Latest news with #hybridcars
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
5 of the Least Reliable Hybrid Cars in 2025
What hybrid cars shouldn't you buy? It's something to know before you invest in something that costs about $40,000 on average, according to The Zebra. Consider This: Check Out: In a recent study, Consumer Reports ranked the most and least reliable 2025 hybrid cars so shoppers know before they drive. They take a look at common problem areas such as brakes, out-of-warranty engines, transmissions, batteries and more. Below are the hybrid cars that were at the bottom of the list that you should steer clear of. Ford F-150 Price: Starts at $37,450 Consumer Reports ranked the Ford F-150 model as the least reliable hybrid vehicle. The report cited its transmission and hybrid battery as problem areas. In addition, drivers might not like the stiff ride that Ford F-150 provides. The 2025 hybrid model already has one recall for the electrical system, which causes a sudden loss of drive power, leading to potential crashes. I Sold My Tesla: Ford Escape Price: Starts at $29,515 Ford was once again under fire with their hybrid model of the Escape. Consumer Reports said the hybrid Escape scored far lower on reliability than the conventionally gas-powered Escape. One issue called out was the lag in the infotainment system, which can be extremely annoying to drivers trying to urgently look at navigation screens or change what they're listening to. Consumer Reports projected the 2025 Ford Escape Hybrid will be less reliable than other new cars on the market. Mazda CX-90 Price: Starts at $49,945 This plug-in hybrid is less reliable than its conventional model. It scored well below average when it came to Consumer Reports' reliability tests and rankings. The transition from electric to gas power was called out as not smooth, and might cause issues for drivers. They predict its reliability will be much less than the average new car. BMW X5 Price: Starts at $73,800 For such a pricey car, Consumer Reports said the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid vehicle scored just average when it came to reliability. Its conventional counterpart scored above average, suggesting that BMW still has to work out some of the kinks when it comes to its X5 hybrid model. Issues with previous models include decreasing range when temperatures dropped and slow charging speeds, according to Electrifying. Lexus NX Price: Starts at $61,140 The Lexus NX plug-in hybrid also only scored average when it came to Consumer Reports' reliability rankings. Consumer Reports cited the brake pedal as a potential issue for the 2025 model, saying it was 'a bit touchy and takes some getting used to.' They also called out the electronic interior door releases, unintuitive gear selector, and low center dash vents as problem areas. More From GOBankingRates I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money This article originally appeared on 5 of the Least Reliable Hybrid Cars in 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
The $380,000 Lamborghini Temerario Balances Precision and Pure Thrill
Last summer I got a speeding ticket driving the Lamborghini Revuelto from Los Angeles to Carmel, California. Traffic citations are rare for me, but I got a little carried away in the Revuelto. The $664,799 V-12 1,001-horsepower hybrid was so fast, and so much fun to drive, the $400-ish penalty felt like a small price to pay for experiencing such joy on the open road. So I was eager to drive the $382,654 Lamborghini Temerario this week in Estoril, Portugal. I wanted to feel joy! The new 907-horsepower V-8 hybrid replaces the V-10 Huracán, which ended production in 2024. But I like to think of it as more like the younger punk sibling of the Revuelto, since it shares a similar plug-in hybrid powertrain and a near perfect power curve that red-lines at 10,000 rpm, beating that of the 9,500-rpm Revuelto.
Reuters
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Reuters
China's EV buying subsidies for 2025 end in parts of Xian, local media says
BEIJING, July 22 (Reuters) - A 2025 government subsidy scheme for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid purchases ended last month in three districts in the city of Xian, the capital of China's Shaanxi province, local official media Shaanxi Daily reported on Tuesday. The three districts are set to stop accepting applications for the subsidies later in July, according to the report. It did not give a reason for the pause or disclose what might happen in other districts. Some Chinese cities, including Zhengzhou and Luoyang, suspended trade-in subsidies for car buyers because the first round of funding allocated by Beijing for the scheme was running out, Reuters reported in June. The state planner and finance ministry said last month that consumer trade-in subsidies for the remainder of the year would be issued in July and October respectively.
Telegraph
20-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
‘My electric car costs have surged now my son is learning to drive'
I've been through a lot with my electric and hybrid cars. Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) and installing a charge point at home for my second-hand electric Renault Zoe took months, and I've recently battled to find any insurer to cover my battered hybrid Toyota Auris. We opted for these cars because we were keen to reduce our environmental impact, while reducing our fuel costs at the same time. What I hadn't considered was what would happen when my children wanted to learn to drive – something that, it turns out, could cost us thousands because of the pricier driving lessons and expensive insurance required to get them behind the wheel of these vehicles. We live in Hadleigh, Suffolk – my husband, Josh, a charity fundraiser, and I, a personal finance journalist, along with 17-year-old Finn, and 15-year-old George. Public transport is limited, so we're keen for them to pass their driving tests – but I had no idea how much more expensive we'd made it by opting for two automatic, environmentally friendly cars. Pricier driving lessons Manual cars are rapidly disappearing from our roads. In 2024, only 22pc of new car registrations were manual, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and more young people are taking their practical driving test in an automatic as a result. Already, almost 21pc of all passes in 2023-24 were in automatic vehicles, according to data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), compared with 17pc the previous year and just 5pc a decade earlier. Much of this is being fuelled by the switch to EVs, according to the AA Driving School, which predicts that one in four driving test passes will be in automatic cars by 2026. Seb Goldin, of Red Driver Training, said there had been a 16pc increase in automatic driving lesson hours at his firm between 2023 and 2024. 'This is likely accelerated by the accessibility when it comes to learning and the advent of electric cars,' he said. This trend is set to pick up pace over the next few years, due to the planned 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars – but, as we've discovered, it's adding extra costs for learner drivers. More expensive driving lessons are the first thing you'll notice. While specific prices vary depending on the area and the individual instructor, the AA Driving School quoted typical prices per hour for driving lessons as £40 for a manual car and £42 for an automatic in London, with respective prices at £38 and £40 in Edinburgh, and £35 and £36.50 in Cardiff. Just a couple of pounds difference may not sound like much, but given it takes an average of 45 hours of driving lessons (if you can access an additional 22 hours of private practice) to pass your test, learning in an automatic could add around £100 before you can even ditch the L-plates. Higher insurance costs Once you're on the road as a new driver, the real costs kick in – particularly if you're driving an EV. The average annual premium for 17 to 24-year-olds driving manual vehicles was £1,260 in April 2025, according to data from comparison website Compare the Market, but it was £1,642 for electric vehicles – a chunky 30pc more. Insurance premiums take into account the risk based on both the driver and the car they are driving, so younger drivers of EVs get clobbered both ways. Julie Daniels, motor insurance expert at Compare the Market, said: 'Younger drivers face higher premiums because they are statistically more likely to be involved in a claim – and the expense of repairing EVs can amplify that risk'. One in five new drivers crash within the first 12 months after passing their test, according to research by Ocean Finance, while around 37pc of 18 to 24-year-olds had at least one near miss in 2024. Automatic and electric cars also tend to cost more to purchase and repair, which again increases insurance costs. EVs are generally newer cars, with fewer second-hand models on the market compared to internal combustion engine cars. Newer cars of whatever engine type tend to have more technical functionality than older vehicles, which affects their value and repair costs. The type of driving licence you have can also push up insurance premiums. Craig Codell, electric vehicle product manager at Admiral, one of the UK's largest motor insurers, said this is because drivers with an automatic licence are more likely to make a claim than a driver with a manual one. Given the continued shift towards EVs, I worry that younger people are being priced out of learning to drive, particularly if they only have access to an EV, and their parents can't spare the extra cash. Finn has been looking for a summer job to help fund his driving, but if we weren't willing to cover the insurance and lessons he couldn't just magic up hundreds of pounds out of nowhere. 'Our car insurance leapt from £406 to £2,019' Back at home, it appears I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either way, it seems we'll have to fork out more. We face higher costs of car insurance, and for each driving lesson if Finn goes for an automatic-only driving licence. Or, we'll potentially need to stump up for extra driving lessons if Finn learns in a manual car, but doesn't have access to a manual for practice. It's frustrating that opting for more environmentally friendly vehicles should also land us with higher costs. Plus, with our car insurance up for renewal, it became apparent that our current insurers were not exactly keen to add a 17-year-old with a provisional licence to our policies. The renewal quote for our electric car with LV car insurance leapt from £392 a year to £1,134. Meanwhile, Churchill, the insurer for our hybrid car, pushed the annual premium up from £406 to £2,019. If we'd stuck with a manual Volkswagen Polo, of the same age and mileage as our electric car, the quotes after adding Finn started from £587 for a standard policy. The price rises seemed huge and made me think twice about whether we could afford to add Finn to our insurance. There's certainly no question of being able to cover him on both cars. Both companies suggested using their temporary insurance policies to cut costs – where, for example, you can insure an additional driver for up to 90 days in the policy year, split across up to five separate occasions. But this didn't sound ideal for weekend driving practice. Tech to bring prices down Thankfully, plugging our details into comparison websites revealed some less eye-watering prices. The cheapest option for both cars were telematics policies with Hastings Direct, often know as 'black box' insurance. Hastings Direct YouDrive came in at £569 for the electric car, and £490 for the hybrid. With a telematics policy, the insurer monitors your driving, either by fitting an electronic monitoring device, providing a monitoring device to plug in yourself or using an app on your smartphone. The device or app then tracks aspects of your driving, such as when, where, how far and how fast you drive, and how aggressively you brake, corner and accelerate. Drive safely, and your insurer could potentially cut your premiums. For the pleasure of driving without an insurer looking over our shoulders, I was quoted £610 for a stripped-down essentials policy for the hybrid, or £626 for a higher-rated policy with a lower excess. Premiums for the electric car rose to £749 and £802 for the same policies, but there were cheaper options elsewhere from around £650. Based on the insurance costs, I've added Finn to the hybrid policy rather than the electric. It's a shame, because the electric car is smaller, and therefore easier for a learner to park – and it has lower running costs.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
7 Key Signs Hybrid Cars Aren't the Right Purchase for You
As the overall trajectory of the automotive market continues to lean toward electric vehicle (EV) companies, carmakers are trying to plug into the hybrid car market. Though they have sprung up around the world and traditional carmakers are retooling their lineups, EVs still face an uphill battle in a lot of ways. Learn More: For You: The pace at which EV sales are growing has fallen short of industry expectations. With electric specifically, Americans seem to remain cautious regarding their high prices, limited battery ranges and insufficient charging infrastructure. Hybrid cars offer numerous benefits to drivers — including reduced emissions, savings at the pump, savings on regular maintenance and through tax credits and incentives, unmatched fuel economy and resale value. Hybrids (but not plug-in hybrids [PHEVs]) are also becoming more reliable. Depending on an individual's needs, driving habits and priorities — including things like size, features and budget — hybrids might not be the right choice for everyone. Here are seven signs that a hybrid car might not be the best purchase for you. Generally speaking, hybrids tend to cost more than comparable gas-powered vehicles (but less than EVs). So, if you're on a tight budget or prioritize upfront affordability, a hybrid might not be the best choice for you. Although hybrid owners often justify the higher purchase cost of their vehicle by saying that they'll make that up eventually with fuel savings, this might take longer than buyers think. Many drivers who choose to buy eco-friendly and fully electric motor power want to lessen their impact on the environment. With a hybrid, you are still partially dependent on fossil fuels as it runs on both electricity and gas. Additionally, hybrids still have some environmental impact during the manufacturing process and vehicle battery pack disposal. Consider This: Although automakers are expanding performance capabilities and building quality designs throughout their lineups all the time, hybrids are manufactured to improve fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions. Because of this, they generally have slower top-end acceleration than traditional models. If power and handling are must-haves, you might be disappointed at your hybrid options. Hybrid cars have two sources of power (the gas engine and the electric motor), so there is less regular wear and tear on the car's engine — and typically fewer trips to the mechanic. However, as Kia noted on their website, when repairs are needed, it may be difficult to find an affordable mechanic who specializes in hybrid technology. Luckily, batteries can last more than 150,000 miles. But when they finally go, they are expensive to replace. Both hybrid and electric vehicles tend to thrive in stop-and-go city traffic, where their regenerative braking systems come into play. If your daily commute takes significant miles or is mainly spent on the highway, or if you're a strictly Sunday driver — popping out to the grocery store once a week or driving only short distances — paying more for a hybrid vehicle might not be worth your while. Don't worry. You can absolutely tow with your hybrid, but because fuel engines — which are necessary for towing and hauling — are frequently smaller in these models, towing capacity is lower. The Hyundai Ioniq and the Toyota Prius weren't exactly engineered to create the power needed to move your car, the people with you and a heavy load. In many cases, it costs more to insure a hybrid because they're worth more than traditional ICE vehicles. Due to specialized technology and higher damage claim and repair costs, you can expect to pay more on average — an estimated 7% to 11% more — to insure a hybrid vehicle or electric car as compared to its traditional gas-powered counterpart. David Nadelle contributed to the reporting for this article. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 8 Common Mistakes Retirees Make With Their Social Security Checks The 10 Most Reliable SUVs of 2025 This article originally appeared on 7 Key Signs Hybrid Cars Aren't the Right Purchase for You
