Category Archives: Automobile insurance
What's the advantage of driving a hybrid in terms of insurance?
The current tendencies in gas prices and environment consciousness that more and more drivers start to experience make the decision of purchasing a new car a bit tricky. Some people start exploring alternatives such as public transportation, bicycles, different fuel types and so on. And it seems that one of the most popular and massively produced alternatives in the recent years are hybrid vehicles. These days nearly all big car manufacturers have several hybrid models in mass production, so the driver already has a choice to make when considering hybrids. But what are the advantages of hybrid drive cars and what are the perspectives in terms of insurance?
Gas mileage is probably the strongest point of most hybrid vehicles and the main reason why people purchase them. Of course, there’s also the lower carbon footprint these cars have, but the environmental concerns are rarely a reason to buy an expensive new car that costs much more than a typical sedan. Hybrid vehicles are named this way because they incorporate both an internal combustion and an electric motor in their design. By combining two energy sources, hybrid vehicles allow less gas to be used, which results in far lower gas mileage than with ordinary drive cars. The technology behind hybrid vehicle implementation keeps on improving reducing the gas mileage even more with every new hybrid developed.
Still, you should always consider the type and model of hybrid you’re looking forward to purchase since not all hybrids are designed to cut gas mileage. Some hybrid models are produced for increasing overall performance and push the limits of ordinary vehicles to more power, acceleration and speed. One such example is Ford Escape Hybrid, which has a gas mileage comparable to that of a typical SUV. So pay attention to the characteristics of every hybrid you come across in order to avoid buying a car that will cost you even more in terms of gas.
Discounts are another aspect of hybrid vehicles that makes them so sweet to the eye of the potential buyer. While the prices on most hybrids are higher than on ordinary vehicles, there are many incentives that make the purchase of such cars more attractive. Tax incentives, toll and driving incentives offered by the government in order to promote hybrid vehicles make it much cheaper to drive these cars than their less expensive counterparts.
Car insurance also makes hybrids more attractive. The majority of bigger insurance providers offer significant discounts to hybrid vehicle owners. And knowing how car insurance can affect the overall cost of owning a vehicle this is another win for the hybrid vehicle owners. Of course, this doesn’t mean that any hybrid car will automatically get great car insurance rates as you still will have to shop around for the best policy. But having competitive insurance rates can be another reason to purchase such a car.
So there you have it. Hybrids certainly look like a good bargain if you have the money to pay for them at the dealer shop in the first place. With all these small advantages hybrid vehicles seem to save a lot of money to their owners in the end. So maybe it’s time for you to consider something new in your garage?