Deciding on a car upgrade, Hybrid vs Non-hybrid and even electric
Wife wants a bigger car, coming from our current 2010 Honda Fit. I love our Honda Fit, but I do admit it's not comfortable on road trips, both for me driving and the fact we have a toddler now, filling the car to the max and having two mountain bikes on the back tow hitch.
Our options so far are Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and maaaybe a Tesla Model Y. Only looking second hand, as financially can't justify brand new, but we could definitely afford it, even for a Tesla.
For a start, I've noticed there are WAY more RAV4s available compared to Honda CRV. I think we both prefer the CRV, but the lack of options is a killer, especially for hybrid versions.
Doing the math, it actually seems like the current hybrid price premium (probably due to the Iranian war) doesn't financially make sense? We mostly drive at highway speeds, ignoring weekend grocery shops etc. While the hybrid version is still cheaper to run at those speeds, it takes 9 years for a $40,000 Rav4 Hybrid 2021 to break even with a $33,000 Honda CRV (Non-hybrid) 2021. I might be underestimating the hybrid benefits though.
Second hand Tesla seems like the most economical option, only if I can get a good deal. But alas the war has caused these to jump up in price a lot. It's a bit ridiculous. And insurance for a Tesla is quite a bit more.
Is a Hybrid actually worth it considering the current market pricing? Is it actually worth it to go brand new now a days? As the gap definitely seems smaller than it used to be. $40,000 for a 2021 RAV4 GXL hybrid (and that's a cheap option?) vs $52,000 brand new. Nuts. My wife prefers the CRV the most though...