the tindog coffeehouse

It’s official: Hybrid cars cost more than fuel-efficient non-hybrids.

OK, so you knew that already. But now with an online calculator from the Rocky Mountain Institute (the independent, entrepreneurial, nonprofit think-and-do tank™), you have proof. With graphs!

For example, compare a (base) Toyota Corolla, which gets between 26 and 35 mpg, to a Toyota Prius, which gets between 48 and 51 mpg. At $2.61/gallon for gas, if you drive each car 15,000 miles for 5 years, the total cost of ownership of the Corolla is $5400 less than the Prius.

(Click to enlarge.)

And even with gas prices at $5.00/gallon, the Corolla would still be over $3400 cheaper.

In fact, at $5.00/gallon, you’d have to drive the Prius 27,625 miles a year for 5 years before it begins to be a better bargain than its non-hybrid competitor.

Of course, with any calculator like this, there are all kinds of caveats, not the least of which is the fact that no one would ever buy the base-model Corolla with no additional options. But still, it drives home the fact that hybrids are great for tree-huggers with money to burn, but not necessarily for those of us watching our monthly budgets.

Previously:
What the auto mileage bill really means for consumers