Comparing Standard and Hybrid Cars

Political Calculations^(TM) has looked at the cost of owning a hybrid versus a standard vehicle previously, but JLP of All Things Financial has asked a good question with respect to the new hybrid versions of larger automobiles now coming into the market (at least with regard to their fuel consumption): "Are Hybrid Vehicles Worth It?"

JLP's launch point for his post is an article written by Sarah Breckenridge of Smart Money magazine, who compared her experience in driving both the standard and hybrid versions of the Ford Escape, the Honda Accord, the Toyota Highlander and the Lexus RX. JLP took the article a step further and ran some numbers comparing the annual fuel and cost savings one might have using the hybrid version of the standard vehicles presented in the article.

But why should JLP have all the fun? Political Calculations has put the following tool together for everyone to be able to do JLP's hybrid versus standard vehicle math!

Driving Data
Input Data	Values
Distance Driven Annually (Miles)
Percentage of Highway Driving (%)
Average Fuel Cost per Gallon ($USD)
Standard Vehicle Mileage Data
City Mileage (Miles per Gallon)
Highway Mileage (Miles per Gallon)
Hybrid Vehicle Mileage Data
City Mileage (Miles per Gallon)
Highway Mileage (Miles per Gallon)

Estimated Fuel Use and Savings
Calculated Results	Values
Fuel Used Annually by Standard Vehicle (Gallons)
Fuel Used Annually by Hybrid Vehicle (Gallons)
Annual Fuel Savings of Hybrid over Standard Vehicle (Gallons)
Estimated Costs and Savings
Cost of Fuel Used by Standard Vehicle ($USD)
Cost of Fuel Used by Hybrid Vehicle ($USD)
Cost Savings of Hybrid over Standard Vehicle ($USD)

About the Tool

The default data in the input table above is that for the standard and hybrid models of the Lexus RX, which you may change to compare the vehicles of your choice.

The tool above also only considers the fuel cost of the vehicles. It does not take into account other factors that may influence the lifetime costs of owning or operating a vehicle, including its pricing, insurance costs, maintenance expenses, etc.