.

                  • kerfuffle on 07/02/2024 - 19:16
                    +1

                    @notfrodo: I said my brother's one is on a panel. Which is the same as a flip up 'cover'.

        • tonydav on 06/02/2024 - 14:10

          Very good points. Must look at that with my car insurance too.

      • johnfuller on 06/02/2024 - 09:34
        +2

        they dont replace the sensor with a new sensor when the glass gets replaced, the old sensor is removed from the glass and glued onto the new glass, i believe they use sikaflex.

        the cost is almost the same .. only about $40 price difference between a windscreen glass with and without the sensor provision.

        https://www.autoglasswarehouse.com.au/toyota-corolla-zre172r…

        above link shows the glass with the sensor provision, they just move it over

        • YellowDieselGolf on 06/02/2024 - 18:33
          +2

          I was quoted $600 for driver assistance recalibration after a wheel alignment. I suspect that’s where a lot of the money goes when you touch a sensor.

          • johnfuller on 07/02/2024 - 11:31

            @YellowDieselGolf: maybe if they need to take it back to toyota but most tyre places know how to do it and have the tools and takes 30 minutes tops

    • HeWhoKnows on 05/02/2024 - 14:47
      -2

      One needs to take into account the extra cost of a hybrid and calculate the payback period for that extra cost.
      If only driving 12,000km per year, the payback period for the extra purchase cost will be a very long time.
      Probably longer than the period for which the hybrid car will be owned.

      And OP is considering very fuel efficient vehicles anyway so the annual saving would be even less.

      Also OP should note that hybrids have 2 engines…..
      A petrol engine and an electric motor.
      So servicing costs would be certainly be higher.

      Add to this the cost of the higher insurnace and Im not sure there is any benefit over a straight (fuel efficient) petrol engine when only travelling around 10,000km per year.

      Also its been demonstrated that hybrid vehicles use more fuel on highways.
      And now you have this (illogical) Labor gioverment wanting to put a luxury tax on hybrid vehicles.

      So the bottom line is to DO YOUR SUMS!

      • JIMB0 on 05/02/2024 - 18:14
        +17

        Also OP should note that hybrids have 2 engines…..
        A petrol engine and an electric motor.
        So servicing costs would be certainly be higher.

        On a Toyota there's no extra servicing required except for the simple job of changing the inverter coolant which isn't due until its 15 years old. You'll actually save money as with regen braking the brakes can last the life of the car and there's no alternator or starter motor to fail.

        • dealsucker on 07/02/2024 - 10:24
          +6

          Bingo! And no belts to run the A/C compressor either because its all electric.

        • paloverde88 on 07/02/2024 - 20:52

          so hybrid servicing is $99? not including dealer's voucher for 35% off the first 16 services

      • joka on 06/02/2024 - 13:41
        -1

        Not quite sure why people are negging you. You make good points.

        • Euphemistic on 06/02/2024 - 14:05
          +3

          And now you have this (illogical) Labor gioverment wanting to put a luxury tax on hybrid vehicles.

          Maybe thats what the negs are for. The luxury tax is for expensive (luxury) vehicles. If they are alluding to the proposed emssion standards then hybrids will get a benefit over a non hybrid because theyll be more efficient.

          But then, perhaps it's been negged because there's no real maths in there, just guessing.

        • JIMB0 on 06/02/2024 - 15:20
          +4

          People neg for various reasons. In this case it's because of misinformation.

          • HeWhoKnows on 27/02/2024 - 15:11
            -3

            @JIMB0: What part do you suggest is misinformation?
            Its all common sense and information gathered from various sources.

            There is no guessing at all.

      • tonydav on 06/02/2024 - 14:12

        Confused on the downvotes on your comment.

        Make sense. Do the numbers. x kms at y L/100km (where y is the diff between the economy on the 2 vehicles) x $z/L x life of vehicle.

      • payless69 on 07/02/2024 - 12:22
        +1

        Toyota uses 2 electric motors.

      • movieman on 07/02/2024 - 21:49
        +1

        Care to share a link to the claim of hybrids using more fuel on highways? Or is that in relation to city driving?

        My understanding (could be wrong) is that the hybrid will use less fuel on a highway than a non hybrid equivalent.

      • supersabroso on 08/02/2024 - 02:04

        If you have a mortgage, this is very accurate. When I did the maths it was a $6k difference on the RAV4 in 2020 (due to no discount on hybrid vehicles, only petrol, no 10 month wait time on petrol & interest saved from mortgage). At today's interest rates assuming $2/L on petrol, you're looking at 17 years to break even (14 years for me at the time). Odds are you'll sell the car before then. So it all depends on how much you drive, if you don't drive much (<10,000km/year) and have a mortgage, odds are it's not worth it.

      • ytthr on 27/02/2024 - 09:10

        He does not know,
        Some hybrids have 3 or even 4 motors. (mine has 3 electric and 1 petrol)
        Servicing is NOT more, also no starter, no alternator etc. Toyota has fixed cost serving, compare hybrid to petrol before you mislead folk.
        The RAV4 hybrid uses less fuel than the RAV4 petrol on the freeway. I do 90% freeway driving in a hybrid and average 5.2l/100 on the freeway in a 45 km run @ 105km/h.

        One thing for certain, an i30 will cost a lot less than a Corolla Cross Hybrid in the long run including purchase price.

    • Kranbone on 05/02/2024 - 22:16
      +1

      Does the ZR hybrid have rear air vents?

      • xuqi on 05/02/2024 - 23:24

        Yes.

      • kerfuffle on 27/02/2024 - 09:15

        Only for the hatch (along with dual climate control). Rear passengers in the ZR hybrid sedan will suffer with sun in their face.

    • Hackney on 09/02/2024 - 06:01

      @kerfuffle I am with you on that one, we fill up our Honda Hybrid about once a month (if not longer) getting in the high 3L/100 to the low 4L/100.it is better than my little Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost. Corolla ZR nice little car those.

      • Euphemistic on 10/02/2024 - 15:29

        I fill up my car ablut once a month too. Must be efficient too!

  • dtc on 04/02/2024 - 20:32
    +51

    The hybrid will save you maybe 3-4 litres per 100km (maybe less). At 4l/100, over 12,000km that’s a saving of around 480 litres per year. Saves you $900 or so. So an 11 year pay back if the cars are $10k difference in purchase price.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:27
      +2

      thanks for the math, this really gave me a useful insights.

      • barge-in hunter on 05/02/2024 - 06:34
        +12

        This is based on the assumption that there will be zero resale difference too - but I think in 10 years, the hybrid will probably be worth a bit more.

        • dtc on 05/02/2024 - 09:36
          +4

          true but insurance is likely a bit higher, servicing should be around the same but hybrids do have additional complexity so who knows.

          • barge-in hunter on 05/02/2024 - 09:44
            +1

            @dtc: Yeah agreed - there are a lot of things to take into account.

            With lots of EU countries banning the sale of std petrol/diesel cars in the next decade, maybe an Australian government might enforce a "hybrid or electric" policy - who knows!

          • spackbace on 05/02/2024 - 12:12
            +1

            @dtc: FWIW, in Perth at least, insurance for hybrids are cheaper through companies like RAC as they have discounts for economical cars, but ymmv

            • CocaKoala on 05/02/2024 - 19:28
              +5

              @spackbace:

              ymmv

              Quite literally so in case of hybrid vs conventional internal combustion engine.

        • Muffinman01 on 05/02/2024 - 09:51
          +3

          It's also based on the price of petrol not going up :)

        • LlamaOfDoom on 06/02/2024 - 10:24
          +3

          $10k saving invested @ 5% return (pick your poison) = $17k in 11 years. There is a cost to the money now.

          "Petrol refill cost" to "elec recharge cost" ratio likely to blow out in favour of electric in the coming years.

          Complicated question. :)

          • CommuterPolluter on 06/02/2024 - 17:22
            +1

            @LlamaOfDoom: The question is further complicated by inflation and the fact that a ‘saving’ has no associated tax liability, whilst an investment return does.

        • unhuman on 07/02/2024 - 13:27

          Will it be worth more tho? I wanna understand this as well. But wouldn’t battery deteriorate over 10 years and need replacing? I’m new to this.

      • ThithLord on 06/02/2024 - 09:36
        +3

        maths

        • Bren20 on 07/02/2024 - 18:54
          +1

          I agree but it's a losing battle, math is taking over

      • idonotknowwhy on 06/02/2024 - 09:30
        +3

        hybrid vehicles priced over $76,950

    • frewer on 05/02/2024 - 22:11
      +2

      Wait you forgot the inflation/interest rate and/or opportunity cost.

    • ToyotaCrownHybrid on 06/02/2024 - 13:17

      How often does the hybrid battery need replacing? What’s the cost?

      • Euphemistic on 06/02/2024 - 14:07
        +4

        Depends and depends.

      • jmel on 07/02/2024 - 09:31
        +2

        I've got a prius 2012 with close to 200k km. battery still healthy, but i checked the replacement cost just in case. it was $2500

        car is cheap as chips to run. brakes last forever. fuel efficiency sits at about 4l/100km.

  • bmxr on 04/02/2024 - 20:40
    +10

    Do you have access to solar panels at home? Free charging points anywhere like in the strata-titled basement or at work? Or even good off-peak electricity rates?

    If so a PHEV may be your best bet given your use case, rather than the "energy recovery" cars that you have listed above that the manufacturers market as hybrids (look up mild hybrid). 12,000km p.a. is 32km a day, which is well within the range of most PHEVs on their battery alone.

    A PHEV will command less of a premium price over ICE than a full-EV, you can charge them for free if you have access to the above, and if you run out of battery, they revert back to petrol. So your "range anxiety" can be quelled (although how many people are driving 500km+ straight through without worrying about filling up/recharging, regardless of ICE/EV. Range anxiiety is such a distraction).

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:31
      -7

      I don't have it unfortunately. I'm concern with PHEV or EV once they require a battery replacement which gonna cost fortune.

      • Euphemistic on 05/02/2024 - 02:46
        +20

        Then be concerned aboht battery replacement for a hybrid too.

        Batteries failing is a talking point pushed by fossil fuel interests.

        • WT on 05/02/2024 - 14:05
          -4

          I use a lot of single cell 18650 batteries, only panasonic, samsung, sanyo, no fakes or china crap

          Using them every day you will see some degradation within 3 months, after a year its dropped a bit but it will remain useful for another couple of years until its capacity is only good enough for a torch on low/med and run time isnt a concern

          Some of my oldest batteries are 5+ years old and might only last me a few hours where a newish cell will last a day and a bit

          If youre driving enough to charge every other day, yea your battery pack will be copping a flogging. If you charge once a week or longer, you should be good for a few years before you notice much degradation

          • Euphemistic on 05/02/2024 - 15:52
            +8

            @WT: Manufacturers are offering 10y warranty with specified a ceptable degradation. Modern EVs have smart charging that conditions the battery for optimal use and charging. It slows charge rates over 80% capacity.

            Yes, they are "just the same cells as my drill" but at the same time they are also much better.

            Yes, youll get degradation but its not as bad as anti EV rhetoric makes it spund.

          • x d on 05/02/2024 - 20:21
            -1

            @WT: This is good sound feedback on the reality of degradation. EV manufacturers have tricks on their sleeves to hide this (I reckon such as reducing the buffers to show slowing down of degradation).

          • lgacb08 on 07/02/2024 - 08:08

            @WT: Yeah, a car doesn't vape those cells flat out at 20a everyday like you do so no, your anecdotal evidence doesn't translate very well.

    • LlamaOfDoom on 06/02/2024 - 10:28
      +2

      I live about 1hr out of Mildura.
      3.5hr to Adelaide, 6hr to Melbourne.
      If you're going on holiday and want to go "away", range is a real concern. I dont want to stop and recharge for half an hour at Blanchtown or Witchy.
      I'm sold on EVs but not for some stuff and not with the crazy price premium.

      Good points about the city commute and free charging options if available though.

      • SlickMick on 07/02/2024 - 11:59

        PHEVs are great for small town commuting and occasional long trips. I haven't bought fuel yet, but just top up for the battery for a couple of hours each night. (It's going to justify getting solar batteries.) When I need to do a long trip, I'll give the engine a run.

        Yes, I spent far more than I wanted to - PHEVs weren't easy to get. And I'm sure batteries to store solar power are expensive.
        I reckon the biggest factor in whether I will recover these costs is whether the vehicle keeps a decent resale value.

  • Switchblade88 on 04/02/2024 - 20:40

    My MG HS PHEV has been brilliant, although it requires a marginal amount more work and driving distance to maximise your savings, compared to a mild hybrid like the Toyotas.

    Plugging in offpeak electricity to charge during the day is about 1/5th the cost per 100km as petrol. I generally average 1000km off a 30L refill, most of which is used on long trips - I can commute 50km daily without turning on the engine.

    Having said that, the prices have gone up since 2021, and if you're not doing 25,000km annually then your figures may skew towards a petrol being better value/TCO overall - are you going to save $2k a year in fuel costs over 5 years, that makes spending an extra $10k worthwhile?

  • AustriaBargain on 04/02/2024 - 20:44
    +3

    Hybrids surely hold better resale value later on.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:34

      Is it because of Toyota or hybrid? I know hybrid Corolla or Rav4 have very good resale value compare to others, but does other hybrid(like hyundai) also have good resale value?

      • xuqi on 05/02/2024 - 23:27
        +1

        Toyota are on their 5th generation of Hybrid tech. Same can't be said for Hyundai….

  • sane on 04/02/2024 - 20:45
    +1

    The way to understand hybrids is they make fuel consumption round town roughly the same as it would be on the open road between towns (excepting for very short journeys). Thus your fuel consumption gets to be much more reasonable, and you can more readily ensure that you only have to fill up on the low part of the price cycle. It would take a while to repay a $10,000 premium, maybe @$1000 per year, So I'd be inclined to push for a discount.

    The other things its probably worth looking at if you are doing lots of round town is the forthcoming new 'cheap' Tesla, which is forecast to be in the AU$40k range. Plug-in EV if you aren't using it much and could plug in during the day to soak up solar power, could change the economics significantly.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:36

      I'll be excited to see 'cheap' Tesla. There's some chinese EV in the 40K range, but as someone who is clueless about car I'm just not confident enough to buy them at this point of time

      • Piratarzt on 05/02/2024 - 08:36

        BYD is pretty reasonable for the price when one looks past the Elon effect. I do not own one or an EV but that's what I have been reading.

      • SteveM on 05/02/2024 - 21:30
        +1

        At the sort of mileage your are doing, in a fully electric vehicle, you would need to charge once a week. It would cost you around $4.00 a week (or the equivalent of 3-4 tanks of petrol per year) to charge if you get an EV electricity plan and charge between midnight and 6.

        I have both a Tesla and an MG4, both can charge up after ~300km in a 6 hour charging session. Using a 7kW charger it would be 7.2kWh x 6 = 43.2kWh x 8c = $3.46.

        A base model MG4 or BYD Dolphin is a little over $40k . There is so much less servicing required on these too.

        • us3rnam3tak3n on 06/02/2024 - 11:42

          charge once a week. It would cost you around $4.00…much less servicing required

          True, though increased insurance, tyre wear and resale value also need to be considered for total cost of ownership comparison.

          • SteveM on 06/02/2024 - 14:40
            +2

            @us3rnam3tak3n: True for insurance, but my insurance, is still FAR more than offset by the decreased running cost. If we used paid charging stations the cost savings wouldn't be as great, but charging at home is very cost effective.

            I have seen EV users get as good tyre life as I am used to on my ICE vehicles, but the increased torque will encourage some drivers to use their tyres a little harder.

            It is too early to make generalisations on resale value, resale on early EVs with dodgy battery management is poor because it is more likely to require a battery replacement. 3-5 year old Teslas hold their value quite well, but most brands in the EV market don't have the history to make a judgement. I don't have a history of selling used cars, just trading them in for pennies when they no longer work well, so resale is not a priority for me.

            I can charge the Tesla using only excess solar so it is free but stops me getting a measly 4c/kWh for my feed in. The apparent cost would be $0.56 / 100km. Charging from the grid during the daytime would cost me around $3.50 / 100km.
            The MG doesn't provide access to the change the charging rate remotely, soi I just have it set for timed charging at off peak times and we plug it in once it gets below around 40%. It starts charging at midnight at switches off at 6am if it is not yet finished.

            The convenience of charging at home is fantastic too. No more having to allow for the time to fill up on the way to work, or going out of your way to get to a petrol station. I'm sure on the odd occasion that we go an a long trip, waiting to charge could be an issue, but up to now, the only time I have used a public charging station we were having lunch and were just plugged in for the amount of time we would have been stopped anyway.

            I understand that electric cars are not for everyone, but they do warrant looking at with an open mind and ignoring all the crap that is always thrown up when they are discussed. Most will never need a battery replacement in their useful life (some will - some cars need an engine change, bust most don't) and they are no more likely to catch fire than an internal combustion engine.

            • us3rnam3tak3n on 06/02/2024 - 15:26

              @SteveM:

              It is too early to make generalisations on resale value

              Agree, but my concern is that the tech and features is still developing at a substantial rate. For instance if solid state batteries with 1000km+ range became the norm it would be tough selling a second hand EV that was only getting ~300km.

              I understand that electric cars are not for everyone

              I'm keen - just waiting till the market becomes a bit more competitive at the lower end. My current daily driver cost me around 6% of my after-tax income four years ago. Parting with 40%+ or saddling myself with a loan is harder to swallow.

          • Jackson on 07/02/2024 - 21:39

            @us3rnam3tak3n: Tyre wear really just depends on how you drive, if you are flat sticking it off the line and flying around corners the sure, your tyres are going to wear faster, but only because they have more torque than and ICE car. Drive conservatively in eco mode and your tyres will last just as long if not longer

            • us3rnam3tak3n on 08/02/2024 - 10:34

              @Jackson: An equivalent EV weighs 150-200kg more than it's ICE counterpart (eg MG HS, Hyundai Kona). Even the additional battery in a long range Tesla 3 adds 200kg+ to the standard spec. With extra torque available as well it seems likely that an EV will chew through rubber at a greater rate. A quick search suggests around 20% but I haven't looked deeply into this.

              Definitely not a deal breaker, just something to consider.

      • crisso on 05/02/2024 - 23:56

        China builds around 85% of the electric vehicles sold in Australia including Teslas, Polestars, Volvos and some BMWs.

      • s3th2000 on 07/02/2024 - 14:52

        One thing worth factoring in is the FBT exemption on EVs- it can mean EVs are $10-20k cheaper than list price depending on tax bracket etc.
        Put it into an online calculator to see whether it’s worth it.

  • BertieBrown on 04/02/2024 - 20:47
    +5

    Apparently Corolla Cross hybrid 2022 combined fuel economy is 4.3 L/100, whereas Mitsubishi ASX 2020 is 7.9, which leaves a gap of 3.6L per 100 km.

    This is my calculation .. it might be way off, if it is anybody please feel free to correct me. But AFAIK if you take your estimated K’s of 12000 per year /100 then you’re @ 120 fills with a difference of 3.6 L between fuel economy of the two cars, which is 432 L @ say $1.80 which is $777 a year saving with the hybrid. Now if we assume that there’s a $10k difference between the cars, then $10000/777 gives you 12 years before you break even with the hybrid.

    Petrol is only going to get more costly though, and $1.8 per litre is on what I would consider the lower side of median low prices. It’s been as high $2.5 near me just not often. If it were to routinely go that high the ROI for the hybrid would be less.

    Let’s say petrol jumped to be routinely $2.5 a litre as normal (especially if things in the Middle East really go tits up) then you’re looking at 432 L @ $2.5 which is $1080 a year saving with the hybrid, and then $10000/$1080 which is 9 years.

    If I could I’d go with a hybrid, because they are more efficient, as long as the battery isn’t too long in the tooth, and just try to maybe not spend as much?

    I think that’s right. I could be way off though with my calculations though, if so my apologies.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:44
      +2

      Someone did similar calculation in this thread. I'm actually more inclined towards petrol cars as I've read through the comments now. I also need to factor in that 10k capital we spent initially will have interests over the span of 10 years.

      • skillet on 06/02/2024 - 10:47
        +5

        You wont save anything with a hybrid if you are doing mainly freeway. In fact you will be lugging extra ~50-80kg dead weight on the freeway.

        • tonydav on 06/02/2024 - 14:16
          +1

          Yes definitely. Hybrids/EVs are really aimed at city driving. But if you do a lot of that you can save a lot.

  • Benoffie on 04/02/2024 - 20:49

    I have a Hybrid Toyota RAV and would recommend. Came from a Suzuki Swift and running costs, aside from tyres, has been comparable.

    That being said, if i were looking at buying now, I would be waiting or, alternatively, wait listing for 2024/25 releases.

    The scheduled releases for Australia in the next 12-18 months is absolutely worth waiting for. I would not be paying for any current generation vehicle.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:46
      +1

      What do you expect on the 24/25 releases?

      • Benoffie on 05/02/2024 - 13:04
        +1

        Very interested in the Korean releases.

        Kia EV series
        Hyundai are refreshing everything and there's a new Ioniq coming. That's before the N updates in 2026.

        There are others but the price will be key - Toyota still doesn't seem to have got the memo about dropping the price to get under the tax threshold.

      • xuqi on 05/02/2024 - 23:28

        A large price increase if current/past Toyota behavior is anything to go by….

  • Euphemistic on 04/02/2024 - 20:52
    +3

    What about an EV? If you can charge where you park at either work or home then itll save you even more.

    IMO hybrid is OK, but only if you cant charge at home or if you do long drives more than oncs per month. By long drive, i mean more than about 60-70% of the expected range of any EV you wpuod consider.

    If for some reason you cant find an EV that suits your lifestyle, you should wait a year or two until model range is more diverse.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:50
      -7

      I've thought about EV, especially last year when NSW still offering free stamp duty and $3k rebate. However, some of my friends who knows a lot about car warn me about the potential cost of the battery and I think the resale value of an EV depends a lot on the battery health. So once the battery is dead, your car will be worthless.

      • Euphemistic on 05/02/2024 - 02:42
        +25

        Seems your friends that know a lot about cars might not be as knowledgeable as they appear.

        • surg3on on 07/02/2024 - 10:56
          +2

          Thats a more polite way of saying his friends full of poop. Worrying about battery replacement cost is similar to worrying about engine replacement cost of petrol car.

        • Jackson on 07/02/2024 - 21:44
          +1

          The "people who know about cars" are often petrol heads who are just anti EV. They are the same people that used to warn people off Hyundais and Kias, but then buy some total PoS like a Holden

      • Drakesy on 05/02/2024 - 19:39
        +8

        some of my friends who knows a lot about car warn me about the potential cost of the battery

        Do those friends think you'll be driving 300,000km+? Should get roughly 15-20 years out of the battery.

        They've been drinking the Murdoch Media Kool-aid.

  • Muzeeb on 04/02/2024 - 20:52
    +29

    Just get the i30. $10k buys you a metric shit tonne of fuel.

    In 10 years time, when you start to break even, there will be newer tech and no one will want your 10 year, old school hybrid battery malaka technology.

    Have you thought about buying into a 10 year old Prius recently? Didn't think so.

    • yummypinacolada on 05/02/2024 - 00:51
      +1

      Good point!!

    • bamzero on 05/02/2024 - 11:46
      +1

      I don't think we'd break even in 10 years. Missus drives a i30 which according to the onboard is averaging 6.8L/100km mainly freeway driving to and from work.
      I think you need to be doing a lot of km/year to make a hybrid economical, or maybe stop start city driving makes better use of it.

      • tonydav on 06/02/2024 - 14:18

        And even more so if you do a lot of highway driving. I have an i30 N and fuel economy on my last highway trip was 5.6L/100kms. Helped by an 8 speed DSG but even around town it's still averaging about 8.5 - and I give it a lot of stick.

    • samsta7866 on 06/02/2024 - 08:27
      +2

      100%
      this is what i think about all the time. cant imagine how Tesla owners feel after selling a tesla 10-20years later. design/build quality sucks bad not to mention the lithium batteries are used past their life cycle.

    • Jackson on 07/02/2024 - 21:54

      What stop there? Buy a Camry for 2k and it will be as reliable as any modern car. The older the better, and if it's 30 you can put it on historic rego

    • supersabroso on 08/02/2024 - 02:13

      $10k at the current variable mortgage rate of 6% is worth $600 to you every year. If petrol prices stay at $2/L then you'll never break even buying a hybrid car driving less than 10,000km/year because you save more in your mortgage interest than you do in petrol lol!

  • USER DC on 04/02/2024 - 21:56

    or MG 3 for 20K and you save further 10K

    • dkwon10 on 05/02/2024 - 10:02

      fuel economy will be good too for such a small car but it's a pain to drive a mg3

      • busky2k on 05/02/2024 - 22:28
        +2

        Actually the MG3 fuel economy is atrocious for a small car.

        • Benoffee on 06/02/2024 - 18:51

          Agree with this comment. I drive one and it has terrible fuel economy ~8.9L/100km as a mix of city/highway. In saying that, it does the job.

          • quick-dry on 06/02/2024 - 21:38
            +1

            @Benoffee: they get your from A to B, but it is like sitting inside of a rollerskate. The wheelbase and everything seems to be the perfect length to make 80kph feel like 120 in other cars.

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