Hybrid cars might be more cost-advantageous than Consumer Reports originally reported

Walter McManus over at Hybrid Cars published a little mea culpa about his recent estimates of the real-world cost of owning and operating a hybrid vehicle. His estimates of the costs from a few weeks ago showed, like the recent Consumer Reports numbers, that most ended up being cost disadvantages for consumers. This means that they cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more than similar non-hybrid vehicles, even when you figured in reduced gas consumption. The hybrids tested were the Escape, Accord, Lexus RX400h, Highlander, Civic and Prius.

Well, McManus decided to recalculate his numbers using hedonic estimates instead of P. Value, which he used the first time. The results? Five of the six hybrids tested now had cost advantages, some over $9,000. The lone hybrid that still has a disadvantage was the Accord Hybrid, which is the car McManus drives.

[Source: HybridCars.com]