Hybrids safer than conventional cars, research shows

Yuriko Nakao / Reuters

Prius hybrid vehicles are shown near a Toyota plant in central Japan.

If the fuel-saving benefits weren’t enough, now there’s another good reason for buying a hybrid vehicle instead of a conventional gas-only model.

Research by an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows hybrid vehicles are safer than their conventional counterparts when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes.

On average, the odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in comparable non-hybrid vehicles, the research found.

“Weight is a big factor,” said Matt Moore, vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute and an author of the report. “Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have.”

Hybrid cars are heavier than cars that only use an internal combustion engine because they have large, heavy batteries and two engines. They save on fuel by storing the energy produced when braking and using it to power the vehicle at low speeds.

Moore points to other possible factors for the better safety record for hybrid vehicles, such as how, when and by whom hybrids are driven. Researchers said they included controls to account for these factors.

The study estimated the odds that a crash would result in injuries if people were riding in a hybrid vs. the conventional version of the same vehicle. The analysis used data from more than 25 hybrid-conventional vehicle pairs from the 2003-11 model years.

The study’s findings are good news for green-minded drivers who are also looking for safety in their cars. But it’s worth noting that hybrid vehicles still pose a risk to pedestrians.

At low speeds in densely built areas, hybrid cars and pure electric vehicles rely on electric propulsion. That makes them much quieter than gas-powered cars, posing a risk to pedestrians.

A 2009 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found a higher rate of pedestrian crashes for hybrids than for conventional gas-powered cars, especially when the vehicles were turning.

Read More

Not all hybrids are a green bargain

The rising price of gas in recent years has made more attractive hybrid cars, the pump with every trip. Their promises of improved fuel economy, lower impact on the environment and good value are hard to resist.

But before you take any hybrid from the lot expected, that the world to change - or at least soften the blow to your gas budget - you look at it new findings from the Union of concerned scientists. The organization found that many hybrid models save so much money not a consumer or fuel pump as you might expect.

Engine performance and pump prices
It is important to understand what is really do a vehicle-hybrid engine for you. Some will deliver strong fuel efficiency. But others apply new technology to increase the engine power, so that less improvement provide the fuel economy and environmental benefits.

For fuel consumption, the Toyota Prius - the best-selling hybrid by far - the leader, with a combined Highway/city rating of 50 miles per gallon. Next to the Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda's insight, with 41 mpg, the Ford Fusion hybrid and Hyundai Sonata hybrid with 39 and 37, or follow. (Check out to see HybridCenter.org of hybrid scorecard, such as other vehicles match.)

The Nissan Altima Hybrid and Toyota Camry hybrid, in contrast, registered both 33 mpg on motorways. This is close to, what I do with my trusty old non-hybrid Volkswagen.

That is, a significant improvement over many conventional vehicles these days, is always 33 miles per gallon overall although obviously compelling sees 50 mpg. However, a gas guzzler might look like in the future of even the Prius. Environmental advocates urge the Government stronger fuel efficiency standards of at least 60 mpg for cars come to implement in 2017 and later.

Hold the breath to these hybrid
To measure results differently in the vehicle smog and his contribution to global warming.

If you buy a Volkswagen Touareg hybrid thinking you are doing the environment a large please think again. It is located at the bottom of the list of non-luxury vehicle, scoring a mere 3.0 out of 10 - and gets 21 mpg in the process. The Touareg hybrid admits not even less global warming-related pollution compared 10 percent conventional counterpart.

Again, the Prius of this list with a score of 9.2 exceeds, generating about 40 percent of less smoggy thing than a regular car in its class and. The following is the Honda Civic hybrid and insight, with scores of 7.2 and 6.5.

Get ready to shell out for 'Features'
Finally, hybrid value saw the Union of concerned scientists. Finally, spend, more than reasonable for a set of wheels? Some hybrid manufacturers pack them with "forced features" that you may not decide to do without, but you will end up paying for instead.

The non-luxury hybrid vehicles, that provide values as "very good" include the Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, the Ford Fusion hybrid and six models were rated the Honda CR for "bad", and the Chevy Silverado hybrid Touareg hybrid 2WD and were Volkswagen evaluated "very bad".

The only vehicles as "Superior" rated were luxury vehicles: Lexus CT 200 h, the Lincoln MKZ and the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid.

Other costs to consider hybrid-TCO
Impressive fuel economy and environmental impact are only part of the equation of car purchase, irrespective of, whether you a hybrid search.

A car total cost of ownership includes financing, fuel, repairs, maintenance and insurance. According to Edmunds, is $42,219 the 2011 a Prius driver Washington, D.C., compared with $35,841 for the Honda Civic hybrid and $37,094 for a conventional Toyota matrix costs.

You should also take into account, make up the period of "Payback" - that it takes time your fuel savings markup from your hybrid over conventional counterpart for. According to Edmunds for the Prius, it is less than one year; for the Nissan Altima Hybrid is more than a decade.

For a supposedly "green" car is a long time to wait, order your greenbacks back.

© 2011 AOL Inc. All rights reserved.

Read More