The Toyota brand already points to dependability and affordability, and which explains why the Japanese automaker is successful globally. Unsurprisingly, the company's hybrid offerings enjoy the same level of popularity and a new study showed owners of these Toyota vehicle models stay in love with their cars for a long time.
The new findings from iSeeCars indicated that hybrid vehicles from the Japanese brand tend to last longer with their original buyers. These same owners are 1.6 times more likely to keep their Toyota cars by up to eight long years.
The data was processed from the 900,000 used cars sold this year and the study identified the Toyota hybrids as the dearest to users. The Top 3 models were listed as the Highlander, the Avalon, and the Camry - all thought to be precious to their owners for innovative hybrid functions.
The same kind of connection was seen with the hybrid Lexus and Prius, which further proved that Toyota is the leading player in the hybrid competition. The brand's nearest rival is the Tesla Model S, and according to CNET, this car convinces owners to remain a keeper 1.4 times.
In comparison, the same study established that of all the used cars sold this year only 7.3% of all the Nissan Leaf models were put in the market by their original buyers.
The love for Toyota hybrids is due to the vehicles proving to be a wise investment over the long run. They have a pricier tag at the start but the savings realized by owners over time resulted in the long-term relationship.
In a related report, Green Car said hybrid users prefer Toyota for satisfaction and the cost of ownership. The latter turned out to be the best benefits gained by buyers as the money they paid got stretched for years, and the investment gained reflected by the savings from fuel expenses.
In realizing that hybrid cars are more cost-efficient and more so if they were made by Toyota, it came as no surprise that these car models are kept by their original owners for longer times. The vehicles, in effect, serve as their cushion from the volatile fuel pump price seen in recent years.
However, longer ownership of a vehicle is not necessarily the best for the environment. As the same report noted, since the hybrids were introduced the all-electric kinds have achieved significant improvements in the past few years.
Tesla, for instance, is close to perfecting the battery technology that will allow pickup trucks and semis to run on clean energy and cover a great distance in a single charge. GMC is also making its share of innovation as the company recently reintroduced the Hummer but now rolling on an all-electric power source.
The new Hummer EV is a far cry from the versions seen in the 1990s, which were known to be as gas-guzzlers.
