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Hybrid ScorecardSee which vehicles make the most of hybrid technology for the environment, and your pocketbook. |
Hybrid Scorecard Findings: Advice for Consumers, Lessons for Automakers
Consumers should know that the best hybrids deliver emissions reductions and fuel efficiency at an affordable price without compromising vehicle utility. Many hybrids, however, are loaded with forced features that inflate the sticker price; knowing which forced features come with a car may save you money and provide a bargaining tool at the dealership.
Automakers should learn from the best performers in each category to improve both their existing models and their future hybrid fleets. By maximizing pollution reductions at an affordable price, automakers will be using hybrid technology that truly responds to American consumers’ demand for efficient options in every vehicle class.
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The bottom line—consumers:
Look past the hybrid label to see if hybrid technology is truly being used to maximize reductions in both global warming and smog-forming emissions.
The bottom line—automakers:
Look to top hybrid performers to identify ways to improve existing and future fleets—even the greenest automakers can do more to maximize environmental performance with hybrid technology. |
- All hybrids are not created equal. Going from a conventional Toyota Matrix to a Prius reduces global warming emissions a whopping 44 percent. That’s like trading in a Hummer H3 for a Mini Cooper. By contrast, going from a Saturn Aura to an Aura Hybrid only reduces emissions 10 percent, the equivalent of trading in the Hummer H3 for a 3.7-liter Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- Go for no-compromise hybrids. A recent survey by Consumer Reports noted that fuel efficiency is now the top feature prospective buyers look for in a new car. The best-performing hybrids deliver on that, incorporating high-powered electric motors along with more efficient gasoline engines. The Ford Fusion Hybrid maintains performance while boosting efficiency and reducing global warming emissions 31 percent. But the drivetrain in the Toyota Camry Hybrid, a competing 5-seat midsize sedan, boosts acceleration over its conventional counterpart, which helps explain why it obtains only a 27 percent reduction in global warming emissions.
- Automakers can muscle their way out of hybrid success. Merging an electric motor with a gas-thirsty engine to create a “muscle hybrid” has been a poor strategy for automakers. Toyota’s Lexus GS and LS hybrid models, for example, are muscle hybrids that offer a boost in horsepower compared with their conventional counterparts but offer some of the lowest efficiency gains among hybrids. Honda’s now-defunct Accord Hybrid provided an early lesson for automakers that hybrid buyers want maximized fuel efficiency, not increased power, out of hybrid technology.
- A “Hybrid” isn’t always a hybrid. The worst environmental performers, the Chevy Malibu Hybrid and Saturn Aura Hybrid, are “hollow hybrids.” Their electric motors aren’t powerful enough to provide significant assistance in moving the vehicle, a key feature of hybrid technology. In reality, these are not hybrid vehicles. Their poor Environmental Score and Hybrid Value rating show how taking a half-hearted approach to hybrid technology can undermine consumers’ confidence in the hybrid label.
The bottom line—consumers:
You can find high Hybrid Value ratings in all vehicle classes. But don’t confuse low hybridization cost with good hybrid value, as they don’t always go hand in hand.
The bottom line—automakers:
Despite a mixed record on hybrid value, nearly all automakers have proven that they can deliver efficient hybrid technology at a reasonable cost. They should follow the example of those models with high Hybrid Value ratings and top Environmental Scores as they look to improve existing models and expand their hybrid fleets. |
- High value can be found in nearly all sizes. We found that a 27 percent or greater reduction in global warming emissions for a hybrid technology cost of about $4,000 is deserving of a High Value rating. Toyota, Honda, Ford, and General Motors have all shown they have the capacity to deliver high hybrid value in vehicles ranging from compact cars to full-sized SUVs.
- Top performers provide more bang for your buck. The models with the best Hybrid Value ratings—such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Lexus HS 250h, and Ford Fusion Hybrid—offer great environmental performance at a reasonable cost compared with their closest conventional counterparts.
- Low cost doesn’t always mean high value. The Saturn Aura Hybrid, Chevy Malibu Hybrid, and Lexus GS 450h have relatively low hybrid technology costs, but they don’t provide strong improvements in efficiency compared with other hybrids.
- Misusing hybrid technology means less value. “Muscle hybrids” often combine significant hybrid technology costs with weak global warming emissions performance. The GMC Yukon Hybrid and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUVs, for example, earn only a “Medium” Hybrid Value rating because their hybrid drivetrains were coupled with bigger engines that help the vehicle deliver additional power and torque.
The bottom line—consumers:
Look out for the added cost of forced features, which come standard on hybrid models even if customers don’t want the extra bells and whistles. Knowing the cost of forced features on a specific hybrid model—the average being about $3,000—could be an effective negotiating point when buying a hybrid, and may encourage automakers to give consumers more options.
The bottom line—automakers:
Limit the amount of forced features on hybrid models and give consumers more options. Automakers shouldn’t treat hybrid models differently than conventional vehicles. They should offer hybrid choices from no-frills base models to fully loaded luxury packages. |
- Forced features inflate hybrid costs. Car buyers deserve the freedom to invest extra dollars in fuel economy instead of frills. But the average hybrid model comes with about $3,000 of forced features. The worst offender is the Lexus LS 600h L, which comes with more than $17,000 of extra features on top of an already luxury-laden base model.
- Keeping forced features to a minimum helps keep hybrids marketable. Honda’s Insight has no forced features, resulting in a 40+ mpg vehicle that costs less than $20,000. By comparison, Honda’s 42 mile per gallon Civic Hybrid is loaded with $3,362 worth of forced features, bringing its manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to $23,550.
- Knowledge is power when buying a vehicle. Knowing what forced features are being layered on hybrids is a great tool for prospective car buyers to bring to the dealership to help shape their buying decisions. If dealers consistently hear complaints about hybrids’ forced features, automakers may be motivated to offer more base-model-equivalent hybrids, and allow consumers to decide whether or not they want any additional features, just as they currently do with conventional vehicles.
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