Super Moody Group

When researching fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids often dominate, and for good reason; hybrids do a great job of delivering excellent fuel economy. The recently redesigned Toyota Prius earns an EPA estimate of nearly 60 miles per gallon. Some drivers will exceed even that. At 57 MPG, the Prius is about the best you can do among hybrid and non-hybrid vehicles. A plug-in Prius does even better at 127 MPGe.   MPGe is a way of measuring efficiency for cars that use both electricity and gasoline, and it approximates efficiency if the car was powered by gasoline only.   The Hyundai Elantra hybrid (shown above) is nearly as impressive as the Prius with a combined EPA estimate of 54 MPG.   Hybrids Often Cost More   But hybrids often cost more than non-hybrid vehicles. Sometimes that extra cost reflects the cost of building the hybrid, but other times it’s simply a markup based on demand and popularity. Sticking with the Hyundai Elantra example, a base gasoline-only Elantra i...

This Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid is a great alternative to an all-electric car Gas prices are going up. But don’t just rush into getting a new car if you already have a car with a loan. If you have negative equity in your current car,  keeping it might be the better financial decision.  The longer you keep your current car, the less it will cost you in the long run versus trading it in. Also, if you own your current car outright, keeping it might save money in the long run. Too often, motorists look at short-term gains or just want to rid themselves of the emotional baggage of paying high gas prices. Like most commodities, gas prices fluctuate based on many local, seasonal, and global factors. Getting a new car with a loan means you will be paying $600 or more each month, every month for 3 - 5 years. Add the cost of that up and then compare it with your monthly gasoline expense.  By the way, if you're considering a new car and the payment is around $1,000 per month or more...

Is it just me, or are subcompact SUVs now compact size, and compacts are now midsize?  This 2026 Kia Sportage is slightly larger than the previous generation. Compact SUVs are becoming more like midsize SUVs - Photo by Brian Moody