Latest news with #pluginhybrids
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here are the EVs you can buy for less than $35,000
As steep tariffs threaten to drive up car prices and an incentive for buying electric vehicles nears its expiration date, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are becoming harder to afford. For those looking to make the switch to electric on a budget, there are just a few low-cost options. Here's a look at those available for under $35,000. Read more: Charging infrastructure zooms ahead despite Trump attacks Nissan Leaf The 2025 Nissan Leaf starts at $28,140, according to the company website. The four-door compact sport-utility vehicle has a range of 212 miles and tops the list of the most affordable all-electric cars available in the U.S. The Leaf, which originally hit roads in 2010, was the first mass-market electric vehicle, according to Nissan. It helped spur global interest in EVs and was the top-selling plug-in electric car until 2020, when it was surpassed by the Tesla Model 3. According to the auto industry site Edmunds, a major disadvantage of the Leaf is its charging port, which is not compatible with many public chargers. Known as a CHAdeMO, the technology was once more common but is being phased out. Edmunds also criticizes the Leaf for its small storage capacity and limited range, but lists comfort and a quiet ride as part of the car's appeal. Nissan also sells the Ariya, an electric crossover SUV with a range of 289 miles and a starting price around $39,000. Hyundai Kona Electric The 2025 Kona Electric has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $32,975. The SUV has a range of 261 miles and can charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 43 minutes with a direct current fast charger. That's slower than some of its rivals, according to Edmunds, which also cites the Kona for "lackluster" handling. The vehicle is easy to drive and park, however, and is a good value for its price, the site's reviewer said. Hyundai has been working on all-electric vehicles since 1991, when the automaker developed the Sonata Electric Vehicle for testing. Its first commercially available EV was the Hyundai BlueOn, in 2010. Chevrolet Equinox EV The 2025 Equinox EV starts at $33,600, according to Chevrolet's website. It has a 319-mile range and touts itself as "America's most affordable 315+ mile range EV." The Chevrolet Blazer, another EV option from the American manufacturer, is one of this year's top-selling EVs. At Camino Real Chevrolet in Monterey Park, electric vehicles make up about 20% of sales, according to dealership President Robb Hernandez. Edmunds rated the Equinox EV a 7.5 out of 10 for performance, 8.5 out of 10 for comfort and a 10 out of 10 for range and efficiency. The car has more than 15 safety and driver assistance features. Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid The 2025 Prius Plug-in Hybrid is priced at $33,375 and has 44 miles of battery power. After that, the car switches to gasoline. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid is a particularly good value for drivers who don't go more than 40 miles in one day and can charge frequently, said analyst Karl Brauer. Drivers without a home charger would have to navigate the public network, which can have long wait times. Imperfect charging infrastructure is a deterrent for some considering the switch to electric, Brauer said. Toyota has revamped its Prius model, which once had a bad reputation for its appearance and low power. The Prius Plug-in has 220 horsepower and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. Edmunds rated the Prius Plug-in Hybrid an 8.5 out of 10 for performance, 7.5 out of 10 for comfort and a 9.5 out of 10 for fuel economy. Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid The 2025 Niro Plug-in Hybrid has an all-electric range of 33 miles and a starting price of $34,490. It is one of Kia's three plug-in hybrid options, which also include the Sportage and the Sorento. According to Edmunds, the Niro Plug-in Hybrid has impressive fuel economy and stylish interior design, but lacks all-wheel drive. Edmunds rated the model an 8 out of 10 for performance, an 8.5 out of 10 for comfort and a 8.5 out of 10 for technology. Kia debuted its first EV for the commercial market in 2015 with the release of the electric Kia Soul. Are more options coming? The price of an EV is a significant barrier to a more complete transition to electric vehicles in the U.S., experts said. The average price of a new electric vehicle in the U.S. is $56,910, according to the latest data from Kelley Blue Book, while the average price of a gas-powered car was $49,740 in late 2024. Dealerships are still waiting to see the full effects of new auto tariffs, which are expected to jack up the price of imported parts. Kelley Blue Book predicted overall vehicle prices could increase as much as $6,000 as a result of the tariffs. Read more: Shopping for an electric vehicle? How long until that $7,500 tax credit expires? The higher price tag on EVs stems from expensive batteries and manufacturing. It can be pricier to insure an EV too — data collected by Insurify shows that EVs cost more than $4,000 to insure per year, 49% more than gas-powered cars. For first time EV owners, it can also cost up to $2,000 to install a home charger. Still, depending on where you live and the type of driving you do, it can be cheaper in the long run to own an EV. The cost of electricity is generally less than filling up at the pump, experts said. Vehicles that burn gasoline or diesel are a major contributor to human-caused climate change, experts said, and transitioning away from fossil fuels is key to a healthy climate. Drivers hoping to reduce their reliance on gas also have the option of a plug-in hybrid, which runs on both gas and electricity. Read more: Auto tariffs seen hiking car prices by nearly $2,000 per vehicle Chinese automaker BYD sells ultra low-priced fully electric models, but they are not available in the U.S. The BYD Seagull starts at less than the equivalent of $8,000. "There's this perpetual challenge for automakers trying to price EVs competitively, at a compelling price point that average people would go and buy them," said Brauer, the analyst. If automakers are smart, he said, "they will keep it under $30,000, because with the loss of the incentive, there's a real psychological benefit to be able to say you're under $30,000." Ford's answer to cheap Chinese EVs is a $30,000 electric pickup truck the company hopes to launch in 2027. The automaker this week said it will invest nearly $5 billion to build the truck and develop a smaller, lighter battery. Read more: EV demand stalls out in California as automakers face zero-emission sales mandate Slate Auto, a relatively new American automaker backed by Jeff Bezos, says it's building a basic EV with a starting price between $20,000 and $30,000 before customization. The company originally advertised the vehicle at less than $20,000, but had to backtrack after President Trump eliminated a $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles. The incentive expires Sept. 30, and Slate says the vehicles will be available in late 2026. Tesla analyst Dan Ives said he expects several less expensive EV models to drop in the next six months, including Tesla's stripped down Model Y. Tesla has not confirmed the release date or price for the new Model Y. The most affordable EVs already on the market usually don't go as far on a charge as higher-priced ones, Ives said. "They're still worth buying," he said. "They're a very good value." Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Bloomberg
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
China Is Poised to Buy More EVs Than Gas-Only Cars This Year
Thanks for reading Hyperdrive, Bloomberg's newsletter on the future of the auto world. Electric vehicles are set to outsell conventional gasoline cars in China on an annual basis for the first time this year, driven by the rising popularity of plug-in hybrids, advances in charging and the extension of trade-in subsidies.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Global EV sales jump 24% in June though North American market struggles, research firm says
By Alessandro Parodi (Reuters) -Global sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles jumped 24% in June from a year ago, as a switch to electric vehicles maintained momentum in China and Europe, market research firm Rho Motion said on Tuesday. Still, EV sales in the United States were down 1% in the month and will struggle to pick up this year, after President Donald Trump's spending bill cut tax credits sooner than anticipated, Rho Motion's data manager Charles Lester said. North America, also weighed by slowing sales in Canada, lagged for the first time behind the "rest of the world" countries, which include emerging markets in Southeast Asia and South and Central America, Lester said. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Global automakers face a 25% import tariff in the United States, the world's second-largest car market, causing many of them to withdraw their outlooks for 2025. In Europe, incentives for retail and fleet buyers in key markets such as Germany and Spain, alongside a growing availability of cheap EVs, are expected to support electric car sales through the second half of the year. While some of the most successful EVs in the small vehicle segment are produced by European carmakers such as Volkswagen and Renault, those by Chinese brands including BYD are taking up market share in the continent and driving growth in emerging markets, Lester said. BY THE NUMBERS Global sales of battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 1.8 million units in June, Rho Motion data showed. Sales in China jumped 28% from the same month last year to 1.11 million vehicles. Europe posted a 23% increase to about 390,000 units, while North American sales fell 9% to over 140,000. Sales in the rest of the world surged 43% to exceed 140,000 vehicles. KEY QUOTE "There's been reports over the last few months of a slowdown potentially in China" due to some cities running out of subsidies, Lester said. "But overall, we'd expect in (the second half) for more subsidy amounts to be available," leading to a "big boost" in volumes towards the end of the year, he added. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Electric vehicle sales hit two-year low in Australia as hybrid cars boom
The number of battery electric vehicles sold in Australia has fallen to its lowest level in two years as Australians continue buying traditional internal-combustion cars or turn to conventional and plug-in hybrids, according to the nation's peak motoring body. There were 17,914 new battery electric vehicles sold in the first three months of this year, according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), equivalent to 6.3% of all new car sales. The last time the number of new electric vehicles sold was this low was in the first three months of 2023, when 17,396 cars were sold, the AAA's quarterly electric vehicle report said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email This year's first quarter figures also represent a decline in market share compared to the final quarter of 2024, when battery EVs made up 7.42% of new car sales with 21,331 sold, the AAA figures showed. Vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines continued to dominate even though they too dropped in popularity, with 206,810 sold in the March quarter, or 72.68% of all new car sales. In the final three months of 2024, 215,789 cars with internal combustion engines were sold, working out to 75.1% of the market, the AAA's report said. At the same time, however, sales of conventional hybrid cars – which combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor – and plug-in hybrids, which also contain a chargeable battery – boomed. The number of plug-in-hybrids sold nearly doubled to 13,698 – 4.81% of the market – in the first three months of this year compared with 7,556 sales – 2.63% of the market - in the final quarter of 2024. The number of conventional hybrid vehicles sold increased from 42,618 to 46,115 over the same period. To compile its reports, the AAA says it collates information from a range of sources including car sales data from two peak manufacturing bodies – the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council. Overall, car sales fell by 0.96% in the March quarter, the report said. The decline in the number of electric vehicles sold came in the immediate wake of the federal government's national vehicle efficiency standard coming into effect on 1 January. Introduced by the Albanese government in its first term, the standard is designed to bring more fuel-efficient cars into the market by penalising manufacturers of high-polluting vehicles if they exceed an emissions cap. The cap – which the government has said will be lowered over time – applies to new cars, in an effort to incentivise carmakers to supply low-and zero-emissions vehicles to Australia. It was expected the standard would lower the cost of electric vehicles by making it cheaper and easier to bring them into the market. The government has said the standard will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger vehicles by more than 60% by 2030. The standard forms part of the government's plan to achieve its commitment to lower greenhouse gas emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, has been contacted for comment.
Times
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Tesla sold only 512 cars in the UK in April
Elon Musk's Tesla sold just over 500 vehicles in Britain in April, down by more than half on the previous month, as motorists shifted decisively away from all-electric vehicles in favour of plug-in hybrids. According to the latest registration figures, the big government push to get drivers into all-electric cars appears to have stalled seemingly in favour of the plug-in hybrids, internal combustion engine vehicles which can run for a few dozen miles on a rechargeable electric battery. They are seen by many as a cheaper halfway house for transitioning motorists who prefer to get a taste for a battery car but with the confidence of an onboard engine as a back-up. Sales of plug-in hybrids rose 34 per cent in April to 14,000 and
