Advantages of buying a Hybrid car in NZ

It’s a great time to buy a hybrid

Rising fuel costs are having a significant impact on car buyers, making hybrids an increasingly popular option due to their potential to reduce the cost of owning and running a vehicle. By combining petrol and electric power, hybrid vehicles use less fuel and are cheaper to operate day-to-day.

With more than 20 years of proven technology and a wide range of used models available, hybrids from trusted brands like Toyota and Nissan can also offer strong reliability while producing fewer emissions than traditional petrol cars. 

Enterprise Cars New Lynn Customer with her Toyota Aqua

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What is a hybrid car?

It’s become a real buzzword, but what is a hybrid? It’s a car that combines two different types of power: usually petrol and electric. It’s that simple.

The most common kind of second hand hybrid is a model like the Toyota Prius hybrid: a petrol engine, and an extra battery that powers an electric motor. The engine and motor can work together or separately, although the battery/motor can only go alone for a short distance – a few hundred metres to a couple of kilometres. Fortunately, the battery is also recharged very quickly by energy recovered when the car is coasting or braking – which is often called “regeneration”.

There’s another common type of common Nissan hybrid that has the same components, but the engine is only used to charge the battery, and only the electric motor drives the wheels. It’s often called a “range extender”.

And of course there are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which work in exactly the same way but have an even bigger battery that you can plug in (hence the name!) and go for longer just on electric power – upwards of 20km and often much more.

But no matter what type of hybrid, the idea is the same: to run primarily on petrol but use electric power to minimise how much you burn. A petrol-electric car like a Toyota Aqua hybrid will be at least 30 per cent more economical than an equivalent petrol one, and often much more.

Enterprise New Lynn Customer with Nissan Note Hybrid

Why buy a hybrid?

A used hybrid is an especially sensible purchase for many reasons:

1. The fuel efficiency is a huge draw, because a hybrid uses less petrol it will cost you much less to run day-to-day;
2. Finding a used hybrid for sale is not difficult because the technology has been around a long time (over 20 years) and there are plenty of models to choose from;
3. Hybrids have dual power;
4. Reliable brands like Toyota or Nissan for example have proven that petrol-electric engines and motors work well together and are durable so a used car hybrid will be reliable (if you choose wisely) and
5. They are better for the environment as they produce less carbon emissions than a traditional car.

Enterprise New Lynn Customer with Mitsubisher Outlander PHEV

Hybrids have more power

Hybrids tick a lot of very sensible boxes: they are thrifty, reliable and better for the environment.

But there’s something else about that hybrid you might be looking at: it’s probably going to be fun to drive. While battery power is used to help reduce fuel consumption, it’s also always on hand to help with performance when required – giving a boost to the petrol engine for overtaking or big hills.

The combined power of the petrol engine and electric motor in a hybrid will usually be more than the lone engine of an equivalent conventional model, so when you really need that extra performance on the open road, every part of the hybrid powertrain can pitch in to respond. This makes the driving expereince a lot of fun as well!

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Our Guide to Buying a Hybrid Car