Hybrid cars seem to get no better gas mileage on the highway. Why the popularity?

Question

What is it about Hybrid vehicles that people are willing to spend five to ten thousand dollars more than a regular car? Is the mileage that much better?

Answer 1

No my 98 Honda will beat most on mpg.

Answer 2

First, to think a hybrid has zero emissions under 20 mph is ridiculous.  Where do you think all that nice juicy electricity comes from?  Also, where are you going to store those batteries after they're done?  I know, we could keep them at Yucca Mountain in Nevada with all of our nuclear waste.  The hybrid is a bad step forward in the evolution of alternative fuel vehicles.  Don't believe the hype.

Answer 3

The biggest advantage of Hybrids is during city driving, true, but they also get good mileage on the highway compared to conventional cars.

Also true that Toyota really overcharges for the Prius.  As more Hybrid models enter the market there should be more competition.

Answer 4

Sure they do.  My Prius does about 50 mpg on the freeway.  How many non-hybrids can say that?

Even the official EPA estimate has the Prius at 45 mpg highway.

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/model/ove...

And this is no tiny little car - it's a roomy mid-sized car.  

Compare the Honda Civic hybrid to the regular Civic:

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/compariso...

As you can see, the hybrid improves highway mileage by 25% and overall mileage by 43%.  That's nothing to sneeze at.

Answer 5

first, many of them do get much better highway mileage, like the prius, for example.  it gets about 40mpg highway.

secondly, it's a lot of marketing and image.  people feel like they are doing something good by driving a hybrid.

also, a lot of people do mostly city driving.

Answer 6

ya small hybrid get 40+ mpg on the highway. and 0 emisions under 20mph and some at a cruse speed use no gas only electric engine.

Answer 7

Um, which hybrids cost 5-10k more than a regular car?   Are you comparing the Prius to the Yaris?  No comparison the Prius is a much larger and more deluxe car, comparable to a gas car its price.

The Silverado?  Nowhere near 5-10k more, and you get that nice 2500 watt inverter so your jobsite no longer needs a  Honda generator.

The Chevy Volt might be $5k-10k more than a comparable car, but you'll save that in gas alone because it doesn't use gas at all most trips.

Answer 8

I agree with most of the posts on the topics of the hybrids especially with the most compelling reason being because it makes it appear that I care.  I see more Prius's than any other hybrid while there are several models available.  Toyota also makes other hybrids but all I see around me is the Prius and I believe it is because that car is easily identified as a hybrid.  If I drove a hybrid I would probably go with the Honda versions but I would closely compare them to the actual Honda non-hybrids because it is almost impossible to beat them for fuel efficiency.