Because the cost of ownership is more than a gas powered vehicle. That's it period

I don't give a $#!t about global warming. Neither does the government or anyone else. I'm more worried about how much heat is going to cost this winter.

Assuming Edmund.com did math correct I am not surprised - initial investment is a large part of cost per mile. However, if you need capacity of the Prius that obviously higher than Aveo or Yaris it may be not so bad. It is better to compare compatible model - people who NEED Camry do not usually buy Yaris.

The other detail is in assumptions - 5 years ownership. If you use the same car longer it amortization happens over higher number of miles therefore reducing cost per mile.

Happy driving.

for the record... Hyundai and Kia are both Korean.

I'm not actually dinging the Aveo; I'm sure it's a very economical choice. However, if saving money isn't your primary goal but you want to help kick this country's dependence on oil, a hybrid is still a great option. Besides, why would I want to roll in a small car like the Aveo when I can buy a Camry Hybrid and never get less than 30 mgp?

I can answer that, if your using natural gas to heat your house it's gone from $8.21 per mmbtu in december to 13.33 today and it's SUMMER!!! Which traditionally brings the price of natural gas down. Most think natural gas will cost $16 by this xMas. So get ready for a big increase in your heating bill.

Before ppl blame speculators they should first blame the green peas who want to get rid of coal. A lot of major power plants are switching to nat gas because of the coal is bad crunch driving the price of nat gas up.

Heating oil hasn't gone up as much but it's still up as well.

and if you did these calculations 5 years ago it would take 30 years to pay off the prius (vs like 5-10 now). 5 years from now, it is very likely gas prices will increase significantly, and the prius would easily move to the top 10 of that last.

I agree that the hybrids on the market today are over-priced for relatively small efficiency gains. However, I bought my Honda Insight (which is no longer on the market) new for $17K, which is quite reasonable, and get 55 mpg on a challenging (efficiency-wise) commute, which is better than any hybrid on the market today could get.

I also find Edmund's 5-year/75K mile limits odd - I've been driving my car almost exactly those numbers already and certainly don't plan to sell it any time soon. They also compare vehicles from entirely different classes, which is unreasonable - pitting a hybrid SUV against a sub-compact is a no-brainer.

I've heard people express concerns that maintenance costs are higher for hybrids, but I haven't found that at all. My Insight has been very reliable and maintenance costs have been consistent with the Civic I had prior.

Add in the (only) $1K tax credit I got when I bought it, and according to my calculations I'll break even with an $11K Aveo at about 85K miles, with plenty of miles left before I retire it. That assumes an average of $3.50/gal for gas over the years and 55 mpg compared to 28 for the Aveo, which is generous for my commute, as is the $11K price tag feature-for-feature. With today's gas prices, higher tax credits available, and some evolution of the Insight's design of the years, I don't see why this break-even point wouldn't be closer to 70K easily, which in my mind is only about half of the useful life of a quality modern car.

So, my question is, why isn't there a car like the Insight v2.0 on the market today that would make sense? Well, the Insight didn't sell. Why? Too many people still want their gas hogs, and the manufacturers just want to sell cars. Period.

This whole article is bunk because anybody who is so concerned about the total cost of owning/operating their car won't turn around and sell it after 5 years. They're more likely to drive it til the wheels fall off. They're even more likely to buy a used car that gets great gas mileage, like a Geo Metro.

I'm not a hybrid fanboy, but people buy these cars for the snuggly feeling they get when they release less carbon into the atmosphere. You could even say hybrids are just the current social trend, and those who drive them are just fluffing their egos.

Either way you slice it, anybody who is smart enough to consult this type of article in the hope of saving pennies will probably realize that they're better off just buying a used car.

In 5 years, the cars on this list will all be replaced by more efficient vehicles. I'm kind of suprised the Ford Focus is not on the list. I just bought mine and am getting 35-36mpg. And fully loaded, only cost me $15.7K. I financed for 24 months and the gas savings (from what I used to spend on my gas hog truck) makes half my car payment.

I agree that any car buyer that takes to time to calculate the cost of ownership will not be selling after only 5 years. I keep my cars 7-10 years which is the time frame that will KILL the cost advantage of all hybrids. Why is that? Call your local (any brand) dealership's service department and ask for 1) the replacement schedule for their hybrid's battery pack, 2) the cost to replace that battery pack, and 3) does that cost include all disposal fees for the "hazardous" substances.

It will make the oil-filters-tires maintenance of a "regular" car look a LOT more affordable. The battery issue is what keeps me away from the Prius which otherwise seems to be a nice car.

And for the record Japanese automakers were not the first to offer Hybrid or electric vehicles. For example GM and Chrysler both had electric vehicles in the 90's (EV-1 for example). Audi Duo was the first Hybrid vehicle sold was in 89 and again in 91. And again do to low demand the vehicle didn't sell.

Anyway I just fell like the Japanese get way to much credit for this stuff when others have tried but ppl didn't care because gas was $1.50 a gallon. Though why GM and other can't get this stuff to market quicker is a little surprising to me.

Anyone who's only concern is financial would not buy a used vehicle, hybrid or non- and even if they did buy, they'd certainly hold on to it for longer than 5 years (more like 10 to 15).

PS: Toyota PAYS $200 per hybrid battery pack; it's a bounty to ensure they get their hands on spent battery packs so they can recycle them--there's profit to be hand in so doing (in fact, if you need a "new" high voltage battery and you're under warranty--a rare event--in all likelihood you're going to get a remanufactured pack, anyway. All the new ones are landing in new hybrids off the production line.)

Again, hybrid batteries are recycled, not trashed...unlike all your old cellphone batteries which you probably thrown in the trash (which you're not supposed to do, but most people do.)

ALL hybrids sold in the USA since '06, if not earlier, have all their hybrid components (high voltage battery pack, CVT, etc.) warranteed for at least 8 years, 100,000 miles; if you're in CA or a select few other locales, that's increased to 10 years, 150,000 miles. Replacement costs for the batteries are going down, not up. Articles that used to freak people out about $9,000 batteries are outdated. For example, a 2003 Civic Hybrid, purchased used, was recently quoted as needing a new battery on a hybrid forum I follow (http://greenhybrid.com/discuss/f12/ima-battery-dead-109k-honda-usa-worthless-18536/) The cost including labor? $2,500. The vehicle has over 109,000 miles and was purchased used and since it was one of early model years for Civic Hybrid, only has an 8 year, 80,000 mile warranty. It's way over it's 80k miles, and newer hybrids have batteries that are holding up much longer (hence the longer warranty period that mfgr's are willing to cover.)

There is no replacement "schedule" for battery pack. They are expected to last the life of the vehicle. There are 1999 Prius still on the road w/their original packs in the USA, and older still in Japan (where Prius was first released.) Also, ask a NYC cabby -- they've got hybrid Ford Escapes w/over 200k miles and counting, again on the original battery packs. The entire NYC cab fleet is being phased over to hybrids, BTW.

To reiterate, anyone doing strictly a numbers comparison should be buying used, not new of ANY type of vehicle. And to compare a Yaris or Aveo to a full-size family sedan like the Camry Hybrid or Ford Escape Hybrid, with a straight face, is just silly and doesn't deserve the dignity of a response. Yeah, I'm sure the guy surfing the car lot looking at the Prius or Civic Hybrid is really going to be keen on buying an Aveo, Yaris, etc.

Well, in most of Europe, we live with double the gas prices due to taxes, so I'd guess hybrids will actually go to us first, although you yanks drive more.

And sure, expect hybrids to be more expensive for another five to ten years, but please realize that it IS a matter of time until we go electric. Battery technologies are progressing and economies of scale for those, as well as higher oil prices, will eventually put gasoline cars into objects for museums.

http://usnews.rankingsandrevie...olet-Aveo/
It may cost less up front, but look at its rating for safety or reliability or really any of its ratings. People want a car that will be able to accelerate, not break down, and will get them safely from here to there. The car is so cheap because of all of the cut-corners in making the thing. Side-curtain airbags aren't even an option

Hybrids have less wearing parts we all heard about a Prius taxi still running fine after over a million kilometers. There your TCO goes down by much. (But yeah, battery packs might have to be changed, that's still better than $400-$800 per month on repairs for a 150K miles gasoline car)

The one thing that is not talked about here is Battery replacement. Every 5 to 8 years (depending on the maker) they estimate you will need to swap you battery pack. Though no Official numbers have been talked about yet many estimate the cost to be around 5K (Labor, recycling recovery charge, and materials). That's a big repair bill every 5-8 years (or 100,000 miles) IF you plan to keep your car 10 years or buy it used.

It's one of the main reasons if you plan on buying a hybrid you should A) read the warranty info on the battery and B) probably not buy it used for full price like many are doing with the Prius. Also some insurance companies charge extra for this because of the battery cost if damaged in an accident.

re: battery replacement within 8 years -- What!?! I personally know people who have owned their first generation Prius for 7 years. Their total cost of ownership was the car cost, 3 sets of tires, insurance, and gas. They still get 45 MPG. How come you see so many cabs switching over to hybrids? Because the Total Cost of Ownership is better than any comparable gas vehicle.

Hey Meeeeeeeee...I'm driving 95 Saturn SL with 156000 miles on it. I get an honest 36mpg with a good combination of highway and in town driving WITH the air conditioner running. Oh, and by the way Mr.(or Ms.)Meeeeeeeee, since I bought the Saturn two years ago, I have spent $13 in unscheduled maintenance on the car (an ECTS sensor). You claim hybrids have less wearing parts? You are a fool. They have a multitude more. Not only do they have an internal combustion engine, they also have an electric drive and all the related (expensive)components that go with it. Do you have a clue what regenerative braking entails? Maybe just some brake pads and rotors, huh? Get a clue before you make a fool of yourself.

Take a look at Consumer Reports list of best price per gallon. They tell a much different story. The don't even bother to include the Chevy Aveo because they used only cars with better than average reliability. The top four are below. The Civic Hybrid came in further down the list and ranked just one slot higher than the regular Honda Civic. Just note that the Prius is in the top 3. Hybrids are worth it. Manual transmissions also get better mileage.
Toyota Yaris
Honda Fit
Toyota Prius
Mazda 3i

Toyota recommends that you replace your batter every 8 years or 150,000 miles to prevent possible problems. This is TOYOTA's recommendation! Of course for Toyota your battery warranty dies at 8 years 100,000 miles so it's probably a good idea to worry about a 7 year old Prius if your not fallowing the recommendations.

My insurance on my 2007 Toyota Prius is lower than my husbands 2004 Aveo all because the collision coverage so this makes the car more costly to own by far.

FYI, ALL hybrids sold new in the U.S. right now carry an 8-year / 100,000-mile warranty. If it fails before then, the carmaker has to replace it for you FREE.

All that crap about needing the battery in a hybrid replaced every few years is pure BUNK.

The environmentally-friendly Pruis is unkind to the wallet, true. So how many miles to the gallon would a car have to get to make dollars and cents? What would it take for a Prius-type car to achieve mass popularity?

Listen up, Asia. (Detroit has its ears plugged.) Create an affordable, NOT-gas-thirsty camel car that paid off in five years - unlike the 11 it takes with a Prius - and everyone and their mother will line up to charge one.

There are three ways to achieve achieve camel car cult status. Raise the mpg considerably, lower the price considerably, or find a happy balance between the two.

The first scenario gets ugly quick. Driving 12,000 miles a year, a car that gets 200 miles to the gallon would cost $300 to fill up each year at $5 per gallon. Whoppee!

But if this camel car costs $8,900 more than a new 2008 Civic, as the Prius does, it still takes 5.2 years to pay off the higher sticker price. Each year after that you save $1,700 a year in gas. (The Civic, at an average of 30 mpg, costs $2,000 a year to fill up if you drive 12,000 miles.)

If the camel car only cost only $3,000 more to buy and got 45 mpg, you save about $700 a year on gas, bringing the payoff point to 4.3 years. But who would sell a camel car that cheap?

A balance between higher mpg and lower sticker price would do the trick. A camel car that costs $5,000 more to buy and gets 60 mpg would payoff in five years. Because at 60 mpg you save $1,000 a year on gas compared to the Civic.

Okay I've done the math. Now who is going to make my camel car?

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