Hybrid cars have become all the rage lately in the automobile industry. Which makes sense when you think of all its features like a lighter design, efficient engine and the money you save on fuel. Not to forget, they’re much friendlier for the environment as they usually use 30 to 60% less fuel than your conventional vehicle, according to a report by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This results in reduced gas emission and decreased air pollution. Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it? You probably went ahead and bought one just now. Unfortunately, we’re here to tell you why you should think about selling your hybrid car.
Though no one can contradict the fact that hybrids come with some great advantages, that’s the only part people focus on when trying to sell it to you. However, hybrids come with some not-so-great features, which are often ignored.
You should probably look up some we buy any cars companies because after going through this list, you might consider selling your hybrid.
- Fuel prices
These may depend on where you live, but generally, petrol and diesel prices have been on the rise. And even though hybrids use a combination of gas and electricity to run, they do need some petrol or diesel to either charge the electric motor or run the car on its own. So, driving your hybrid can be heavier on the wallet if you’re driving out of the electric motor’s range and have to fill up continuously.
Moreover, if you don’t own a hybrid but are thinking of buying one, these high fuel prices can have an impact on that too. Higher fuel prices lead to higher hybrid prices. And since there aren’t that many models available, there’s nothing to bring these prices down at the moment.
- Maintenance cost
While the combination of gas and electric power for the engine makes the hybrid an efficient car, it also makes it a lot more complicated, and accordingly, quite expensive to repair. Whether it’s the brakes or the electric motor, you won’t be able to find the right car parts at your average mechanic’s shop; at least not without paying a hefty sum for it. And even when you get the parts, it’ll be hard to find someone with the skills or equipment to fix them. In the end, you’ll have to get it repaired by the manufacturer and that will be heavier on your pocket.
- Design and Performance
Hybrid cars are primarily made for efficiency and economy, which is why they tend to fall behind in power and performance. The smaller engine and weight result in decreased acceleration power. Hybrids are also not equipped with some performance enhancing parts, such as high-quality suspension systems, to maintain the weight.
The whole design of a hybrid makes it hard to find a larger vehicle with reasonable performance. There are also some technical drawbacks in certain types of hybrids, for example, in mild hybrids, the heat or air-conditioning system automatically turns off as soon as the gas engine is powered off.
- Handling and Safety
Along with the lightweight design and smaller engine, the placement of the battery has caused a less than desirable weight distribution, which makes it hard to handle and unsafe as compared to regular cars. Furthermore, hybrid cars have high voltage batteries which have a higher chance of getting electrocuted in case of an accident. Take a look at these cars which are considered the safest in the world.
- Gas emissions
Hybrids are definitely less polluting than the average gas-engine cars, and that’s probably why you went ahead and bought one. But whether you choose to accept it or not, hybrids still do emit some harmful gasses into the air. Because they use fuel along with electricity, they are thought to have less of an impact, but the internal combustion engine does release gas which causes air pollution. So, if you live in an area where pollution levels are low overall, a hybrid may not make that much of a difference.
A bit of good news after all this is that if you do decide to sell your hybrid car, you can rest assured knowing that hybrids have a high resale value. Even if you paid an excessive price to buy it in the first place, you could easily sell it in the used car market at an excellent price to cover up your initial cost. And of course, we won’t ask you to consider selling your hybrid if we didn’t have something better for you in mind. Instead of just selling your hybrid and becoming entirely car-less, you should think of trading in your hybrid for an electric vehicle (EV).
While a hybrid is better than a standard car, an electric car is even better. They convert almost 60% of the stored electricity to run the car, as compared to 20% of normal cars, making them highly efficient according to a report by the US Department of Energy. Electric cars also have lower maintenance costs as they don’t have that many parts which need to be constantly replaced, like oil changes in normal and hybrid cars. They’re much easier and safer to drive, and since electricity is cheaper than petrol or diesel, there’s a very low fuel cost. And most importantly, electric vehicles have zero emission which means its 100% environmentally favorable. This is probably why almost 25% of people in the UK are thinking of buying an electric car, according to research by Sainsbury’s Bank loans.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that taking steps to be more environmentally conscious is the need of the hour. And small steps like switching over to an electric vehicle is the best thing we can do for ourselves and our environment. Even if you don’t agree with all the other issues with hybrid cars, at least consider selling it to save our planet.
Author Bio:
About Michelle Joe: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. 
She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her
On twitter: @michellejoe524
