How do infrequent, short trips affect a hybrid vehicle?

Asked by Stephen Aug 25, 2017 at 08:29 PM about the Toyota Prius

Question type: General

I am thinking about buying a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, but I would like
to better understand how the type of driving that I do will affect this car.

My wife and I are both retired, and we own two vehicles. The number of
miles that we drive each year has dropped considerably since we retired. If I
buy a new Malibu Hybrid, it may get driven only 1500-2000 miles each year,
with most of those miles the result of 4-6 short trips per week, each perhaps
5-7 miles in length, that start with a cold engine. The car may sit unused in
the garage 3-4 days each week. How much will my fuel economy suffer
because of that kind of driving? Also, will the life of the hybrid battery be
adversely affected in any way?

Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

3 Answers

You will use a lot of battery power.. If you can charge the battery by plugging your car in the fuel economy may be quite good.

1 people found this helpful.
86,785

Read this....I'm sure that the 2018 Chevy Malibu Hybrid will be even better.... http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-chevrolet-malibu-hybrid-first-drive-review

2 people found this helpful.
10

short trips are hard on the engine. if the combustion engine never reaches normal operating temp it will run too rich and dump unburned fuel into the crankcase causing fuel to be present in the oil effectively shortening the life of the combustion engine. the work around is to drive on the combustion engine on short trips and use the hybrid portion on longer trips depending on the speed you need to travel a full electric car would be a better option

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Prius

Looking for a Used Prius in your area?

CarGurus has 126 nationwide Prius listings starting at $2,995.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    T_S_T
    Reputation
    1,560
  • #2
    Guru5WT6J
    Reputation
    1,390
  • #3
    TupeloMS
    Reputation
    1,320
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Prius Prime
10 Great Deals out of 282 listings starting at $15,999
Used Toyota Corolla
119 Great Deals out of 1,945 listings starting at $1,995
Used Toyota Camry
53 Great Deals out of 956 listings starting at $2,212
Used Toyota Camry Hybrid
14 Great Deals out of 244 listings starting at $5,995
Used Toyota Prius v
19 listings starting at $9,887
Used Honda Civic
151 Great Deals out of 3,400 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota Corolla Hybrid
19 Great Deals out of 287 listings starting at $19,788
Used Toyota Prius c
4 Great Deals out of 76 listings starting at $6,995
Used Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
25 Great Deals out of 651 listings starting at $13,988
Used Toyota RAV4
77 Great Deals out of 2,040 listings starting at $3,499
Used Honda Accord
37 Great Deals out of 906 listings starting at $2,799
Used Honda CR-V
84 Great Deals out of 3,824 listings starting at $1,995
Used Honda Civic Hybrid
805 listings starting at $6,998
Used Toyota Prius Plug-In
2 listings starting at $10,995
Used Tesla Model 3
34 Great Deals out of 817 listings starting at $18,800

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.