PUMPWATT
How much would a hybrid actually save you?
Pick your current car — or leave it, and we'll use a typical 26-mpg sedan.
1Which hybrida typical 45-mpg hybrid is assumed until you pick one
Any hybrid or plug-in hybrid model since 2011. The EPA supplies the figures.
2The honest linesinsurance and maintenance
Hybrids usually price close to their gas twin — sometimes a little more for the battery, sometimes nothing. Only a real quote settles it.
Hybrids brake less on the pads — regenerative braking does most of the work — but still carry two powertrains to service. Defaults follow AAA's Your Driving Costs averages; your service records beat ours.
3The receiptevery line, one year
| Per year | Gas car | Hybrid | Difference |
|---|
Not modeled: purchase price, depreciation, financing, resale. Running cost, not total cost of ownership. The federal hybrid tax credit ended with the clean-vehicle credit on September 30, 2025 — check your state's incentives for what's left, mostly aimed at plug-ins.