I appreciate the ethical awareness you raised at the start of the video regarding the mining of the minerals required to manufacture hybrids. Respect to you . Seen many hybrid videos but nobody mentioned this at all.
@Brian yeah, and all cars nowadays use so much tech it's no getting around it. The way everyone here is acting like hybrids/EVs isn't made from happy thoughts and unicorn dreams is some big GOTCHA is silly. Is it perfect? No. Should you support progress so companies keep developing even more sustainable alternatives? Definitely!
Spot on matt I’ve had 2Hybrids one thing I was shocked with is how much longer the front brakes last, they didn’t need changing until 75,000 miles whereas my petrol and diesel cars were changed around 17000 miles.. you are embracing the future even though you’re a petrol head.nice one buddy 😁 I like your honesty
Great video as usual. I bought a late 2012 Auris Hybrid in May of 2020 and it's been a truly great car. I went out for a spin in the Irish countryside yesterday, and my mpg was a whopping 78.9 mpg coming back from Baltinglass to Tallaght which is just over 30 miles. I was doing an average speed of 62 mph, coming back home for those 30 miles. However we Irish have to pay 180 road tax per year compared to you lucky Brits, who pay zero road tax. Anyway overall it's by far the best car I've ever bought, and a huge difference in tax compared to my 1.6 Golf which was 514 tax per year.
If you think the Brits won't be charged road tax , they have another thing coming, just wait and see. The second hand market for EV has plummeted in the UK, no one wants them.
On 2017 and newer cars the VED is a flat £180 a year and rising with inflation. Too many cars were in production where tax was £30, £20 or free depending on CO2 emissions the government were losing too much revenue.
Take your point about the mining of the elements that go into the battery Matt, but the component parts for all cars are shipped all around the world so from that perspective, hybrids are no different from other cars. Your list of advantages is spot on. I've had a CT200H for over a year now and your data is exactly as I have experienced. Mine's a 2013 so zero road tax.
Great video again, I really appreciate someone not fearing to say something negative about hybrid's environmental aspects! In my country, the discussion always heats up with the internet scientists flooding the comment sections with all kinds of proofs about the lithium battery's superiority. It's a bit shame that especially here in EU the strict regulations are forcing auto makers to focus on battery powered EVs, which means the alternatives are not getting much R&D time, if any. I would be more interested in similar kind of solution the fuel cell cars offer, where the car itself is the powerplant. Maybe a generator which powers the electric motor and the car would run 100% of the time on electric. Then you could fill the generator with bio fuel and you'd get maybe 170 to 190 UK MPG. I live in a country where production of biological fuel is high (bio ethanol, bio diesel and compressed bio gas), but yet the government, media and power companies are trying to pressure the motorists into battery powered EVs.
In relation to pure EV cars, it's the infrastructure that worries me. They'll need to put hundreds of thousands of charging points in and everyone will need to plug-in whilst at home. Here in the UK there are loads of terraced houses with on street parking, imagine all those leads trailing across the pavement. Claims galore! Sure battery technology is great for cleaning up the cities, but I'll wait to find out if takes off. I don't want to be left with something that turns out to be a dead end, whilst the government decides it then wants us all to buy into the next new craze.
Be careful now that the coronavirus really starts to spread around you in the UK. Please don't underestimate it ... it's really intense. Take care of your business and your family. Hope to see more of your post. Strength and stay healthy. Greetings from the Netherlands.
My preferred hybrid is as a performance boost rather than a primary drive source, I once drove an Infiniti Q50S and that was real fun, must admit I find the lack of noise unreal as I like the sound of a big engine burbling. I suppose one day EVs will be all the choice we have but until then I'm going to continue enjoying the good old internal combustion engine.
Matt, Great review. As an engineer, totally agree with your conclusions on Hybrids/EV. The most environmentally way to motor, may be to keep a car on the road for 15 to 20 years and not 10yrs.
Absolutely. God forbid how things will turn out if the throwaway culture sticks it with the Hybrid/EV market, although all these complex computerised ones outside of warranty are a daunting prospect.
Good video, mate. One thing that you have to keep in mind with hybrid cars, particularly those containing batteries is that after 20+ years, they can be either recycled or repackaged. That in conjunction with lower emissions makes it a worthy proposition. Just like with any item however, if you want to look after the environment, use it for as long as you possibly can, by fixing it rather than disposing. In any case, a hybrid is a stop-gap between the vehicles that operate 100% on dug-up fossils and electric, which is where we're ultimately trying to get to.
I remember driving from Hertfordshire England to Republic of Ireland on a full tank of petrol with my CT 200H. Currently own two Highlander Hybrids both having over 200k kms on original batteries. To your point Matt I’ve very quick to notice road noice when I get into a non hybrid vehicle, like taking my brothers CX 9 to the grocery store. I think I’m sold on hybrids especially with a Toyota or Lexus badge
Great review. Had a Lexus IS300h for a couple of years and generally liked it as it makes a lot of sense in today’s traffic congested society. Smooth power train, reasonable acceleration and good fuel economy (45-50mpg).
I have Lexus IS 300 h , four years now , love it , often get 55 mpg , can even get 70 mpg . The on,t issue I have is getting in and out , it’s too low . Now looking at the NX300 , maybe the UX
You are the man I’m sitting here at Gatwick waiting for my plane to land and I’ve got four hours to kill thank you Matt for uploading this you’re going to kill the best part of 20 minutes for me
Absolutely Spot On Matt about how polluting / dirty these Hybrid cars are to manufacture in the first place however if you run one of these for a long time (10 years +) and/or drive a lot in an urban environment then they begin to make more sense. Particularly useful if you’re a Taxi driver 👍🏼 I was in one of these (but estate version) operated as taxi the other week and it made perfect sense.
I definitely think it’s concerns about battery life/condition that puts people off buying one. It’s generally quite a big purchase and 2 grand plus for a new battery on a second hand car is a massive consideration. Great review as usual, keep them coming and stay safe and well 👍🏻
Why might you fork out 2 grand for a new battery on a secondhand EV when you could have the battery refurbished at a fraction of that cost? Cleveleys Electric Vehicles in Gloucestershire carried out a battery refurbishment on a 10 year old Nissan Leaf. They refurb took 4 hours, and cost the Leaf owner £600. The video of the refurb is on UA-cam.....
By the way, almost everyone forgets what the "B" is on the gear lever. It's a brake, but like a Jake brake, slows you down on hills without using the footbrake. Change from D to B and back without any issue.
Well done Matt for all your superb videos. I'm not buttering you up Your video's are fabulous keeping making kits more of them I just live watching them You are a breath of fresh air in the car business I would buy a car from you knowing I've bought a honest car Thanks again Kevin
As I commented on a previous video,, we moved over to the Ioniq Hybrid. Much quieter than our previous Prius and Auris cars because of the dual clutch gearbox utilised. For a larger car the fuel consumption on the Ioniq is better than the Auris and there is more room which is the main reason we changed over to the Hyundai. It was also considerably cheaper than the Prius which we were considering. The main failing of the Hybrid cars that we have found over the years is that the winter fuel consumption always reduces by about 10 mpg due to the battery temperature dropping. It is one aspect which neither Toyota or Hyundai seem to have sorted. We get around 6-7 mpg less than the standard model as we opted for the larger wheels (the standard ones looked s**t). We get around 60 mpg on a long run and 55 mpg around town. In the winter months this has dropped to 50 mpg. The Ioniq will also drive on battery for longer periods than the Toyota offerings. The Ioniq also drives more like a normal car. It has better driving dynamics than the Toyota offerings. We noticed on the Toyota cars that they are very sensitive to tyre choice and this can affect the fuel consumption too. Just our observations having now owned 4 hybrid cars. And yes they do alter your driving habits. The sport mode in the Hyundai is pretty impressive surprising other drivers with how quickly it gets off the line. My wife and I compete to get the best fuel consumption and as she drives it more often she invariably beats me. ((
Respect for telling as it is and not sugar-coating the whole elecric thing. That's why I like your reviews as you always highlight the negative and positive points of each car.
I enjoy all of your videos Matt but in my opinion this is your best so far. I bought a hybrid GS450Hybrid purely for the luxury, but the performance was astonishing, Especially for the economy . I ran it for five years and it was bulletproof. Besides the small boot it was a fantastic car. I look forward to a review.
Had my Camry hybrid 10+ years now from new here in Australia . Dull as dish water to drive and I agree you do like the quiet. But I can say the money it has saved me in petrol and servicing cost has been spectacular. Battery has 8 year warranty and never had an issue in 10 yrs. its not worth selling now. So I just use it for family to borrow when visiting on holiday.
Im driving the BMW 7-series ActiveHybrid, a self charging vehicle. The Comfort+ drive setting usually makes about 0,8 l/100km (gasoline) and thats quite good for a vehicle that weights about 1,970kg. I find the system useful for great, accurate acceleration and quiet city driving. The boost the system gives is surprisingly good after my opinion. I guess the previous owner went for the hybrid car due to the much more affordable new car tax regulations in Norway where I live.. 🙂🙂
Another great review giving the information you need and relevant to the potential user / buyer. Love the ' nervous nun" line. Don't think you ever were accused of being that.
I run an Auris Hybrid as a taxi. 2015 model now has 160,000 miles. Never had less than 430 miles from a full tank. With a bit of careful driving in the summer I can usually get 500 miles from a full tank.
That one is old enough to be eligible for zero road tax. I run a ’67 reg Yaris Hybrid, which does need annual VED - just a tenner less than standard. One of the best features of this system is that it’s easy to handle in urban conditions; it starts briskly from rest, no risk of stalling the engine, nor of rolling backwards on a rising gradient etc. Electric traction is the way to go, whether hybrid transmission, or all electric from that perspective. As you say, one learns how to minimise the use of the friction brakes (which should last a long time).
The Owner’s Manual in a Toyota hybrid’s glovebox says never jumpstart a dead battery. And it says only have it serviced at a Toyota main dealer to maintain its battery warranty, so check the stamps in its Service Log, because - as you said - the high cost of replacing batteries in an older model is a big turnoff.
That’s was a foking great review, probably your best yet. Your covered every angle and process of the battery hybrid process mining etc etc,very articulate and impressive, I feel a little bit guilty now driving my Lexus is300h F Sport, but I love it.
Hybrids are really a great alternative, because you can't optimise the combustion engine any further. I got myself a fuel-saving citycar that should consume 4.5 liters according to the factory and around 5.8 liters according to most test and it actually consumes more, although I use the engine brake or let the car sail whenever possible and drive very forward looking. It's because you have to squeeze everything out of this small 999 cm³ three-cylinder to avoid being a traffic obstacle and that's also the general problem, engines are getting smaller and smaller, more efficient and with as few cylinders as possible and because you keep running into speed limits all the time in real traffic, you consume just as much with these engines as cars did 20 years ago.
I've only driven one hybrid and I've liked it. It was my brothers Lexus GS450h so completely different to this. For start it's a Luxury car and with a 3.5 litre with a hybrid making 340bhp so I enjoyed it for the power
You are right about the production costs, but production costs exists for non-hybrids, and the cost from an environmental point of view for fuel is horrific. People don't know what it takes to get the fuel to their local garage, all the steps it takes, the energy, the heat, the cost, the sooner we can move away, the better.
I was looking at Toyota hybrids for driving around town and doing a couple of miles motorway to work. However, I got in a BMW 320d efficientdynamics and was sold right away. So I’m one of those blokes who could’ve gotten a hybrid but bought a diesel instead 😬
Interesting review as some one on the national minimum wage ,it will be along time before I could ever afford one of these cars. Good review though. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
It really differs a lot depending on the car. There have been multiple studies especially around the Toyota hybrids because of their popularity and they hugely offset their initially higher carbon footprint over their lifetime compared to a non hybrid equivalent. There is a peer reviewed scientific article by burham et al if you are interested. You definitely have a point around the social cost of battery production, although again it differs a lot. The auris you are driving has an nimh battery which does not contain lithium, and also has around 4% cobalt (compared to 55% in a lithium battery). It's a big problem for which cars are still a small percentage of the requirement for the raw materials you mention. We'd all have to significantly change our lifestyles in a number of ways to make a meaningful difference.
Had a hybrid which worked great when I lived a relatively flat south Manchester, but when I moved to very hilly north wales the economy went ( pardon the pun) down hill.
For interest only. We have a 2009(59) 1.5 Prius with 43k miles and does Inverness to Suffolk + without refuel. I also bought recently a 2010 1.8 with (now)31k miles average seems around 10mpg difference. (ie 1.5 avge 58mpg and 1.8 avg 68mpg) various conditions. NO faults and both batteries have sailed through the checks. (both full Toyo service). Brilliant.
An excellent honest review. I drive a 2014 Auris hybrid and am very pleased with it. It has a few faults. The touchscreen stopped working (but they are made by a German firm not Toyota). I also find the headlights a bit dim. But the plus points far outweigh these faults. Very impressed with Toyota engineering (this is my first Toyota). I will be sticking with Toyota hybrids from now on.
Love your channel. Not sure if you realize but Cobalt is used in the desulphurisation of oil and gas products as well. Something that gets very little mention in comparison to the Cobalt in batteries. Not an ev evangelist here just enjoy knowing the full story. Keep up the great reviews.
The people who criticise EVs and Hybrids usually give the same excuse: "I do 200-300 miles a day. Don't want to spend an hour at the services getting charged. Useless cars." ... Well then, don't get one. It's like a Mum and Dad complaining that an Audi TT is rubbish because it won't fit their 5 children.
Great video as always 😅! They’re a lot more entertaining and unique compared to most car reviews and it’s nice to see someone up North do it too for a change 😁
Best simple and understandable analysis of hybrid, all electric and Diesel I have heard. Most people (particularly politicians) have no understanding of the analysis you did so well. People think that if nothing comes out of an exhaust pipe then they are saving the planet. 60k miles to offset the carbon to make the EV and only 20% of electricity generated from non-fossil fuel makes a nonsence of the whole thing. Hybrids are more economical in town but a modern add-blue diesel is better on a long run and will meet pollution zone sone levels avoiding tolls in urban areas. So why have manufacturers stopped making small auto diesels - except VW group? Could small highly efficient diesels with carbon capture devices be the future - probably not - no money in that for manufacturers.
My wife used to own a very pleasant 2013 Toyota Prius C hybrid in the USA which was very comfortable, reliable and economical, and a pleasure to potter around town in. It was good in the winter snow, too. It’s called Aqua in Japan.
Battery replacement for a Prius is about 3k. They may fail around 200k or 15 years. If it’s a lithium ion battery it won’t fail it just won’t hold the charge as well as it used too… like your phone. However if they do fail it’s unfortunately a huge cost. A 7.4kWh plug in hybrid battery may set you back 5k but you can replace it in small modules rather than a whole set. A module is around £800 from BMW.
Well said, my 10 year old CT200h is still really good, getting over 50mpg. Just like the silent motoring and would feel wrong going into anything that doesn't have some sort of battery.!
I hired a car a few weeks ago (September 21) and ended up with a new Skoda Octavia estate iv which is a PHEV. I had to charge the battery which took 5 hours at home. It took us from about 5 miles away from your garage to almost Chorley, which was about 40 miles before it switched to petrol. Every time I came off the gas it put a little bit into the battery, as it did when I braked. Drove into 2 service areas and each time it switched to electric, when it went back to ICE as we got back on the Motorway. As we rolled onto, and off the ferry it was also electric. I put a couple hours from a street charger into it twice and the two fill ups of petrol gave me 62 and 65 mpg respectively. It also had a conventional slush box so felt normal. A Toyota might be more convenient but l did like the Skoda.
In a moment of madness I bought a gen 2 Prius at an auction a few years ago, at the time it was around 8 or 9 years old, it was a good car, very relaxing to drive, only £10 a year to tax with plenty of room and probably the most reliable and economic car I've ever owned. The only problems were it's hideously ugly looks and i was also hearing about lower mileage vehicles batteries giving up the ghost around the 10 year mark, especially if they weren't used much. Mine was a relatively high mileage example but it still worried me. i sold it for what it owned me a year later to a chap that was going to run it as a taxi, i never doubted it's reliability it was just the reports of a few batteries giving up the ghost, that made me move it on, all round though good cars but complicated as essentially you can potentially have the battery issues and the mechanical issues of a petrol car.
Bought a used 2008 Prius Tspirit Hybrid in June 2013 with 54,000 miles on the clock. Fast forward to January 2022; still has the original drivetrain, Hybrid Synergy Drive propulsion system has continued to function flawlessly and it’s still on its original HV Traction Battery which just passed its checkup with no issues. The vehicle is my daily commuter doing a 34 mile round trip per day, about 65% of that on Cruise Control. Last summer, I managed 641 miles out of the 45 litre tank before I chickened out and refuelled. There was still 1.5 lites left when I refuelled. I could have made 650+ miles!!! Considering the tiny traction battery built into the HSD, I’d say my Prius (a.k.a. The Spaceship) has paid its dues and can be deemed economical to the environment. ALL cars leave a carbon footprint when manufactured. I’d say my Prius balances off pollution by making my tyres last for just over 60,000 miles (Michelin Energy Saver Plus - do 10,000 miles a year) - thanks to regenerative braking not only reducing tyre wear but also drastically reducing brake dust from the brake pads which only kick in at 7mph during nominal braking procedures. I’m not sure why the supremely aerodynamic Prius II is often described as ugly. It’s just as nicely curved and functional as a SpaceX Starship! My 2nd Gen Prius has a snout that reminds me of Futurama’s Planet Express Spaceship, a curvy shape reminiscent of Thunderbird 2 and a rear end straight out of “I, Robot”. The flight deck is straight out of a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Shuttlecraft. I save approximately £1,000 on fuel bills per year driving this technological wonder. The automatic transmission is step less, the gear stick is actually a joystick type selector with no mechanical linkage, there’s no traditional gearbox and the HSD is such an enigmatic ultra reliable wonder, I’m tempted to believe it was actually designed by Vulcans 🖖. Indeed, I find the Prius a most…….LOGICAL form of transport. Mr Spock himself would surely approve of all Toyota Hybrid HSD powered derivatives.
Good question; I enjoyed your review of the Lexus CT not long ago. As you say, hybrids' environmental impact is questionable due to the manufacuring chain and components - particularly the batteries. However, the Toyota-based ones seem reliable. I do like the Prius, mechanically, but God, it's ugly. The Auris and Corolla are relatively inoffensive. Great review, and good insights, as usual.
My c300 Hybrid had a brake issue and it took Mercedes Cheshire Oaks three weeks to even get a technician who was trained to work on it. The repair cost well over £1k and a big chunk of that was just for disconnecting and reconnecting the hybrid system. I sold it and went back to a big diesel. Little bit more on fuel but far, far less hassle.
*The latest [2021] PHEV (Plug In to charge) can be really good and can offer 30-45 Miles on Pure EV mode. Most journeys being less than that great savings can be made, but do not prevent longer journeys.*
Battery packs are expensive yes, new better too rather than replacing cells individually as others could be on their way out. Question re heating. How does the interior heating get supplied esp if the combustion engine doesn't run and generate heat? More so when minus temps outside
Thanks Matt. My wife has a VW Passat GTE. You are right about driving differently & that you are more aware about how heavy your right foot pushes. However, should you get some prat up your arse just pop it into GTE mode & its rather brisk. Just don't put it in manual mode, it's useless! My Wife makes a faster decision when buying a pair of shoes! It will do '70' in full electric (stealth) mode but doesn't last long. Big advantage on a hybrid from a company car aspect is that you don't pay as much (basically a pay rise). If you get the chance, have a drive of one & please do a vid. Wishing you all the best for the year & every success you deserve..........
We bought a used Prius. It encourages a much saner, safer driving habit. This is a great car, probably the best we’ve ever owned. Very quiet, smooth ride. State of the art technology. Way fewer visits to a petrol station. Toyota has this down. Our battery pack failed at 108,000 miles, and ten years, and cost $2440 to replace with a brand new one. Don’t believe people who tell you a new battery costs $6,000.
You mentioned it takes ages to sell a hybrid on you forecourt,,I imagine it’s the price of replacing batteries the reason I would never have one I was a taxi driver for 25 years had 1milion miles out of 3 cavalier s but my mate had one engine went pop at 120000 miles you mentioned taxi s use hybrids but the car is running constant with fewer cold starts the reason I believe taxis get more miles from there cars keep up good work ,,, micky
I'm an Israeli,up untill a year/2years ago the sedan version was called Corolla(imported from Japan,and i know they were not sold in Europe)and the hachback-Auris.It's now under the Corolla badge.I also gave my niece&husband(living in your beutiful/too rainy country/London)an 'order'-"buy Auris"(from 4 options they had).So they just bought a 2015 with50000miles(about80000km)-low in Toyota years/life.They tried vw golf before so they now tell me the Auris/corolla hach(in my jargon)is more spacious than the golf for families
Very interesting video, love the conceit of changing driving style. Why not, we cannot drive fast anymore for a variety of reasons, so why not have fun playing with electric driving vs petrol? The silence thing is a real joy to discover, as opposed to farty exhaust noises. Also reliable perhaps because they are driven by people with a brain, who think about driving and the environment, and also these people don't thrash the car everywhere. Very well explained video.
The information about Ev’s is sadly wrong mate. Because people don’t take into account the co2 emissions that it takes for the fuel to be made, refined and transported to your local fuel station. And the electricity it takes to refined the fuel also
High Peak Autos Oh yeah that’s soo true. As humans everything we do creates damage. It’s just about limiting the damage that we do. I think as electric cars become more mainstream and the economies of scale come into play, then we will see a lot more carbon savings. Hey also love your channel, great reviews. Thanks for replying 🙏
Cargo ships are one of the most fuel efficient ways to transport cargo. If a 1 ton car scaled to the efficiency of a massive cargo ship it would get 500-1000 miles per gallon
I've owned Lexus' for 17 years now, the first being a IS200 which I had for 13 years and only had 1 repair which was for rear shocks, VED was over £250 pa, decided to go hybrid with IS300h and at £10 for VED is a big win, even tho engine size is larger at 2.5L than the previous one at 2.0L, mpg has doubled to an average 48mpg, but around town this can go up to well over 50mpg. What this car wont do is sit there and be revved whilst in neutral, you cant abuse it.
Carbon isn't the only problem with cars though, they pollute the air with all kinds of poisons. If everyone in a city started driving electric or hybrid cars you'd notice a considerable improvement in air quality and the life expectancy of the people living there. The real problem is plugin hybrids that people forget to plug in, they then use the standard engine but are now pulling around a really heavy but empty battery wasting fuel.
I’m sure I read that Polestar said that on their entry model it would take approx78000 klms to start paying back ,finally good to hear a manufacturer being upfront….
That's why I always drove with it on. I noticed that I started getting a much more relaxed driver when I drove with the instant mpg on so I left it that way. I have been doing that since I was 18. It does make a huge difference on your mpg
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod yeah you no longer floor it all the time cause now you know you just did 3 mpg, I'm glad my current car just does average cause its so bad on fuel
Just about to buy a Hyundai Ioniq plugin hybrid. Quite excited, my daily commute is 18 miles. It has a realistic range of 30 odd electric miles. I genuinely feel like I can get infinity to the gallon. This could be my smartest move ever 😂
At last someone has mentioned all those container ships carrying both Cars and Christmas Crud! At the invention of Friends of the Earth - a long time ago [40 plus years] - considerations included manufacture, shipping, repairs and disposal. If I remember correctly FoE and the W.German State in the 70s and 80s included these considerations/calculations and the info was freely available in FoE monthly members mag! PS me SLC diesel was £30 pa road tax combined with great mpg.
one of the issues I'm having difficulty in is what the true mileage when in electric mode, I was told by toyota that the Rav 4 only does 4 mile but there's also the cost difference which would mean your paying an extra £ for a hybrid that only does 4 miles.
I have an Auris MK1 hybrid. 50/50 central London and M25 driving, summer months I get 70+mpg round town, 60mpg on a run. There's actually a few less things to go wrong, no starter motor, no alternator, a water pump with a 250k mile interval. And yeah, milages on these easily hit 400k. Extremely reliable. The battery packs last 200k usually, and can have individual cells replaced for £30 a pop. So not mega expensive. I save £4000 in fuel a year over over our last hatch. No brainer.
You've absolutely nailed it here. People whinge about battery degradation on Priuses that will easily go 300,000 miles while driving around in a Nissan Juke that'll be ready for the scrapheap at 120k 🤣. The mk2 Prius is in my view the single greatest car you can buy if you want to cover 150,000 miles over the next 10 years for the smallest overall outlay.
I had one of these as a company car on a 64 plate. It was absolutely crap on fuel. That CVT transmission is a huge problem. When engine is used it screams it head off. On a Motorway you won't get anywhere near 60mpg in the real world it's more like 30-35mpg. The whole engine and transmission set up only really works for city driving. Then I found the ride and handling was terrible, it's only the car I've driven that has a rock hard ride in straight line but then wobbles all over the place around a corner. When I was handed the keys to it, it had 3 miles on the clock, so it wasn't a neglected old battle bus. Doing 3-4 thousand miles a month in it was a pretty miserable experience.
Hi! I think it is an ‘Emperors New Clothes Thing”. The range limitations mean they have been prematurely launched. Just for shopping unless you want to use Valium for range anxiety. I wanted one as my next car but changed my mind back to Diesel or Petrol. 😢
It is actually possible in the future wiith the introduction of synthetic fuel. Research has been publicly began for a few years and it is currently at the stage of being trialled in motorsport testing.
I think the reason you struggle to sell them is that people are hesitant to buy one from a 3rd party used dealer as yourself. As such a complex car owning one out of manufacturers warranty would be a massive headache and a financial hit so people opt to get them new or nearly new direct from the dealer. Just my thought anyway.
Lots of people treat hybrid as unknown new not proven strange thing. Toyota/Lexus are building them since years and they know what they are doing. I'm using as well one of them. I've IS300h , previously I had IS250. Difference in running costs between them is just amazing. Somehow I wouldn't trust some other car makers. When I see car being hybrid and having turbo charged engine and DSG in it I'm wondering how long such construction will last without making expensive troubles. Especially when is coming from German maker known from rather poor reliability (engines and gearboxes).
Thank god for some car stuff to watch, and thanks for not mentioning you know what. I agree, I like the hybrids too but yeah they make a horrible noise with that CVT gearbox. I’ve been looking at the Lexus GS450H lately, just something a bit different. Looks a nice car.
I have a Nissan Note E Power does the exact thing and it was the first in the market to do that not Toyota. My note gets 1000k on a full tank. Unfortunately it's not available in the UK but the tech is coming to the new Qashqai in the UK as the E Power Qashqai. Enjoy
You forgot to mention the lithium-ion battery coils are toxic after use, and so the batteries can't be fully recycled and they need specialist care to dispose of.
It is one of the target cars for catalytic converter thieves. We sold ours within 6 months of buying it because of this. It cost over 1000 pounds for new cat.
I drive a 2019 Honda Accord hybrid touring. Your discussion of the way hybrids change the way you drive is spot on. I feel so good when my accord beats the EPA estimate (which is very, very often). As a result, my foot is light and I rarely speed. Now that the price of oil has cratered (taking gas along with it) I routinely get 560 miles per tank and the tank costs me $17-$18 USD. Simply astonishing. I doubt I ever commute with a non-hybrid or EV again.
I tested a 2018 Toyota Prius around Bolton for my channel last year and I quite liked it. However, as the Auris you reviewed has much more conventional styling and a similar powertrain, I think I would like it even more!
Thats the thing with the Prius and the Insight, they look different. I always thought they would have been even more popular if they looked like a conventional car
@@HighPeakAutos, yes, I think a lot of manufacturers these days realise that. The Hyundai Ioniq and Kia e-Niro are sold with three different powertrain options (electric, plug-in hybrid and conventional hybrid) and they all look the same, along with the Vauxhall Corsa F and MG ZS, which both feature combustion models and electric models with a virtually identical external appearance.
I appreciate the ethical awareness you raised at the start of the video regarding the mining of the minerals required to manufacture hybrids. Respect to you . Seen many hybrid videos but nobody mentioned this at all.
instablaster...
What you probably didn't appreciate is the fact the oil companies have mined cobalt for decades. They can't refine oil without it.
@Brian yeah, and all cars nowadays use so much tech it's no getting around it. The way everyone here is acting like hybrids/EVs isn't made from happy thoughts and unicorn dreams is some big GOTCHA is silly.
Is it perfect? No. Should you support progress so companies keep developing even more sustainable alternatives? Definitely!
I appreciate the high output of videos at the moment. Much appreciated in the dark times.
Spot on matt I’ve had 2Hybrids one thing I was shocked with is how much longer the front brakes last, they didn’t need changing until 75,000 miles whereas my petrol and diesel cars were changed around 17000 miles.. you are embracing the future even though you’re a petrol head.nice one buddy 😁 I like your honesty
Great video as usual. I bought a late 2012 Auris Hybrid in May of 2020 and it's been a truly great car. I went out for a spin in the Irish countryside yesterday, and my mpg was a whopping 78.9 mpg coming back from Baltinglass to Tallaght which is just over 30 miles. I was doing an average speed of 62 mph, coming back home for those 30 miles. However we Irish have to pay 180 road tax per year compared to you lucky Brits, who pay zero road tax. Anyway overall it's by far the best car I've ever bought, and a huge difference in tax compared to my 1.6 Golf which was 514 tax per year.
They’re very good cars. All the car you’ll need but just not very exciting. But you can’t have it all ways
If you think the Brits won't be charged road tax , they have another thing coming, just wait and see. The second hand market for EV has plummeted in the UK, no one wants them.
On 2017 and newer cars the VED is a flat £180 a year and rising with inflation. Too many cars were in production where tax was £30, £20 or free depending on CO2 emissions the government were losing too much revenue.
Take your point about the mining of the elements that go into the battery Matt, but the component parts for all cars are shipped all around the world so from that perspective, hybrids are no different from other cars.
Your list of advantages is spot on. I've had a CT200H for over a year now and your data is exactly as I have experienced. Mine's a 2013 so zero road tax.
Great video again, I really appreciate someone not fearing to say something negative about hybrid's environmental aspects! In my country, the discussion always heats up with the internet scientists flooding the comment sections with all kinds of proofs about the lithium battery's superiority.
It's a bit shame that especially here in EU the strict regulations are forcing auto makers to focus on battery powered EVs, which means the alternatives are not getting much R&D time, if any. I would be more interested in similar kind of solution the fuel cell cars offer, where the car itself is the powerplant. Maybe a generator which powers the electric motor and the car would run 100% of the time on electric. Then you could fill the generator with bio fuel and you'd get maybe 170 to 190 UK MPG. I live in a country where production of biological fuel is high (bio ethanol, bio diesel and compressed bio gas), but yet the government, media and power companies are trying to pressure the motorists into battery powered EVs.
In relation to pure EV cars, it's the infrastructure that worries me. They'll need to put hundreds of thousands of charging points in and everyone will need to plug-in whilst at home. Here in the UK there are loads of terraced houses with on street parking, imagine all those leads trailing across the pavement. Claims galore! Sure battery technology is great for cleaning up the cities, but I'll wait to find out if takes off. I don't want to be left with something that turns out to be a dead end, whilst the government decides it then wants us all to buy into the next new craze.
Something like vauxhall ampera
Be careful now that the coronavirus really starts to spread around you in the UK. Please don't underestimate it ... it's really intense. Take care of your business and your family. Hope to see more of your post. Strength and stay healthy. Greetings from the Netherlands.
He cant get it cause he’s always in a car lol
Patrick K it ain’t funny Patrick
@@Shane-zx4ps hurr durr durr virus is serious we cant joke about it... get a grip you dimwits
I have to say, I really enjoy your channel. The content is always top notch, really direct and honest. Keep doing what you do.
Thanks!
My preferred hybrid is as a performance boost rather than a primary drive source, I once drove an Infiniti Q50S and that was real fun, must admit I find the lack of noise unreal as I like the sound of a big engine burbling.
I suppose one day EVs will be all the choice we have but until then I'm going to continue enjoying the good old internal combustion engine.
For the ICE!!
Matt, Great review. As an engineer, totally agree with your conclusions on Hybrids/EV.
The most environmentally way to motor, may be to keep a car on the road for 15 to 20 years and not 10yrs.
Exactly! Thanks for watching :)
Absolutely.
God forbid how things will turn out if the throwaway culture sticks it with the Hybrid/EV market, although all these complex computerised ones outside of warranty are a daunting prospect.
Good video, mate. One thing that you have to keep in mind with hybrid cars, particularly those containing batteries is that after 20+ years, they can be either recycled or repackaged. That in conjunction with lower emissions makes it a worthy proposition.
Just like with any item however, if you want to look after the environment, use it for as long as you possibly can, by fixing it rather than disposing.
In any case, a hybrid is a stop-gap between the vehicles that operate 100% on dug-up fossils and electric, which is where we're ultimately trying to get to.
I remember driving from Hertfordshire England to Republic of Ireland on a full tank of petrol with my CT 200H. Currently own two Highlander Hybrids both having over 200k kms on original batteries. To your point Matt I’ve very quick to notice road noice when I get into a non hybrid vehicle, like taking my brothers CX 9 to the grocery store. I think I’m sold on hybrids especially with a Toyota or Lexus badge
Great review. Had a Lexus IS300h for a couple of years and generally liked it as it makes a lot of sense in today’s traffic congested society. Smooth power train, reasonable acceleration and good fuel economy (45-50mpg).
I have Lexus IS 300 h , four years now , love it , often get 55 mpg , can even get 70 mpg . The on,t issue I have is getting in and out , it’s too low . Now looking at the NX300 , maybe the UX
You are the man I’m sitting here at Gatwick waiting for my plane to land and I’ve got four hours to kill thank you Matt for uploading this you’re going to kill the best part of 20 minutes for me
Absolutely Spot On Matt about how polluting / dirty these Hybrid cars are to manufacture in the first place however if you run one of these for a long time (10 years +) and/or drive a lot in an urban environment then they begin to make more sense.
Particularly useful if you’re a Taxi driver 👍🏼 I was in one of these (but estate version) operated as taxi the other week and it made perfect sense.
Very true about the taxi part. I have been in hybrid taxies and drivers told me about how much less fuel they use. Perfect for them.
I definitely think it’s concerns about battery life/condition that puts people off buying one. It’s generally quite a big purchase and 2 grand plus for a new battery on a second hand car is a massive consideration. Great review as usual, keep them coming and stay safe and well 👍🏻
Why might you fork out 2 grand for a new battery on a secondhand EV when you could have the battery refurbished at a fraction of that cost? Cleveleys Electric Vehicles in Gloucestershire carried out a battery refurbishment on a 10 year old Nissan Leaf. They refurb took 4 hours, and cost the Leaf owner £600. The video of the refurb is on UA-cam.....
Another excellent and informative review. Thanks! Incidentally, I’m on my very first PHEV, bought brand new a year ago. I’m very happy with it.
stig moltu-jacobsen Thanks for watching. What did you buy? An Outlander?
High Peak Autos, no Outlander, you don’t like them. I bought a Kia Niro Exclusive PHEV. I’m impressed with it.
By the way, almost everyone forgets what the "B" is on the gear lever. It's a brake, but like a Jake brake, slows you down on hills without using the footbrake. Change from D to B and back without any issue.
Well done Matt for all your superb videos.
I'm not buttering you up
Your video's are fabulous keeping making kits more of them
I just live watching them
You are a breath of fresh air in the car business
I would buy a car from you knowing I've bought a honest car
Thanks again
Kevin
As I commented on a previous video,, we moved over to the Ioniq Hybrid. Much quieter than our previous Prius and Auris cars because of the dual clutch gearbox utilised. For a larger car the fuel consumption on the Ioniq is better than the Auris and there is more room which is the main reason we changed over to the Hyundai. It was also considerably cheaper than the Prius which we were considering. The main failing of the Hybrid cars that we have found over the years is that the winter fuel consumption always reduces by about 10 mpg due to the battery temperature dropping. It is one aspect which neither Toyota or Hyundai seem to have sorted. We get around 6-7 mpg less than the standard model as we opted for the larger wheels (the standard ones looked s**t). We get around 60 mpg on a long run and 55 mpg around town. In the winter months this has dropped to 50 mpg. The Ioniq will also drive on battery for longer periods than the Toyota offerings. The Ioniq also drives more like a normal car. It has better driving dynamics than the Toyota offerings. We noticed on the Toyota cars that they are very sensitive to tyre choice and this can affect the fuel consumption too. Just our observations having now owned 4 hybrid cars. And yes they do alter your driving habits. The sport mode in the Hyundai is pretty impressive surprising other drivers with how quickly it gets off the line. My wife and I compete to get the best fuel consumption and as she drives it more often she invariably beats me. ((
Respect for telling as it is and not sugar-coating the whole elecric thing. That's why I like your reviews as you always highlight the negative and positive points of each car.
I enjoy all of your videos Matt but in my opinion this is your best so far. I bought a hybrid GS450Hybrid purely for the luxury, but the performance was astonishing, Especially for the economy . I ran it for five years and it was bulletproof. Besides the small boot it was a fantastic car. I look forward to a review.
Thanks for watching. I agree with the GS450h - very quick cars, and silent.
Had my Camry hybrid 10+ years now from new here in Australia . Dull as dish water to drive and I agree you do like the quiet. But I can say the money it has saved me in petrol and servicing cost has been spectacular. Battery has 8 year warranty and never had an issue in 10 yrs. its not worth selling now. So I just use it for family to borrow when visiting on holiday.
Im driving the BMW 7-series ActiveHybrid, a self charging vehicle. The Comfort+ drive setting usually makes about 0,8 l/100km (gasoline) and thats quite good for a vehicle that weights about 1,970kg. I find the system useful for great, accurate acceleration and quiet city driving. The boost the system gives is surprisingly good after my opinion. I guess the previous owner went for the hybrid car due to the much more affordable new car tax regulations in Norway where I live.. 🙂🙂
On our 2nd Toyota Hybird now. And it's a definite thumbs up from me.
‘…..you are an indoor” minutes into the video! Fantastic!
Another great review giving the information you need and relevant to the potential user / buyer. Love the ' nervous nun" line. Don't think you ever were accused of being that.
I run an Auris Hybrid as a taxi. 2015 model now has 160,000 miles. Never had less than 430 miles from a full tank. With a bit of careful driving in the summer I can usually get 500 miles from a full tank.
That one is old enough to be eligible for zero road tax. I run a ’67 reg Yaris Hybrid, which does need annual VED - just a tenner less than standard.
One of the best features of this system is that it’s easy to handle in urban conditions; it starts briskly from rest, no risk of stalling the engine, nor of rolling backwards on a rising gradient etc. Electric traction is the way to go, whether hybrid transmission, or all electric from that perspective. As you say, one learns how to minimise the use of the friction brakes (which should last a long time).
Thats right. Zero tax. Anything after april 2017 is £140 flat.
Its annoying when people drive thes hybrids and then pull of like a dying snail from the lights so u get stuck at a red light
Ethan keenan and hitting the break every 5 fuckin seconds to gain a tiny bit of power...
The Owner’s Manual in a Toyota hybrid’s glovebox says never jumpstart a dead battery. And it says only have it serviced at a Toyota main dealer to maintain its battery warranty, so check the stamps in its Service Log, because - as you said - the high cost of replacing batteries in an older model is a big turnoff.
That’s was a foking great review, probably your best yet. Your covered every angle and process of the battery hybrid process mining etc etc,very articulate and impressive, I feel a little bit guilty now driving my Lexus is300h F Sport, but I love it.
Bapster Man Thanks for watching. I like the IS. I did consider the RC hybrid briefly
So did I but couldn’t stretch to one, they are a brilliant looking car, especially wine in color
Yeah they're very good looking. I love the LC500 coupe too
Hybrids are really a great alternative, because you can't optimise the combustion engine any further. I got myself a fuel-saving citycar that should consume 4.5 liters according to the factory and around 5.8 liters according to most test and it actually consumes more, although I use the engine brake or let the car sail whenever possible and drive very forward looking.
It's because you have to squeeze everything out of this small 999 cm³ three-cylinder to avoid being a traffic obstacle and that's also the general problem, engines are getting smaller and smaller, more efficient and with as few cylinders as possible and because you keep running into speed limits all the time in real traffic, you consume just as much with these engines as cars did 20 years ago.
Lovely Jubbly, I think it's the best way forward, especially at this moment in time.
I've only driven one hybrid and I've liked it. It was my brothers Lexus GS450h so completely different to this. For start it's a Luxury car and with a 3.5 litre with a hybrid making 340bhp so I enjoyed it for the power
You are right about the production costs, but production costs exists for non-hybrids, and the cost from an environmental point of view for fuel is horrific. People don't know what it takes to get the fuel to their local garage, all the steps it takes, the energy, the heat, the cost, the sooner we can move away, the better.
I was looking at Toyota hybrids for driving around town and doing a couple of miles motorway to work. However, I got in a BMW 320d efficientdynamics and was sold right away. So I’m one of those blokes who could’ve gotten a hybrid but bought a diesel instead 😬
I love the real-world review. Many information that can be very useful and for some eye-opening.
Interesting review as some one on the national minimum wage ,it will be along time before I could ever afford one of these cars. Good review though. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
"cheap to run, cheap to tax"
That's what I wanted to hear. Thank you.
It really differs a lot depending on the car. There have been multiple studies especially around the Toyota hybrids because of their popularity and they hugely offset their initially higher carbon footprint over their lifetime compared to a non hybrid equivalent. There is a peer reviewed scientific article by burham et al if you are interested. You definitely have a point around the social cost of battery production, although again it differs a lot. The auris you are driving has an nimh battery which does not contain lithium, and also has around 4% cobalt (compared to 55% in a lithium battery). It's a big problem for which cars are still a small percentage of the requirement for the raw materials you mention. We'd all have to significantly change our lifestyles in a number of ways to make a meaningful difference.
Had a hybrid which worked great when I lived a relatively flat south Manchester, but when I moved to very hilly north wales the economy went ( pardon the pun) down hill.
DMK Haha yeah they work really well in cities/towns
Also have a diesel which gets the same economy wherever I drive it.
Not knocking the hybrid it was a great car but the CVT is not my favourite. Felt like it dropped to first gear on every hill.
For interest only. We have a 2009(59) 1.5 Prius with 43k miles and does Inverness to Suffolk + without refuel. I also bought recently a 2010 1.8 with (now)31k miles average seems around 10mpg difference. (ie 1.5 avge 58mpg and 1.8 avg 68mpg) various conditions. NO faults and both batteries have sailed through the checks. (both full Toyo service). Brilliant.
An excellent honest review. I drive a 2014 Auris hybrid and am very pleased with it. It has a few faults. The touchscreen stopped working (but they are made by a German firm not Toyota). I also find the headlights a bit dim. But the plus points far outweigh these faults. Very impressed with Toyota engineering (this is my first Toyota). I will be sticking with Toyota hybrids from now on.
Love your channel. Not sure if you realize but Cobalt is used in the desulphurisation of oil and gas products as well. Something that gets very little mention in comparison to the Cobalt in batteries. Not an ev evangelist here just enjoy knowing the full story. Keep up the great reviews.
Great point!
The people who criticise EVs and Hybrids usually give the same excuse: "I do 200-300 miles a day. Don't want to spend an hour at the services getting charged. Useless cars." ... Well then, don't get one. It's like a Mum and Dad complaining that an Audi TT is rubbish because it won't fit their 5 children.
Great video as always 😅! They’re a lot more entertaining and unique compared to most car reviews and it’s nice to see someone up North do it too for a change 😁
Best simple and understandable analysis of hybrid, all electric and Diesel I have heard. Most people (particularly politicians) have no understanding of the analysis you did so well. People think that if nothing comes out of an exhaust pipe then they are saving the planet. 60k miles to offset the carbon to make the EV and only 20% of electricity generated from non-fossil fuel makes a nonsence of the whole thing. Hybrids are more economical in town but a modern add-blue diesel is better on a long run and will meet pollution zone sone levels avoiding tolls in urban areas.
So why have manufacturers stopped making small auto diesels - except VW group?
Could small highly efficient diesels with carbon capture devices be the future - probably not - no money in that for manufacturers.
My wife used to own a very pleasant 2013 Toyota Prius C hybrid in the USA which was very comfortable, reliable and economical, and a pleasure to potter around town in. It was good in the winter snow, too. It’s called Aqua in Japan.
I think thats the same as the Yaris
Battery replacement for a Prius is about 3k. They may fail around 200k or 15 years. If it’s a lithium ion battery it won’t fail it just won’t hold the charge as well as it used too… like your phone. However if they do fail it’s unfortunately a huge cost. A 7.4kWh plug in hybrid battery may set you back 5k but you can replace it in small modules rather than a whole set. A module is around £800 from BMW.
Well said, my 10 year old CT200h is still really good, getting over 50mpg. Just like the silent motoring and would feel wrong going into anything that doesn't have some sort of battery.!
I hired a car a few weeks ago (September 21) and ended up with a new Skoda Octavia estate iv which is a PHEV. I had to charge the battery which took 5 hours at home. It took us from about 5 miles away from your garage to almost Chorley, which was about 40 miles before it switched to petrol. Every time I came off the gas it put a little bit into the battery, as it did when I braked. Drove into 2 service areas and each time it switched to electric, when it went back to ICE as we got back on the Motorway. As we rolled onto, and off the ferry it was also electric. I put a couple hours from a street charger into it twice and the two fill ups of petrol gave me 62 and 65 mpg respectively. It also had a conventional slush box so felt normal. A Toyota might be more convenient but l did like the Skoda.
You need to keep that battery charged whenever possible to get the best from a PHEV. But you probably know that now....
In a moment of madness I bought a gen 2 Prius at an auction a few years ago, at the time it was around 8 or 9 years old, it was a good car, very relaxing to drive, only £10 a year to tax with plenty of room and probably the most reliable and economic car I've ever owned.
The only problems were it's hideously ugly looks and i was also hearing about lower mileage vehicles batteries giving up the ghost around the 10 year mark, especially if they weren't used much. Mine was a relatively high mileage example but it still worried me.
i sold it for what it owned me a year later to a chap that was going to run it as a taxi, i never doubted it's reliability it was just the reports of a few batteries giving up the ghost, that made me move it on, all round though good cars but complicated as essentially you can potentially have the battery issues and the mechanical issues of a petrol car.
Spoke to a taxi driver who got 500k miles out of his before an accident finished it and was then in another one with 180k. Zero issues with both.
Bought a used 2008 Prius Tspirit Hybrid in June 2013 with 54,000 miles on the clock. Fast forward to January 2022; still has the original drivetrain, Hybrid Synergy Drive propulsion system has continued to function flawlessly and it’s still on its original HV Traction Battery which just passed its checkup with no issues.
The vehicle is my daily commuter doing a 34 mile round trip per day, about 65% of that on Cruise Control. Last summer, I managed 641 miles out of the 45 litre tank before I chickened out and refuelled. There was still 1.5 lites left when I refuelled. I could have made 650+ miles!!!
Considering the tiny traction battery built into the HSD, I’d say my Prius (a.k.a. The Spaceship) has paid its dues and can be deemed economical to the environment. ALL cars leave a carbon footprint when manufactured.
I’d say my Prius balances off pollution by making my tyres last for just over 60,000 miles (Michelin Energy Saver Plus - do 10,000 miles a year) - thanks to regenerative braking not only reducing tyre wear but also drastically reducing brake dust from the brake pads which only kick in at 7mph during nominal braking procedures.
I’m not sure why the supremely aerodynamic Prius II is often described as ugly. It’s just as nicely curved and functional as a SpaceX Starship!
My 2nd Gen Prius has a snout that reminds me of Futurama’s Planet Express Spaceship, a curvy shape reminiscent of Thunderbird 2 and a rear end straight out of “I, Robot”. The flight deck is straight out of a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Shuttlecraft.
I save approximately £1,000 on fuel bills per year driving this technological wonder. The automatic transmission is step less, the gear stick is actually a joystick type selector with no mechanical linkage, there’s no traditional gearbox and the HSD is such an enigmatic ultra reliable wonder, I’m tempted to believe it was actually designed by Vulcans 🖖.
Indeed, I find the Prius a most…….LOGICAL form of transport. Mr Spock himself would surely approve of all Toyota Hybrid HSD powered derivatives.
Good question; I enjoyed your review of the Lexus CT not long ago. As you say, hybrids' environmental impact is questionable due to the manufacuring chain and components - particularly the batteries. However, the Toyota-based ones seem reliable. I do like the Prius, mechanically, but God, it's ugly. The Auris and Corolla are relatively inoffensive. Great review, and good insights, as usual.
My c300 Hybrid had a brake issue and it took Mercedes Cheshire Oaks three weeks to even get a technician who was trained to work on it. The repair cost well over £1k and a big chunk of that was just for disconnecting and reconnecting the hybrid system. I sold it and went back to a big diesel. Little bit more on fuel but far, far less hassle.
@Uncle Gilbert why the hell would I want to own a Lexus. I’m not Alan Partridge.
*The latest [2021] PHEV (Plug In to charge) can be really good and can offer 30-45 Miles on Pure EV mode. Most journeys being less than that great savings can be made, but do not prevent longer journeys.*
Yes I agree
Current Hybrid battery fitted is circa £3k. So far 14yrs on and no problem.
Battery packs are expensive yes, new better too rather than replacing cells individually as others could be on their way out.
Question re heating. How does the interior heating get supplied esp if the combustion engine doesn't run and generate heat? More so when minus temps outside
Thanks Matt. My wife has a VW Passat GTE. You are right about driving differently & that you are more aware about how heavy your right foot pushes. However, should you get some prat up your arse just pop it into GTE mode & its rather brisk. Just don't put it in manual mode, it's useless! My Wife makes a faster decision when buying a pair of shoes! It will do '70' in full electric (stealth) mode but doesn't last long. Big advantage on a hybrid from a company car aspect is that you don't pay as much (basically a pay rise). If you get the chance, have a drive of one & please do a vid. Wishing you all the best for the year & every success you deserve..........
I'll definitely do a video when I get one! Cheers :)
We bought a used Prius. It encourages a much saner, safer driving habit. This is a great car, probably the best we’ve ever owned. Very quiet, smooth ride. State of the art technology. Way fewer visits to a petrol station. Toyota has this down.
Our battery pack failed at 108,000 miles, and ten years, and cost $2440 to replace with a brand new one. Don’t believe people who tell you a new battery costs $6,000.
Thats good to know. Although you wouldn't expect it to fail after just 108,000 miles
High Peak Autos this was a low mileage car. It may have sat around too much. We don’t know.
Another superb review👍
Thanks for watching
You mentioned it takes ages to sell a hybrid on you forecourt,,I imagine it’s the price of replacing batteries the reason I would never have one I was a taxi driver for 25 years had 1milion miles out of 3 cavalier s but my mate had one engine went pop at 120000 miles you mentioned taxi s use hybrids but the car is running constant with fewer cold starts the reason I believe taxis get more miles from there cars keep up good work ,,, micky
Love to see a review of the Nissan Navara you currently have in stock.
I'm an Israeli,up untill a year/2years ago the sedan version was called Corolla(imported from Japan,and i know they were not sold in Europe)and the hachback-Auris.It's now under the Corolla badge.I also gave my niece&husband(living in your beutiful/too rainy country/London)an 'order'-"buy Auris"(from 4 options they had).So they just bought a 2015 with50000miles(about80000km)-low in Toyota years/life.They tried vw golf before so they now tell me the Auris/corolla hach(in my jargon)is more spacious than the golf for families
Very interesting video, love the conceit of changing driving style. Why not, we cannot drive fast anymore for a variety of reasons, so why not have fun playing with electric driving vs petrol? The silence thing is a real joy to discover, as opposed to farty exhaust noises. Also reliable perhaps because they are driven by people with a brain, who think about driving and the environment, and also these people don't thrash the car everywhere. Very well explained video.
The information about Ev’s is sadly wrong mate. Because people don’t take into account the co2 emissions that it takes for the fuel to be made, refined and transported to your local fuel station. And the electricity it takes to refined the fuel also
Yes thats right also. I think we'll have to agree then that anything and everything we do uses carbon and causes some damage to something
High Peak Autos Oh yeah that’s soo true. As humans everything we do creates damage. It’s just about limiting the damage that we do. I think as electric cars become more mainstream and the economies of scale come into play, then we will see a lot more carbon savings. Hey also love your channel, great reviews. Thanks for replying 🙏
Cargo ships are one of the most fuel efficient ways to transport cargo. If a 1 ton car scaled to the efficiency of a massive cargo ship it would get 500-1000 miles per gallon
Great video. Would love to see you do a review of a BMW 3- or a 530e.
this toyota man never let u down
I've owned Lexus' for 17 years now, the first being a IS200 which I had for 13 years and only had 1 repair which was for rear shocks, VED was over £250 pa, decided to go hybrid with IS300h and at £10 for VED is a big win, even tho engine size is larger at 2.5L than the previous one at 2.0L, mpg has doubled to an average 48mpg, but around town this can go up to well over 50mpg. What this car wont do is sit there and be revved whilst in neutral, you cant abuse it.
Carbon isn't the only problem with cars though, they pollute the air with all kinds of poisons. If everyone in a city started driving electric or hybrid cars you'd notice a considerable improvement in air quality and the life expectancy of the people living there. The real problem is plugin hybrids that people forget to plug in, they then use the standard engine but are now pulling around a really heavy but empty battery wasting fuel.
I’m sure I read that Polestar said that on their entry model it would take approx78000 klms to start paying back ,finally good to hear a manufacturer being upfront….
It's the same effect on driving style when I put instant mpg up on my jag only I still want to hang myself after a steep hill
That's why I always drove with it on. I noticed that I started getting a much more relaxed driver when I drove with the instant mpg on so I left it that way. I have been doing that since I was 18.
It does make a huge difference on your mpg
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod yeah you no longer floor it all the time cause now you know you just did 3 mpg, I'm glad my current car just does average cause its so bad on fuel
Just about to buy a Hyundai Ioniq plugin hybrid. Quite excited, my daily commute is 18 miles. It has a realistic range of 30 odd electric miles. I genuinely feel like I can get infinity to the gallon. This could be my smartest move ever 😂
At last someone has mentioned all those container ships carrying both Cars and Christmas Crud! At the invention of Friends of the Earth - a long time ago [40 plus years] - considerations included manufacture, shipping, repairs and disposal. If I remember correctly FoE and the W.German State in the 70s and 80s included these considerations/calculations and the info was freely available in FoE monthly members mag! PS me SLC diesel was £30 pa road tax combined with great mpg.
one of the issues I'm having difficulty in is what the true mileage when in electric mode, I was told by toyota that the Rav 4 only does 4 mile but there's also the cost difference which would mean your paying an extra £ for a hybrid that only does 4 miles.
finally someone points out these enviromental issues, people are not informed enough on this topic - well done.
I've only scratched the surface too!
@@HighPeakAutos at least you brought attention to it ;)
I have an Auris MK1 hybrid. 50/50 central London and M25 driving, summer months I get 70+mpg round town, 60mpg on a run.
There's actually a few less things to go wrong, no starter motor, no alternator, a water pump with a 250k mile interval. And yeah, milages on these easily hit 400k. Extremely reliable. The battery packs last 200k usually, and can have individual cells replaced for £30 a pop. So not mega expensive. I save £4000 in fuel a year over over our last hatch. No brainer.
You've absolutely nailed it here. People whinge about battery degradation on Priuses that will easily go 300,000 miles while driving around in a Nissan Juke that'll be ready for the scrapheap at 120k 🤣. The mk2 Prius is in my view the single greatest car you can buy if you want to cover 150,000 miles over the next 10 years for the smallest overall outlay.
I had one of these as a company car on a 64 plate. It was absolutely crap on fuel. That CVT transmission is a huge problem. When engine is used it screams it head off. On a Motorway you won't get anywhere near 60mpg in the real world it's more like 30-35mpg. The whole engine and transmission set up only really works for city driving. Then I found the ride and handling was terrible, it's only the car I've driven that has a rock hard ride in straight line but then wobbles all over the place around a corner. When I was handed the keys to it, it had 3 miles on the clock, so it wasn't a neglected old battle bus. Doing 3-4 thousand miles a month in it was a pretty miserable experience.
Hi! I think it is an ‘Emperors New Clothes Thing”. The range limitations mean they have been prematurely launched. Just for shopping unless you want to use Valium for range anxiety. I wanted one as my next car but changed my mind back to Diesel or Petrol. 😢
How many years until carbon neutral for a combustion engine car? Genuine question.
It is actually possible in the future wiith the introduction of synthetic fuel. Research has been publicly began for a few years and it is currently at the stage of being trialled in motorsport testing.
I think the reason you struggle to sell them is that people are hesitant to buy one from a 3rd party used dealer as yourself. As such a complex car owning one out of manufacturers warranty would be a massive headache and a financial hit so people opt to get them new or nearly new direct from the dealer. Just my thought anyway.
Your 100% right.
I’m not sure what the reason is. I think generally people are slow to adapt to change. Might be another 5 years before they become fully accepted
Lots of people treat hybrid as unknown new not proven strange thing. Toyota/Lexus are building them since years and they know what they are doing. I'm using as well one of them. I've IS300h , previously I had IS250. Difference in running costs between them is just amazing.
Somehow I wouldn't trust some other car makers. When I see car being hybrid and having turbo charged engine and DSG in it I'm wondering how long such construction will last without making expensive troubles. Especially when is coming from German maker known from rather poor reliability (engines and gearboxes).
Thank you another enjoyable review. Cheers
Not a bad looking car electric, with the millage I do and where I do it should be considered might look at a hybrid eclass
A very thought-provoking video Matt !!!! Didn`t realise these environmental issues until you pointed them out, mate. 🙌🙌🙌
Cheers :)
I drive one of these but have decided to go for the new RAV4 which should arrive in April. Looking forward to it.
Should buy a Chrysler 300C CRD and make a video. Pretty rare now, older models definitely look better. Cool car
Theo Hay On my to-do list
@@HighPeakAutos 😍
Thank god for some car stuff to watch, and thanks for not mentioning you know what. I agree, I like the hybrids too but yeah they make a horrible noise with that CVT gearbox. I’ve been looking at the Lexus GS450H lately, just something a bit different. Looks a nice car.
Thanks for watching. The GS450h would be a good buy. They're very fast
I have a Nissan Note E Power does the exact thing and it was the first in the market to do that not Toyota. My note gets 1000k on a full tank. Unfortunately it's not available in the UK but the tech is coming to the new Qashqai in the UK as the E Power Qashqai. Enjoy
I really like how Toyota’s hybrid system just works seamlessly. Just drive and get great fuel economy.
There is Toyota Prius taxis in America that replaced gas guzzling Fords and some are on 600,000 miles. Only tyres, wipers and bulbs changed.
Good review as always Matt ,but if i had the choice it would be a total E/V like the Tesla S3
Thing is & the trouble is.....people drive reaaaal slow,i noticed a few times behind a hybrid driver,they're so slow. They'll annoy many drivers.
You forgot to mention the lithium-ion battery coils are toxic after use, and so the batteries can't be fully recycled and they need specialist care to dispose of.
It is one of the target cars for catalytic converter thieves. We sold ours within 6 months of buying it because of this. It cost over 1000 pounds for new cat.
I drive a 2019 Honda Accord hybrid touring. Your discussion of the way hybrids change the way you drive is spot on. I feel so good when my accord beats the EPA estimate (which is very, very often). As a result, my foot is light and I rarely speed. Now that the price of oil has cratered (taking gas along with it) I routinely get 560 miles per tank and the tank costs me $17-$18 USD. Simply astonishing. I doubt I ever commute with a non-hybrid or EV again.
I like the look of the Tonale, plus you won’t get mistaken for an Uber in one.
Yeah exactly!
I tested a 2018 Toyota Prius around Bolton for my channel last year and I quite liked it. However, as the Auris you reviewed has much more conventional styling and a similar powertrain, I think I would like it even more!
Thats the thing with the Prius and the Insight, they look different. I always thought they would have been even more popular if they looked like a conventional car
@@HighPeakAutos, yes, I think a lot of manufacturers these days realise that. The Hyundai Ioniq and Kia e-Niro are sold with three different powertrain options (electric, plug-in hybrid and conventional hybrid) and they all look the same, along with the Vauxhall Corsa F and MG ZS, which both feature combustion models and electric models with a virtually identical external appearance.
The Auris hasn't. The Prius 4 has a newer HSD.
Malaga Car are a great company in my experience, also a good way to try out some Hybrids and Electric cars :)