F&I Management & Training

Consumers who buy a hybrid vehicle because they believe they will be cheaper in the long run are wrong, researchers in Canada have claimed.

Twelve years after Honda introduced the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle it has been suggested that those who buy a hybrid model continue to pay a premium rate.

A British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) study compared the purchase, financing, and fuel costs of 16 hybrid models over a five-year period.

It concluded that only one hybrid car cost less to buy and then run over a period of five years than its more conventional petrol-powered counterpart.

That was the Mercedes S400 Hybrid Sedan which was found to cost $5,000 (£3,200) less to own and operate.

The hybrids that came closest in cost to their conventional counterparts in purchase and operating costs were the Toyota models (Prius, Camry and Highlander Hybrid), all the Honda models (Insight and Civic Hybrid) and the Lexus HS250h.

The hybrids that were the least costly to own and operate were the Honda Insight ($38,326), Toyota Prius ($40,324), and Honda Civic Hybrid ($42,664).

The Toyota Prius was found to have the lowest overall carbon emissions of any of the hybrids.

Trace Acres, BCAA's director of corporate communications and government relations, said: "BCAA's research shows that cost is not typically the main motivator for someone looking to purchase a hybrid.

"We believe that many consumers are willing to pay a bit more to go hybrid if it will reduce their carbon footprint."