I've been searching for a car for my budget of 2.5M for the last couple of weeks. At the beginning, I was only interested in 2015+ models, automatic transmission Toyota Corolla and Honda City (Karachi).
During my search, however, I happen to experience a few Hybrid Cars as well (Toyota Prius 2011 and Aqua 2014/15, Honda Fit 1.3/1.5 - 2014/15 and Freed/Spike - 2012-14). And some options happen to come within my budget.
I am really impressed by the features and fuel economy provided by these Hybrid cars. Anticipating rising fuel prices in near future, I am seriously thinking of buying a Hybrid JDM instead.
I mostly do WFH and my daily running is usually very low, about 15-20 KM on average. Some times the car isn't run at all for 2 days straight.My previous car used to be driven roughly 600KM a month on average.
Some mechanics and dealers recommend NOT to buy Hybrid JDM. They say that there is no benefit if the running is very low.
I understand the lower benefit part in that if you aren't running the car much, you aren't really saving much on fuel. However, I want to know if there is really any 'harm' in keeping a Hybrid car and running it low? Do batteries die faster when the car is only run 15-20 KM a day on average? Does the maintenance cost and/or frequency increase in this case?
Some say that the Hybrid batteries of old (2015 or earlier) JDMs have already completed their lives. And that a new batter pack costs 4lacs plus (they say that the batteries available in 1-1.5 lacs are repaired ones and do not last long), which adds to the cost of vehicle and its maintenance.
I do want to enjoy the benefits of extra features, drive pleasure, and comfort available in Hybrid JDMs I've mentioned above. At the same time, I would want to avoid incurring extra costs if those extra costs are due to the vehicle being a Hybrid one OR due to it being run low.
Could somebody here please provide some guidance.
Thanks in advance.
