We’ve had a change of heart and are going to go for the diesel for the following reasons:
I only do 150 miles a week and my current car does 42 mpg which means, according to the Which real Hybrid tests, the Hybrid will save me about £65 a month in fuel. However, I’m going to be spending around £500 on a charge point which almost erases that first year of fuel savings.
Then there’s the road tax issue. If we DO buy the car afterwards, we will still be liable for the remaining 2 years of high road tax which is £480 a YEAR! That’s because the OTR price for the car is over £40k. As opposed to the petrol/diesel which are £155 as their list prices are less than £40k. So that’s another £650 which erases the second years fuel savings.
Add into that the extra £3k or so that the Hybrid will cost us to buy it at the end of the lease (and we may not be able to afford it) plus the fact that on the whole Hybrids are more expensive to repair, maintain AND insure – we hope to keep the vehicle until it’s around 6 years old so we have to think about this – so I’m just not sure it will actually save us anything in the long run.
If we go for the diesel or petrol we can afford the top spec GT Premium, our fuel costs will be the same as they are now, we are way more likely to be able to afford to buy the car at the end of the lease, the road tax is reasonable, the insurance will be reasonable (same category as my current vehicle), my mechanic friend will be able to repair and maintain it for me without any issue….it just makes more sense. As much as I didn’t want a diesel again, it’s not a deal breaker and the fact that the car is automatic (I’ve always had manuals but drive my Dad’s Auto regularly and love it!) and absolutely beautiful inside and out will more than make up for it.