Quora: If you drive 80 to 250 miles a day would you prefer an electric or hybrid car?
My Answer: Right now, it would be a plug-in or standard hybrid. 80 miles is a long drive for any car and 250 miles is about the limit for most electric cars. Probably beyond range if you assume most of those miles are highway miles at highway speeds (which greatly reduces range).
In a good plug-in hybrid, the first 20–30 miles are all-electric and the rest are as a hybrid. In a standard hybrid, all miles are partially electric and thus more efficient. Either way, you’re getting better MPG returns than you’d be getting in a gasoline-only vehicle of the same type.
For example, the standard Toyota Avalon is good for about 31–32 mpg highway in the real world. The Avalon Hybrid will beat 42 mpg everyday in the real world. That’s a huge jump that pays off handsomly if your often driving the kind of miles you’ve specified here. It only requires about a year for the average (12,000 miles/year) driver to see the hybrid premium paid off in an Avalon Hybrid. It would take your driver at 80+/day just a few months for the same.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.