from hybrids, prius is the best for fuel economy. but there is one problem. prius is controlled by its computer it self. which means, its computer decides whether to go from battery or petrol. but on honda insight/fit you get the eco button to switch from battery to petrol or can switch to autumatic mode.
so what soo important about it??
the problem is that, if the battery is weak, prius will simply display, "system failure" in its screen and you will unable to start. you wont see any problems in hybrids for 10years brcause even if u get a used hybrid it will last for 7,8years..all the problems comes when battery gets faulty
think of hybrid car as a laptop.. laptop battery has a life cycle (max amount of times you can charge)..if you totally depend on battery, for example, if you choose to run your car by battery it self, the stress for the battery will be too high, and if your climbing a mountain, the stress is doubled. which means that, battery life is getting shorter.
also note that, you will not save fuel by just buying a hybrid. because if your staying in a mountain area or if the whether is bad (rainy) the car will not charge properly so that car will automatically switch to petrol it self
you can monitor this by looking at cars screen which will show you the terrain levels , charging levels, battery condition, tire pressure and MILES PER GALLON.
so conclusion is that dont think that hybrids save your life, it may sound good to have to go in colombo traffic to save petrol but on the other hand you have lot of things to think at. one thing is that, battery replacement. just like a laptop battery, depending on what capacity you need, the cost will differ. ranging from 5to 10 lax depending on battery capacity.
il tell you one more thing, if your buying a 2008 prius, go for a 10th anniversary edition. this includes lcd, bluetooth, 8-16 airbags, riverse camera, weight sensors , net MD, HDD, and navigation.
make sure you check all the options before buying. and also prius have 5 generations. just checking the year wont be enough. each generation have their own options which slightly differ. normally in sri lanka 2nd and 3rd gen cars are available. its rare to find 4th 5th generation ones.
the 5th generation cars includes JBL speakers, sun roof, climate control, automated parking, solar panels on roof, leather interior and so on..
