Domestic Versus Imported Hybrid Cars

If you’ve already decided that you want to buy a hybrid car, you’ve passed the most difficult test. Or maybe not. Now you have to decide which hybrid vehicle is the right one for you. You may think you know but you might not have explored all of the possibilities. And then comes the daunting question: do you buy domestic or imported? For some people, the answer comes relatively easy. For others, it can be incredibly difficult to answer. Here are some things you need to know about imported and domestic hybrid cars:

Imported hybrids are tried and true- Most available domestic hybrid cars have been on the market only a few short years, some only 2 or 3 years and others, even less. Many imported hybrids, on the other hand, have been on the market 5 or more years. The Toyota Prius made its first debut into the consumer marketplace in 1998, making it the longest running and longest tested hybrid on the market.

Domestic hybrids and imported hybrids range around the same price- Except for luxury sedans, like Lexus and BMW, traditional family hybrids like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic actually come in lower than some of the GM and Ford hybrids. Most mainstream middle-class consumer hybrids range between $20,000 and $30,000 dollars, SUVs included, although some can hit $50,000 or higher.

Many domestic hybrids license their technology- Toyota patented the hybrid technology of the Prius, landing itself as the front-runner in the hybrid game. Companies like Ford currently lease their hybrid technology from Toyota. So, if you’re only worried about the technology, it doesn’t really matter whether you choose an import or a domestic model because it all came from an import car’s facility anyway.

If it’s imported it may be more difficult to repair and maintain- Just like conventional imported cars, some makes and models may be more difficult and more expensive to get repaired. For instance, if you sign up for the new Porsche hybrid or the new Volkswagen hybrid, it may be even harder to get repairs and maintenance done than if you have a conventional Porsche or Volkswagen.

They still have their own personal manual- If you are driving an imported hybrid or a domestic hybrid, you will still have to read the owners manual to figure out why your domestic vehicle doesn’t like water or why your import doesn’t like regular unleaded gasoline.

Domestic hybrids are still based on volume- Domestic car manufacturers tend to build their vehicles by volume. This means they are expecting their workers to finish a large amount of production in a small amount of time. The reason that imported cars have, in the past, been more expensive, is because they take longer to build and last longer due to the extra care. Don’t let the fair price of your new imported hybrid confuse you, though. Imports are still built with the same care. It’s just a different technology.

Remember, whether you buy a domestic or an import, your hybrid will still be a better deal.