Hybrid auto costs more affordable

We recently wrote about a question we hear regularly from our clients: Should I buy a hybrid? In this case, our Wilmette client was considering buying a hybrid vehicle but was concerned about the cost of replacing the hybrid battery.

And we have good news for that client and other consumers who are considering the move to a hybrid vehicle: The cost of repairing hybrid vehicles are on the decline, including the cost of replacing the hybrid battery.

“Although car repair costs are up across most of the country, hybrid repair costs continue to trend down as the volume of hybrid vehicles and people trained to service them rise,” reports CarMD in its annual survey on auto repair costs.

According to CarMD, Missouri is the most affordable state for hybrid battery replacement at an average cost of $2,386.66. The most expensive state in 2013 was Nevada at $3,977.05 on average.

Another example of declining hybrid costs: The average cost of replacing the hybrid inverter assembly dropped from $3,927 in 2012 to $2,826 in 2013. This is down from $7,000+ just a few years ago!

Want to know more? View complete details of the 2014 Vehicle Health Index and the 2014 State-By-State Ranking of Auto Repair Costs.