Hybrid Running Costs

[Iangster]

I'm thinking of purchasing a CHR hybrid. I'd like to hear from hybrid owners as to actual fuel costs.  I understand that the petrol engine kicks in when the revs increase / when faster speeds are reached.  I would say my weekly commutes mean I drive about 80% A roads / Motorways and 20% in built up areas/slower roads.  Please can I have owner experiences of how much it costs with regards to fuel.  Thanks

[aCactus]

Think of it the other way round, the electric motor is used at slow speed, for reversing and moving off from stop. Most of the rest of the time you will find the petrol engine is running, main benefit of the hybrid system is the recovery of energy when braking, system does not appear to be designed for much electric only driving - I have put it in that mode a couple of times but it quickly reverts to hybrid mode when you do more than a gentle push on the accelerator. Bottom line is you will get better fuel consumption than a "conventional" petrol automatic.

[Iangster]

Thanks for your response aCactus.  It's good to know that at least compared to a petrol auto, it offers better fuel consumption.  However the conundrum I have is whether it's financially beneficial to pay more to purchase the hybrid engine model.   I can work this out by knowing what my monthly fuel costs will be.  A hybrid model is aprx. £,2500 more than a petrol, so if I presume I'm going to keep the car for the life of the finance term (in my case this is likely to be 42 months), I'd need to save a minimum of £60.00 a month to even break even.  Since my previous post, I've looked at the manufacturer's advertised mpgs.  For the hybrid its 74.3 and the petrol 47.9.  Based on my calculations, the hybrid only provides a £30.00 fuel saving each month.  I haven't look at depreciation yet, so the hybrid may yet prove more cost effective.  Obviously as the CHR is fairly new on the market, it's difficult to judge.  When I get a moment though I'll compare how other Toyota models that offer both hybrid and petrol engines compare.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Be wary of using the advertised fuel consumption figures, as being a laboratory based testing regime (New European Driving Cycle) intended to provide a standard comparison between models, they don't represent the consumption that owners experience in the real world. In recent years the gap between the NEDC results and real world consumption has widened. By law manufacturers have to use these figures in advertising, etc. Extract from the C-HR brochure:

"All mpg and CO2 emissions figures quoted in this brochure are sourced from official EU-regulated test results. These are provided for comparability purposes only and may not reflect your actual driving experience. Fuel consumption varies significantly depending on a number of factors, including driving style, conditions, speed and vehicle weight. In order to allow consumers to compare and make an informed choice between one vehicle and another, there is a European Commission standard (93/116/EC and 692/2008) to measure fuel consumption. This common standard must be adhered to by all manufacturers selling motor vehicles in the EU and is the basis for fuel consumption figures published by each manufacturer."

NEDC was replaced in September by the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test procedure (WLTP) which will supposedly offer a more realistic picture of real world consumption. However, testing of existing vehicles using the new procedure will be a gradual process from now until September 2018.

[Iangster]

Thanks FrostyBalls,  I appreciate that.  However I have the choice of either considering the values advertised or the values stated by owners on non-official websites.  Either way, on the basis that the 'real' mpgs for the hybrid and petrol models will both be less and likely be at the same difference level as the advertised, I'm guessing the cost difference will be similar.

[aCactus]

On 01/11/2017 at 2:58 PM, Iangster said:

  A hybrid model is aprx. £,2500 more than a petrol,

You should compare the automatics so the difference is about half that - just looked at Toyota site and auto is about mid way between manual and hybrid so extra cost is about £1300. The driving experience is different so you should get a test drive, hybrid gives very smooth, relaxed drive which you might find is worth the extra cost.

[smartiepants]

On 11/4/2017 at 12:27 PM, aCactus said:

You should compare the automatics so the difference is about half that - just looked at Toyota site and auto is about mid way between manual and hybrid so extra cost is about £1300. The driving experience is different so you should get a test drive, hybrid gives very smooth, relaxed drive which you might find is worth the extra cost.

my first post on here and I don't want to appear negative on my first post but that would only apply if you had plans to buy an automatic in the first place, i had a test drive the other weekend with a view to trading my Honda CR-Z hybrid in for another Hybrid C-HR, I have been doing the sums on real world MPG figures from fuely.com, based on 11000 miles a year it would take me the best part of 7 years to claw back the £2.5k price difference with fuel savings alone 

11k@ 54mpg = 203 gallons of petrol = £1109 based on £1.20 ltr 

11k@ 40mpg = 275 gallons of petrol = £ 1498 based on £1.20 ltr 

this saves me £389 a year 

I like the idea of the Hybrid as I have been pleased with my Honda, although its not a true hybrid like the Toyota the MPG from that sits in the middle of the two Toyota options so I have a dilemma 

save the planet (opinions divided on this one) or get the 1.2T & save my money to pay for the fuel

[aCactus]

Should be vehicle excise duty saving in first year under current rules, when I bought mine I was just in time to get zero rate which I have just renewed saving another £140.

[smartiepants]

Ordered the hybrid in the end, monthly cost between the two worked out cost neutral with the cost of fuel taken into account and I would not have been happy seeing the mpg drop from my current car which would have happened with the 1.2t