Toyota Camry is 22mpg city / 33mpg highway Toyota Camry hybrid is 33mpg city / 34mpg highway
Let’s assume best case for the hybrid:
Camry = 22mpg Camry Hybrid = 34mpg
Gas is around $2.85 for regular in Chicago. That means the cost per mile for each vehicle is:
Camry = $2.85 / 22mpg = 13 cents per mile Camry Hybrid = $2.85 / 34mpg = 8 cents per mile
MSRP on the base model Camry = $19,395 MSRP on the base model Camry Hybrid = $26,150
So how many miles would you have to drive in your Camry Hybrid before you simply BROKE EVEN?
It’s $6,755 more expensive for the hybrid BUT the hybrid costs 5 cents less every mile. So
$6,755 / .05 = 135,100 miles
The hybrid doesn’t cost justify itself on gas until mile 135,101! And of course this assumes the same maintenance for the two models (probably not an accurate assumption) and best case on gas mileage for the hybrid.
By all means, buy a hybrid if you want. Just don’t kid yourself – it’s not “saving you money”.