Are 'fuel-boosting' car packages worth the upgrade? No, no, no
Today, there is nothing more en vogue than a fuel-efficient car.
Though, of course, not everyone can afford $40,000-plus for a Volt, Leaf or Prius. Instead, many drivers buying new cars opt for smaller “fuel-boosting” packages, upgrades that cost between $485 and $800 extra on top of a vehicle’s standard trim.
But are the fuel savings worth the extra bucks?
According to new data from Consumer Reports, it could be years before motorists that purchase fuel economy upgrades recoup their money in gas bills.
Let’s take the Chevy Cruze Eco, as an example.
*Bing: What is the most fuel-efficient car on the road?
The Cruze Eco is the same car as the Cruze LT Turbo, though instead of a few luxury features (a leather-wrapped steering wheel, for example) the trim package comes with a so-called high fuel economy engine tweak.
In Canada, the Eco goes for $20,220, $485 more than the LT Turbo and nearly $5,000 more than the base Cruze Chevy offers.
Consumer Reports crunched the numbers, and found the Eco didn’t increase overall fuel economy much, saving just $20 per year total in gas costs. At that rate, though it should be noted Consumer Reports using U.S. measures, Eco drivers wouldn’t break even on their upgrade purchase for nearly 25 years.
And it isn’t just the Cruze Eco. Consumer Reports found similar fuel-friendly upgrade trims on the Ford Focus and Honda Civic offered minimal fuel savings.
The Focus SFE and Civic HF produce better gas mileage than the Cruze Eco (savings of $145 and $135 per year, respectively), but still each upgrade would take years to pay itself off.
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: SP | Jun 3, 2021 7:16:53 PM
You missed some of the best examples. The European only Volvo V60 hybrid diesel (Double the cost of the standard V60) and the Fisker who's cost per mile seems to be beyond calculation because people aren't able to get them to run long enough to calculate.
I often wonder what happened to the CNG vehicle rollout especially with the price of Natural gas falling through the floor.
Frakking H3LL we always miss the best options.
Posted by: new era gorras | Jun 4, 2021 2:54:23 AM
Jag älskar att titta på alla dessa bilder av vackra garnet :) jag kan inte vänta att se vad du sticka upp med allt detta!
Posted by: John | Jun 6, 2021 3:41:33 PM
I still drive the same car I had when I was 16 and I am now 53. It is a 65 Mustang. Paid $1,400 for it. It gets 20 mpg on the highway and 15 in the city. Never needs maintenance apart from the routine oil change, air filter, brakes, tires, etc. Do I care about my low mileage? Hell NO! I spent $2,220 on gasoline last year. If I buy the Eco (and a paper bag to put over my head to avoid the embarrassment of being seen in such a butt ugly car), my annual gasoline cost would drop to $690, a savings of about $1,530 annually. It would take 13 years to break even, and this doesn't even take into account that my insurance rate and maintenance costs would be higher. I am actually buying another car, a Mustang Cobra Jet. Again, I don't care about mileage. Getting from point A to B is not enough; I like to enjoy the ride, but hey, that's just me!