Buying A Hybrid Car |
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Matthew Kirkman
March 9, 2013
Having now been available for over a decade, hybrid cars are still proving a popular alternative to traditional vehicles, especially with the current concern about our driving being more environmentally friendly.
So what is a hybrid car? Basically, it is a vehicle which uses more than one source of energy; usually an electric motor and a petrol internal combustion engine.
Along with the well known petrol hybrid vehicles, diesel hybrids are now appearing on the market, again increasing the popularity of these cars. With plug-in electric vehicles also becoming more accepted by the driving public, traditional hybrids are now being referred to as 'conventional hybrids'.
So why buy a hybrid? For one thing, they generally improve fuel economy by 20-25%,, as well as reducing exhaust emissions. Many hybrid cars also give you the option of driving short distances using a zero-emission mode, during which only electric power is used to drive the car.
Another advantage of hybrid cars is that they make it much easier for you to change the way you drive in order to save on fuel costs; most conventional hybrids come equipped with dashboard monitors that inform you how your mileage is being affected by the way you drive.
When looking to buy a conventional hybrid car, you should be aware that they are generally not suited to regularly driving long distances, as at high speeds, hybrids rely more on their petrol engines than the electric motor (all-electric vehicles are also better suited to short drives rather than long commutes). Hybrid cars will, however, give you the best savings if you're stuck in a traffic jam and are regularly stopping and starting, as hybrids will mainly use the electric motor when being driven at low speeds and will completely shut down the petrol engine when the car is stopped.
As with all cars, ensure that you take your chosen hybrid car for a test drive before purchasing. But if you like the way it drives, you could have found yourself a way to save quite a bit of money each year, and one way of giving your car a little bit back for all the money it's saved you, is to consider investing in a private number plate for it. With thousands to choose from you could probably pick one up for less than the money you save on petrol each year. So if you're looking for DVLA cherished plates, you can find plenty more information on the internet.