Hybrids have come to hold in the eyes of many a high price tag. Checking out hybrid trucks and SUV's and their large prices can be daunting for a prospective hybrid owner. And while rebates can lower those prices a touch, generally hybrids are left out in the cold for many new car incentives. The ability to exceed 40 MPG is usually incentive enough for many new car shoppers.
But do you know there are several affordable options if you're looking to go green? If you're familiar with car search engines you may already know the most affordable two, but you are probably familiar either way with the Toyota Prius. In fact the Prius has become so big that Toyota has decided to grow that family to include other hybrids and electrics. And while you're unlikely to find any incentives on a Prius, you will find 51 MPG in the city for starting at $23,950.
And while that 51 city and 48 highway mpg is the highest of our most affordable hybrids, it's certainly not the cheapest. In fact the cheapest lowest price cars are both Hondas. The second cheapest hybrid on our list is the Honda CR-Z, which starts at just under 20000 and gets 35 city and 39 highway. Described as a sporty coupe, it certainly looks the best of our list of three. Though its performance certainly isn't sport but it is economic, it's a great choice for someone who wants economy but doesn't want to look like it.
Last is the Honda Insight, the lowest price of all our hybrid cars, and among our best cars under 20000. Starting at $18,200 and getting 40 city and 43 highway mileage, the Insight is the best economy option for a hybrid, especially if you have a good deal of highway commuting. Only 5 mpg highway separate the Insight from the Prius, but over $5,000 dollars in price separate these base models. You'll need a lot of driving to overcome that price gap.
We have one word of caution however for anyone looking to make a good thing great by getting a used hybrid cheap on local car search engines. With two of these models doing over 40 mpg, and the third doing near 40, used car prices on these models are unsettling near the new car price. But if you're committed to buying a hybrid, but you don't want to sell the farm, then consider these three models in your next trip to the dealership.