There’s no denying that hybrid cars are the way forward when it comes to more environmentally friendly modes of transport, they use less fuel, produce less emissions and last much longer than their fossil-fueled alternatives. The technology involved in hybrid and electric cars is evolving every day and allowing for cleaner and more efficient modes of transport. However, the downside of this is that they are very expensive, even the most basic of the new Tesla cars costs in excess of £65,000. That’s why the best option for you would be to buy a used hybrid car instead of a new petrol or diesel, below are three reasons why.
New cars have a huge carbon footprint
As you are no doubt aware, even the latest zero emissions cars aren’t quite as green as they make out to be. Many hybrid an electric cars utilise nickel in their batteries, and nickel mining is a hugely polluting process. Not to mention the environmental impact of making all the various components in one country, shipping them to another for assembly, and then shipping them to the dealership to be bought. It’s safe to say that the sale of new hybrid or electric cars as ‘good for the environment’ is nothing more than a farcical show. Certainly if you were going to buy a new car anyway, then buying a hybrid as opposed to something with a huge V8 would be much more beneficial. But buying a used car petrol car and running it for 100,000 miles is likely to have less impact on the environment that the process of building a new car. So if old and thirsty is greener than new and frugal, buying old and frugal seems like the best option to do a bit of good for the world.
Diesel isn’t what it used to be
Once upon a time, diesel was hailed as the saving grace of the world. It was more fuel efficient, cheaper to run, and had a great amount of mid-range power thanks to it’s turbo engines, meaning that the cars were, in general, not as high revving as their petrol counterparts. This meant even less fuel burnt. However, as you may have noticed from all the press recently, diesel is likely to go the way of the dodo. Diesel cars produce more pollutants and have a higher output of carbon that is not offset by the greater mpg figures.
It will save you money in the long run
Sometimes buying a new car is made to seem like such a cost-effective option, but unfortunately, that is little more than a marketing ploy. The majority of the time, the cost you are paying each month for your brand new car (before you change it in for the new model in three years) is only offsetting the cost of depreciation. Buying a used car outright is an option that is open to many people and means that after you’ve finished your payments, you actually get to keep the vehicle. There are even secured personal loans for bad credit ratings if you struggle to get finance. So there’s really no reason not to invest in a used (but not used up) hybrid car.
There you have it, three fantastic reason to buck the new car trend and buy something used a better for the environment.
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