If car nuts have learned anything over the last decade, it’s that few categories are easier to stereotype than the hybrid car driver (thanks, South Park!). But how accurate are these images we carry of hybrid drivers as left lane-clogging, smug eco-weenies? A couple of recent reports indicate that we still have much to learn about our high-mileage friends. For example, TheCarConnection reports on a study which shows that hybrid drivers drive more than average, receive more moving violations, and incur more collision costs. And if that isn’t surprising enough, consider an online poll showing that hybrid drivers don’t even care about the environment.
To be completely fair, it should be mentioned that hybridcarblog.com‘s methodology involved setting up an online poll and forgetting it existed for “a few years.” Having rediscovered the poll (now with 28,000 responses), the data is intriguing if not totally scientific. The poll asked “why buy a hybrid vehicle?” and offered four options: 1.) Cool technology, 2.) Foreign oil dependency 3.) Global warming and 4.) Carpool lane access. The results? 37 percent picked “foreign oil dependency”, 29 percent picked “cool technology”, 27 percent “car pool lane access.” But the real stunner is that only 7 percent picked “global warming” as a reason to buy a hybrid. How’s that for a wrinkle on our perennial (and heated, if you’ll pardon the pun) global warming discussions? [thanks, USAFMech]
You can still care about the environment without believing that AGW is a good reason to buy a certain type of car.
And if you truly believe that AGW is a problem then finding a way to not use a car is the better solution. So the poll result doesn’t really surprise.
Seems to make sense since hybrids don’t really provide any benefit to the environment.
Every hybrid owner I know says they bought it because they hate spending money on gas.
The poll didn’t even have “personal economic benefit” as an option.
dean +1 on your thoughts.
I started noticing quite awhile ago that I didn’t know any hybrid owners, in person or on the net, that fit the “pious” stereotype.
I don’t doubt there are a few out there but they seem to be as rare as the rpoverbial “hen’s teeth”.
Pop culture over rulez (sic) truth any day. Sad.
Bunter
Around here most of those “pious” drivers are driving early 1980’s Mercedes diesels, with veggie oil bumper stickers.
However I agree with ajla, they completely left off “save money on gas” as a choice, so how good can the poll be?
The poll didn’t even have “personal economic benefit” as an option.
Overall, unless you drive a lot more than the average person, you’d save more money buying a regular gasoline powered car that gets decent fuel mileage, like a Fit or Civic, and pocket the savings in sticker price.
I can’t wait for people to apply hybrid technology to performance. Imagine drag times with an engine (ok… motor…) that gets 100% of its torque from the second you floor it.
Overall, unless you drive a lot more than the average person, you’d save more money buying a regular gasoline powered car that gets decent fuel mileage, like a Fit or Civic, and pocket the savings in sticker price.
I’m aware that the numbers don’t always crunch on hybrid ownership. Despite this, I still believe that a lot of people buy a hybrid because they think it will save them money. Maybe “Personal economic benefit” isn’t the best way to phrase it.
“Saving money on gas” would have been a good addition to the poll.
I know that the overall numbers on hybrid ownership don’t necessarily crunch, but that doesn’t mean saving money on gas is not a valid reason to buy one, and it also doesn’t mean that people who buy them to save on gas are suckers. Maybe people would rather pay their money to Japanese product engineers than to Hugo Chavez, or they just like to get high gas mileage and drive by gas stations and thumb their nose at the sheiks.
These are the same kind of people that believe sticking little electrodes to twitch your nerves can constitute as exercise.
The Prius is in a size between the Fit and Camry and so is not comparable to the Fit. People who buy the Prius do not crossshop Civics, Corollas, Yaris’s and Fits because those are smaller cars that hold less. That’s the way it is, people aren’t trying to buy the cheapest car after doing the math on the fuel efficiency, they are buying the Prius because it fits their needs, is reasonable roomy and comfortable, and gets WAY better mileage than just about anything else. Arrange these how you will, some people view it mileage first, but still wouldn’t buy a Fit or Civic because they are too small. Plus, some of them plan on running it till the wheels fall off, in which case the arguement tilts back toward the Prius.
They are different cars in a different class. People who buy them want different things. The Prius is a middle class, middle size car, not a cheap economy car. On top of that, the last gas shock hit a lot of people hard and they expect gas to be expensive again, in which case the economics make a lot of sense.
That the poll says hybrid drivers “drive more than average” makes a lot of sense, since one has to drive more than average to make the economics work out with most hybrids. And if people drive more than average then they will likely get a higher than average number of tickets and be involved in a higher than average number of collisions.
On the other hand, the Prius is priced very competitively. It’s priced high compared to a Corolla, but most people are probably cross shopping it with the 4 banger Camry, which the Prius is basically priced identically to.
People see the Camry and the Prius and say, “Sure, I’ll take the hybrid stuff and the high tech dash for free.”
If clinical trials were as bad as this poll, drugs would not work at all. Polls like this are self selecting. Something like hybridcarblog.com probably appeals to people who like cars and like hybrids. The people I know who drive Priuses don’t care about cars at all per se, but do care about the environment, and my brother gets a kick out of the fact that his gas mileage to and from work is about 2.5 times what it was in the old Passat AWD. But neither he, nor my friends who have Priuses have any passion whatsoever about cars, and I think my brother would be more likely to visit Nebraska (from Wash. DC) than hybridcarblog.com.
For a poll to have any meaning, you need a RANDOM SAMPLE of the population.
…hybrid drivers receive more moving violations, and incur more collision costs….that hybrid drivers don’t even care about the environment.
I have three colleagues with Prius. Two are PhDs–one being an “eco weenie liberal” whereas the other is a Michael Savage fan. The third is an ex ‘Nam F4 Phantom fighter pilot, but is, I think, and Obama supporter. Go figure.
As far as collision costs–maybe it’s replacing all those $1000.00 head lamps in fender benders, or maybe the drivers are Asian women.
ajla : The poll didn’t even have “personal economic benefit” as an option.
I guess fuel prices were pretty low when the poll was made, and they didn’t expect them to increase much.
Samir:
Probably the ultimate hybrid performance engine would be big turbo 4, something like an Evo or WRX engine, or a small displacement turbo or supercharged 6. Keep the weight down and use a lot of boost pressure, with the electic assist making up for the lack of torque at low speed.
The ultimate efficiency engine would be a small hybrid turbo diesel, though such an engine would be brutally expensive.
These stereotypes are the byproduct of powerful propaganda machines, brought to you by the usual suspects.
I see quite a few Prius drivers around here drivin’ it like they stole it. At least one admitted to me that he bought a Prius simply because he could drive it alone in the car pool lane. California has stopped giving out those magic yellow car pool cheating is ok stickers, but the old ones are still around.
I own a Prius and I sincerely believe Global Warming is a Ponzi Scheme cooked up by Al Gore to make billions of money trading carbon credits.
I also believe that if the Environmentalist are serious about Global Warming, they’ll embrace nuclear energy as the new religion.
Hybrids are like transvestites – is it IC or electric? I guess it’s a he/she. Who ever drives a Prius should have their head examined. That so called car with the rest of Toyota are urshering in the new metro-sexual America. Quick- “does it come with a manual transmission?” “No, what’s that? but it has a delightful gay tree with leaves that glow- and it’s right on the dash board!” Bye Bye America it was great while it lasted.
@superbadd75
If you’re rich and drive a Prius you don’t look cheap, if you drive a civic you do.
Well, at least around Detroit, the left-lane clogging asshat stereotype is pretty valid.
But in general I must admit there are lots of folks mostly in beaters and otherwise 3 colored cars driving 50-55mph on major highways like 94 & 75 where non-congested traffic regularly flows at 80mph.
I think the main distinction is the guy in the rusted out Civic couldn’t care less about traffic and sits in the right lane only really causing problems with people trying to exit or merge, while the 55mph asshat in the Prius is much more likely to be sitting in the left lane looking at everyone like they are maniacs when they flash or pass on the right.
In the meantime people in little Fits & Mazda 3’s are the ones driving them like they stole them.
OK! So lets conduct a poll and find out if all the Camaro/Firebird owners have, “a”… A Mullet or “b” live in a doublewide?
I see quite a few Prius drivers around here drivin’ it like they stole it.
This is true. I drive pretty fast, and have seen more Prius than any other particular car including Porsches or the like maintaining about the same speed. Surprising.
The eco-weenie stereotype does apply to the bulk of the Prius drivers I see, considering most I see have leftist political bumper stickers and/or drivers sporting the latest granola or hippie fashion. But, there are many exceptions. I bought a first-gen Prius a few years ago specifically to get into the HOV lanes (in VA), as my commute was 1.5 hours each way. A few years later, after having moved and traded the car, I bought a second-gen Prius because I liked the high-tech interior & exterior styling, availability of Nav & bluetooth & keyless entry in a car that wasn’t a huge, expensive, luxo-barge, and the high tech engine. I know other engineers who like the car for similar reasons. So, I would say that the car appeals to geeks, scientists, engineers, and folks wanting a fully-loaded car that’s not huge & expensive, in addition to the greenies. And, yes, I drove the car quite aggressively. It’s fun to hammer the accelerator to the floor and feel that smooth, quiet surge as the car rockets forward. I’ll definitely consider a hybrid for my next car since (1) I detest the clunky/slipping auto transmissions in so many late model Toyotas, and (2) I put 20K miles a year on my car due to a long commute and a gas-sipper would insulate me from the unpredictable impact of gas price increases, something very likely considering all the proposed carbon tax laws.
Former Colorado Rep. and Presidential candidate Tom Tancredo drove one, he told me, so he could use the HOV lanes in DC by himself. Tancredo noted that the car “goes like a banshee.” Al Gore’s son got stopped for exceeding 100mph in a Prius. http://tinyurl.com/prescandidatescars
The other presidential candidate who owned hybrids (a Civic hybrid and a Prius) was another relatively right republican, Kansas senator Sam Brownback. Brownback comes from that side of the evangelical movement that believes in saving the planet. No Democratic candidate drove either Japanese hybrid. Those who owned hybrids, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Dodd, all owned Escape hybrids, and in all cases, their purchases appeared to be political moves. Dennis Kucinich was on his second Ford Focus.
“I can’t wait for people to apply hybrid technology to performance.”
Honda Accord V6 hybrid and the Lexus 600h.
I don’t give a damn about the Prius.
Or trains or buses or bikes.
And if anybody buys a Prius for anything BUT mileage, godbless.
But buying a car to me has always been sooooo much more than MPG.
Come on…
Get real here!
Not even sure if MPG comes in the top 5 things I look for in a new car.
If you are on this sight…you LOVE cars and the joy of driving.
People who buy the Prius simply cannot love the drive for the drive itself.
It’s safe, efficient point A to point B transportation.
They might as well be riding a scooter…which they would if it only could handle a crash or had a side car.
But this isn’t The Truth About Transportation!
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
I bought a 2005 then a 2009 Prius for multiple reasons, but one of the biggies is the fact that I live in a rural area, have what I consider a long-ish commute and desired not to p!ss money away on gas. I’d frankly rather have a lower monthly outgo on gasoline even if it can only be accomplished by means of a higher car payment and say “screw you” to the ay-rabs and others (Hugo Chavez, I’m looking at you) who hate America and aren’t afraid to say so.
And no, I could NOT get the MPG’s that I’ve been getting with a titchy “conventional” car.
Besides which, I need the room for two Newfoundlands and a wife. Or the occasional snow blower, new. Or the occasional massive CRT HDTV (yeah, I actually DID buy one of those a few years ago at 1/2 price because frankly I don’t watch more than 2 hours of TV a week…)
When my wife’s father was dying and I needed to get her to the Detroit airport (5 hours away) in order for her to get home (yes, she made it with 20 minutes to spare), we managed 96 mph on I-75. Got to Detroit in just over 3 hours.
Overall, unless you drive a lot more than the average person, you’d save more money buying a regular gasoline powered car that gets decent fuel mileage, like a Fit or Civic, and pocket the savings in sticker price.
If you’re in miles of stop and go traffic every day like Route 128 in Boston, a hybrid is superior to a Fit. For me, a third gen Prius will probably make the trip through the worst of it (the 7 southbound miles between Rt. 3 and Winter St.) without burning an ounce of gas.
A Fit will probably end up getting less than it’s city rating in the same situation – not to mention what lovely things that kind of driving does to an engine. In fact, I think the real savings for stop and go drivers with a hybrid will be though decreased ICE maintenance costs.
Re: OK! So lets conduct a poll and find out if all the Camaro/Firebird owners have, “a”… A Mullet or “b” live in a doublewide?
OK! So lets conduct a poll and find out if all the Prius/Insight/Hybroad owners have, “a”… A manicure or “b” come from austria (ala Bruno)?
My observations will feed the sterotype some more.
On my commute, I will see Prius with lots of bumper stickers (the ones that lefties sport) in the right line driving below speed limit.
The Prius with clean behind, will be booking it in the left lane.
One of my friends bought the 1st Gen model. They are not poor by any means, but liked the fuel savings Nor are they “panty waisted liberals” Then I heard that the avg income of a Prius owner was over 100 G year, but it has dropped down somewhat.
Speaking of mullets and double-wides, I will see Pick-up trucks flying by me (I usually drive little over speed limit) with the a flag of a very powerful flying proudly. Then I think of how much gas is being burned, by that truck the owner of that trucks being spent to pay for the fuel.And then think of that money going to other nations that do not like that nation The irony of it all.
Frank – I think you missed the point of Mikey’s comment.
Going by the comments above, I think Mikey’s saying that the USAFMech poll stereotyped hybrid drivers by the options it gave as to why they have a hybrid. They left out “I hate paying so much for gas” and “the Prius (or other hybrid) really works for me as a total package”.
I took Mikey’s point to be that it’s like omitting to ask Comaro/Firebird owners if they own the car because they like the power, the fun of driving it or its looks (or any combination of the above).
Or are you just winding up the forum?
@xyzzy
Maybe people would rather pay their money to Japanese product engineers than to Hugo Chavez, or they just like to get high gas mileage and drive by gas stations and thumb their nose at the sheiks.
+1
My main reason for interest in owning a Prius is that they piss off exactly the people I like pissing off.
As long as the hybrid drivers are testing their MPG meters in their spaceships in the right lane, I generally dont have a problem. And I dont mind if they “drive em like they stole em” either.
Whats been buggin me is the “smart car” drivers and their Fing pretentious license plates. These puny-ass things only get 33-41 mpg out of a not-really-clean 1 liter engine…theres plenty of “normal” cars that do that. OILSAVR, 1SMRTCR… how bout GFYYIPB!
charly wrote:
If you’re rich and drive a Prius you don’t look cheap, if you drive a civic you do.
That is one of the driving forces behind the Prius sales. And it’s not just the rich. As a rule, if you drive a Prius, it does not immediately invalidate your potential status of a well-to-do person. If you drive another car in that price range, no one will think of you as a success.
Global Warming and Foreign Oil Dependency: Do you really need any more reasons to go hybrid?
Do you remember: we’re running out of oil?
Dozens of towns across the state, are introducing hybrid-electric vehicles to replace some of the gas-guzzling patrol cars of yesteryear.
Bill Finucane, the university’s transportation manager, said hybrid vehicles have saved the police department more than 20,000 gallons of fuel in the past five years.
“We were getting 8 to 10 miles per gallon with the Ford Crown Vics and now we are getting over 40 miles to the gallon,” Finucane said, “So, in essence, we cut our fuel costs by 75 percent.”
Does this ring a bell?
Option 5) It says something about me.
“@superbadd75
If you’re rich and drive a Prius you don’t look cheap, if you drive a civic you do.”
There’s nothing wrong with looking cheap. My wife drives a Civic hybrid and… hey!!!
Well I have an 01 Insight and you’re right. We ARE cheap!
Looking frugal as a look is the same as wearing a mullet or an Armani suit or any of the other looks which say something about yourself. It is not bad but maybe it is not what you want to say about yourself.
@hwyhobo: Other cars that can do that to are the Mini (if you’re young and female) and some oldtimers.
the car is who you are.
p911
Running out of oil?
That’s your big worry?
Do you know how much oil was used in making a Prius?
Dude/Dudet…EVERTHING we use today has oil written all over it.
If you are so worried about saving oil, pick on something else.
Start picking on yourself, for instance.
Don’t fly yourself to your next vacation.
Your new computer?
Your closte full of clothes?
Look at your shopping bag after the next trip to Target.
Its entirely filled with crap you don’t need, and all made from oil bi-products.
Please, earthsavers, leave me and my car alone.
Its my one real joy.
BigFire:
I also believe that if the Environmentalist are serious about Global Warming, they’ll embrace nuclear energy as the new religion.
…until you have to figure out what to do with the radioactive nuclear waste by-products that are produced…
Bring up the topic on where to store nuclear waste, and you will see the most ardent supporters turn into whining NIMBYs (Not-In-My-BackYard) overnight…
…you see, there are no simple solutions…
The Fit has WAY more space in it than a Prius.
The trunk of the Prius is smaller than you would think it is. Yes, it looks like a massive hatch, but most of that spaced is occupied by batteries. The trunk is very shallow.
The Fit costs 10k less. And is MUCH more practical. And has acceptable fit and finish. And is actually fun to drive.
To me, this kind of excellent vehicle makes Prii (plural?) look useless and idiotic.