Hybrid Cars Vs. Gas Cars

Traditionally, there were only vehicles running on gas and diesel. However, as times have changed and so has automobile technology, you will also find hybrid and electric cars in the market to choose from. Every type of these cars has a technology upgrade or a drastic change than the other.

As a result, cars from each category have their own share of advantages and disadvantages. A majority of people prefer to buy cars running on gas, as they are believed to be more reliable. However, due to rising prices of fuel all over the world, people are trying their best to save on fuel.

Owing to this, electric cars are also being studied and researched on a large scale today. These automobiles have a fairly smaller body and run only on an electric motor. One of the drawbacks of electric cars is that at present, these cars can only be used over a small distance.

The car manufacturers have overcome this shortcoming by coming with the concept of hybrid cars. As the name portrays, these cars use two technologies for propulsion like the internal combustion engine and a motor with a number of batteries. Nowadays, these cars are being opted for by prospective car owners due to their low fuel consumption.

The main point of difference between gas and hybrid cars is the way of engine functioning. However, some people get confused whether to buy hybrid or gas wheels.

Gas Cars: Gas cars are the most commonly used cars available in the auto market. The power to these vehicles is provided by the functioning of an internal combustion engine. When the ignition is turned on, the spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture which explodes and expands as hot gases.

This expanding volume acts on the pistons that are housed in engine cylinders. The linear movement of pistons are translated into rotary movements of the crankshafts attached to them which contributes to the car's propelling movement. In gas cars, when brakes are applied, the power is totally lost.

One more point worth a mention is the size of the engine in gas cars. These cars have a bigger engine as compared to their hybrid counterparts.

Hybrid Cars: Generally, hybrid cars get power with a combined working of the internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and hi-powered batteries.

For slow speeds and city driving, the electric motor provides power for propelling. Whereas, when the car needs more speed, like when on straight highways, the engine power is employed to move the car. The regenerative braking concept has become quite prominent when hybrid cars are discussed.

When a hybrid car applies brakes, the energy that is about to be lost is converted into electricity to charge the batteries. Since a hybrid car has to house an engine, a number of batteries, and an electric motor all in a limited space; the engine size is smaller than that in gasoline cars.

Gas Cars: Cars running on gas are generally less expensive than hybrids, which is why they are mostly preferred by prospective car buyers. Buying a gas car can be a good option for a person who is planning to use a car occasionally. The average price of standard gasoline sedans can come anywhere around $55,000.

Hybrid Cars: One of the main reasons why people do not go for hybrid vehicles is a higher price than gasoline cars. If you would be driving the car on city roads everyday, a hybrid is the best bet. Normally, the price of hybrid variants would be about $7,000 to $8,000 more than that of gasoline versions.

Gas Cars: The fuel economy of gasoline cars is also lesser than their hybrid counterparts. Remember that gas cars give more average on highways than on city roads. Due to the absence of regenerative braking technology, gas cars consume more fuel if they are subjected to braking and acceleration frequently, which is common on city roads.

Hybrid Cars: Coming to the fuel economy, hybrids perform exceptionally well. Unlike gasoline cars, these advanced cars give better mileage in city than on highways. This is primarily because of the regenerative braking system explained above.

Since city roads are usually not straight, the driver has to use more braking and drive at low speeds. This eventually aids in automatic power generation and increased mileage.

Gas Cars: Be it any type of car, proper periodical maintenance is important to increase the car's durability and reliability. In gas cars, the expenses for maintenance are very low. You simply have to make sure, the timing belt and batteries are working fine in periodical checks.

Car batteries and timing belts need to be changed every 80,000 miles. This will not be too heavy on the pocket, and will cost somewhere around $400. Since, gas cars consume more fuel than hybrids, they are not considered beneficial for the environment.

Hybrid Cars: Hybrids, on the other hand, have lesser maintenance costs than gasoline cars.

The primary system that needs to be checked periodically are batteries. These batteries give power to the motor, so they must be in a proper working condition. The standard time for replacing batteries is around 150,000 and 200,000 miles. Remember that hybrid car batteries do not come cheap.

You may have to spend between a range of $5,000 and $8,000 for buying a new one. The high fuel efficiency of hybrid cars helps in a substantial reduction in environmental pollution and also per annum savings on fuel.

Gas Cars: Almost all car brands have their lineup of gasoline cars. This is why consumers have a wide range of good performance models to choose from, which is proven from the large sales volume of gas cars per year.

People who want standard cars may choose gasoline cars due to their proven reliability for years. Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are considered to be few of the top-selling gas cars with best MPG.

Hybrid Cars: Companies that offer hybrid cars are very few. Hybrid models are generally additional variants to the already existing line up of gasoline cars.

Toyota, Honda, BMW, and Ford are few of the major manufacturers of hybrid variants. This means fewer options to consumers who want fuel-efficient vehicles for daily use. The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are the best-selling ones in the hybrid category.

As per a survey, hybrid car market share is just around 4% of total car sales. Experts believe that this is due to people not knowing the exact benefits of these environment-friendly automobiles. 

These are just the major points to be covered for understanding hybrid cars vs. gas cars comparison. The bottom-line is that hybrid cars are more expensive, fuel efficient, and environment friendly than gas cars. However, you need to choose the car as per your driving needs.