98% just meant not rare, as the person referenced “rare cars” vs everything else.
I’ve already looked at that those real work TCO numbers for a bunch of cars, that’s part of why I’m saying they’re reliable and lower TCO.
But there’s a big difference between saying that on average these things break down less across all hybrids and saying every single hybrid model is more reliable.
I agree there’s a difference. The OP I originally responded to made the claim “Hybrids have a lower TCO even though they have a higher initial purchase price.” That’s a general claim, and I was seeking information that can support it. I’ve largely received strong general conclusions based on weak general evidence. When pushed, people will seem to cherry pick specific cases, which to you point, isn’t good enough to support the original general claim. Perhaps we’re looking at different data (in which case I’d be interested in understanding why you like one set over the other), but in aggregate, I couldn’t find strong evidence that supports on side or the other.
The majority of hybrids ~70% fall under these models:
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid, Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, and Honda Accord Hybrid which have a lower TCO than their gas’s equivalents.
I don’t think we need to consider low production edge cases, to make a statement about the general case.
We may be seeing differences in locality, but the first one I checked (Escape) did not support your claim. The gas variant was cheaper than both the hybrid (8% lower) and the plug-in hybrid (24% lower) in TCO. I think this just speaks to my previous point about variance impacting our ability to make strong general claims.
Make sure you’re comparing equal trim levels. PHEV has
18-inch wheels
Heated front seats
Heated steering wheel
Partial vinyl and cloth upholstery
13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen
Navigation system
Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the Escape and the car in front)
Lane keeping system (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
Evasive steering assistance (enhances the forward collision mitigation system with steering-based collision avoidance)
Rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible behind the vehicle when parking)
Good point. After adjusting for trim level, the gas is still cheaper but not as dramatically.
If I had to guess, you may be getting numbers from a high fuel cost locale. In the end, I don’t think the conclusion that it’s largely a wash is unreasonable. There will be areas with higher cost and those with lower cost.
I’ve already looked at that those real work TCO numbers for a bunch of cars, that’s part of why I’m saying they’re reliable and lower TCO.
But there’s a big difference between saying that on average these things break down less across all hybrids and saying every single hybrid model is more reliable.