Hybrid vs EV buying - what would you get for 30-50k today?

Eagle

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Lately the wife has been asking about getting a new car. Despite all the supply chain issues and the lack of new car inventory to satisfy impulse buyers like myself, the ridiculous amount of commercials for EVs and vehicles in general have gotten to her head.

She's currently driving a '18 Ford Fusion Titanium hybrid that pulls down 45mpg when driving it nicely. She's commuting again for work and she hates going to the gas station for whatever reason, so she doesn't want to get something that has less mileage.

EVs have her attention because as far as she's concerned, if she's not buying fuel (only paying the electric bill to "refill") then she can ~afford~ rationalize a higher price tag. I hate the idea of an EV because as far as I'm concerned the battery technology is not there yet to provide the range that we really need in a car which we would often drive a few hundred miles EVERY.SINGLE.WEEKEND in the summer to and from our camping spot.

I am really feeling like plugin hybrid is the way to go right now. You sort of get the best of both worlds - you can run pure electric if you're charged, or you can fill up the tank and drive the thing long distances without needing to find charging stations. Liking the looks and features of the '23 Rav4 Prime.

What other vehicles are out there I could be looking at?


PS - lead time on custom built vehicles being reportedly 18-24months is absolutely ridiculous and serves as a strong enough deterrent for me personally to say F'it I don't want to buy until these problems go away. 6mo I can deal with. 3-4x that, I'm out.
 

sickmint79

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few hundred miles every weekend doesn't seem solid for a full EV to me. if she hates going to the gas station is she going to love a 20+ minute stop to charge somewhere in there?

i like the idea of the plug in hybrid too - it's just that it also sounds like you have a pretty good hybrid solution anyway. how long is the commute? i see EPA estimate at 42 miles. wonder what that translate into reality for her commute/driving style, a/c in the summer and heat in the winter. i wouldn't be in a rush to get the New Thing in this situation.
 

Yaj Yak

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Eagle

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I think they're hideous personally

hyundai-ioniq-5-2022-03-dynamic-exterior-front-angle-silver-suv-scaled.jpg
 

Bru

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It’s honestly really hard to say without knowing specifics about qualifications for incentives and interested models. You really have to do the math yourself to figure out if a hybrid or EV makes sense. Generally speaking, a hybrid will be more cost-effective. But if you can DIY charger installation and get by with bare minimum charging equipment and also qualify for incentives and don’t fast charge it, then it might work in favor of an EV. Also know that in cold weather you’re going to lose about 30 to 40% of your overall range. And fast charging is slower in the winter too.
 

Eagle

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few hundred miles every weekend doesn't seem solid for a full EV to me. if she hates going to the gas station is she going to love a 20+ minute stop to charge somewhere in there?

i like the idea of the plug in hybrid too - it's just that it also sounds like you have a pretty good hybrid solution anyway. how long is the commute? i see EPA estimate at 42 miles. wonder what that translate into reality for her commute/driving style, a/c in the summer and heat in the winter. i wouldn't be in a rush to get the New Thing in this situation.
Totally agree, I'm in no rush to buy "the New Thing" at all as it pertains to EV tech. Plugin hybrid on the other hand seems pretty reliable and a great compromise to the pure-EV range limitations that concern me. ?‍♂️
 
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Eagle

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It’s honestly really hard to say without knowing specifics about qualifications for incentives and interested models. You really have to do the math yourself to figure out if a hybrid or EV makes sense. Generally speaking, a hybrid will be more cost-effective. But if you can DIY charger installation and get by with bare minimum charging equipment and also qualify for incentives and don’t fast charge it, then it might work in favor of an EV. Also know that in cold weather you’re going to lose about 30 to 40% of your overall range. And fast charging is slower in the winter too.
All fantastic points, Bru Bru! 30-40% loss in range is crazy, hadn't expected it to be quite that high, but did expect it. The plugin hybrid really feels like the way to go....
 

jason05gt

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Personally I would skip the hybrid and go full EV. There’s a lot of nice EV’s in that price range from major manufacturers. I had a loaner Bolt EV earlier this year and was actually pretty impressed. While it doesn’t have the range of a Tesla, it drove pretty nicely. That being said Teslas charging network is a big advantage if you are throwing on a few hundred miles a weekend.
 
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Dan00Hawk

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Got a friend who loves their Toyota Rav4 Prime plug in hybrid. They also have a Kia EV6. Only one of them is used for their longer trips, and it's not the EV. It has been really difficult to get a new Rav4 Prime, and the used pricing for them is easily $10k+ MSRP last I checked.

We're happy with our VW ID.4 as a secondary vehicle. We took it up to the WI Dells for a weekend, and didn't have a problem stopping off to recharge a couple times. Also made it back straight home without recharging just to overcome some range anxiety. But we'd choose to take the gas car for longer trips. We'd go with a plug in hybrid next if we planned on using it for longer weekends away from home.
 

jason05gt

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On what reasoning would you go full EV? I'm not suggesting they're not nice, well optioned, or unreliable... I'm only suggesting that I need stronger range before they make sense to me.
Personally for me, the Model 3 LR is enough range for me plus the supercharging network is pretty robust where if I wanted to take a road trip I have coverage.

It’s more expensive but you also get tax incentives. Illinois has a $4K rebate and some vehicles qualify for Federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. I think the IRA is $7,500 if I remember correctly so they’re $11,500 in potential tax incentives. I’m not sure Tesla qualifies under the IRA but it does for the IL credit.
 
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