Hybrid or not

Looking to purchase a new vehicle for my Wife. The Tacoma is no longer suitable for her needs. I'll end up with the Tacoma and most likely a new Rav4 for her.
I'm debating Hybrid or not.
Obviously they save money per mile, but over the life of the vehicle and 300,000 miles, which is better for long term cost savings, Hybrid or conventional Gasoline only engine.
Since they're 2 different animals regarding components under the hood, which is the better long hail investment??
Thank you

 

Hybrid because it has more punch off the line, and the transmission is bulletproof (basically a planetary gearbox with motor inside, something like 13 total moving parts)

I drove a non-hybrid rental RAV4 for a week and it was anemic.

 

Rav4 hybrid is one of the best vehicles we sell, they are still limited inventory here but they are way more enjoyable to drive and get crazy good mileage.

I'd have one if I could.

 

Hybrid. Economic and has a punch. Gas is anemic

 

Gas only
I don't buy into the hybrid electric thing
I support the oil and gas industry
They don't tell you how many resources are used up in producing a hybrid or electric especially those batteries
Just heard that some electric car batteries cannot stan salt water/air

 

What about Insurance Rates?
I read they can be higher for Hybrids.
Also I'm reading that batteries last maybe 3 to 5 years.
We live in Northern California. 110 degrees at times down to 25 in the Winter. Lots of heater and AC usage which I understand is hard on the Battery.

 

Is the RAV4 Prime worth considering? I don't have an opinion and haven't researched it.

 

I've been at Toyota for 14 years now. We change one HV battery a year, we are one of the largest dealers in the world.

EV batterys are a lot different than HV batteries.

We are oil and gas country, but the hybrid makes too much sense.

 

Too expensive, not fast enough for the price tag. I'd never purchase one unless I lived in California.

 

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news...trong-with-600000-miles-and-original-battery/

Asking your agent is better than reading the web.

See article above.

 

First time I hear about insurance rates. I did not see any increases.
I have 2 hybrids. 2012 and 2022 rav4. 2012 battery is still going strong. 1st time I hear about 3-5 years.
Read up on the Toyota hybrid system. The system is designed to protect the battery.

 

I have a hybrid Rav4 and there is no way I would get a gas after owning a hybrid. I get 40+ mpg except for highway and then I still get better economy than the gas. The car is faster than the gas only and is so smooth to drive.

The transmission, starter, alternator are all eliminated and replaced with two electric motors and a planetary gearset. It's so much simpler than the gas version and therefore more reliable.

Regarding the battery do some research on the Prius forums. Battery replacements are simply not a thing and the only people who claim otherwise are anti-hybrid without ever actually owning one. In fact I have a buddy with a 15-year-old Prius that's still on the original battery and still getting 50 miles to the gallon. There is a reason that the top reliability vehicles according to consumer reports are hybrids.

To the person who made the comment about the resources used to build the battery. The battery in my RAV4 is a one kilowatt hour battery. That's basically the size of a battery on an e-bike and is approximately 1/100 the size of an EV battery. That seems like a pretty good use of resources for that tiny little pack to double the fuel economy and increase the performance of the vehicle.

 

Hybrids completely work and seem to the the best route at the moment. I have a huge mental block about them. I am annoyed how heavy vehicles are now and carrying two powertrains along bothers me. I like ICE and look forward to the days of cool EVs. I don't like this middle ground.

That said, I don't think you can go wrong with a Toyota hybrid. The whole pack life thing has proven me wrong over the long years.

 

The two powertrains thing is really a misconception.

In the Toyota synergy hybrid system the transmission starter and alternator are all removed. The transmission is then replaced by two electric motors and a planetary gear set. The electric motors provide the starter for the motor as well as traction power and generator. The electric motors are blended together with the gas engine using the planetary gear set with no clutches involved. It's an ingenious system and is much simpler than a gas vehicle with a conventional transmission.

Really it should be called a gas vehicle with a hybrid transmission because it's really more accurate to what it's doing.

 

If you read on the Toyota Prius forums you will find that the batteries last much longer than 3 to 5 years. In fact Toyota has a 10-year warranty specific to the battery.

The hybrid still uses the gas engine for all of the heat so that doesn't put any extra wear and tear on the battery. The AC is ran off the high voltage power but I see that as a plus since the air conditioner can now run at a constant speed or whatever speed is needed for the specific cooling demands instead of having to run at the motor speed.

 

OP, the other thing to consider is that Gas versions don't come with AWD(trim depended). Have to pay extra 2-3 grand. Hybrid comes with AWD (idependent rear e/motor system)

 

Come out with a Hydrogen model, already Toyota!!!!!!

 

we looked at the 2wd rav4 gas, it was $5K more than an awd Subaru gas
subie is bigger and only needed a battery and a broke wheel stud in 7 years

 

You need to actual look for facts not just listen to what you heard from a dude, let alone someone who thinks electric car batteries use up more resources than an ICE vehicle. They’re both extremely resource intensive in many of the same ways.

The hybrid Rav 4 battery has the capacity of about two standard car batteries. This isn’t some huge battery that requires anything special to produce it. Electric car battery packs are sealed and can handle salt water and air without a problem unless the battery is damaged. Kinda like how an ICE vehicle can handle salt water just fine unless it submerges the intake. Both are screwed regardless from the corrosion of anything and everything touched by the storm water in that case.

 

That sounds exactly what I was thinking of, except that you missed the size and weight of the battery pack.

Again, not for me. <-- This guy. I ain't saying other folks shouldn't.