Driving Eco-Friendly Cars: Good for Your Wallet and the Environment

Car owners choose eco-friendly cars for both environmental, political and money-saving reasons. Eco-friendly cars are relatively new to the market, but drivers are quickly picking up on the many benefits that eco-friendly cars offer.

Probably the most common reasons why drivers choose eco-friendly cars is to save money on fuel. Hybrid car owners visit gas stations a lot less than drivers with standard engines because hybrid cars have much better fuel mileage.

Let’s compare two mid-size cars, the 2012 Toyota Prius and the 2012 Nissan Sentra. The Prius is a hybrid car, and the Sentra is a relatively efficient standard petrol car. The 2012 Toyota Prius uses about 50 miles per gallon, and the 2012 Nissan Sentra uses about 30 miles per gallon. The annual fuel cost for the Prius is estimated to be $1,116, while the annual fuel cost for the Sentra is $1,858. By driving an eco-friendly car a driver can save about 40 percent each year on gasoline costs. By using less gas or no gas eco-friendly cars also help countries become more self-sustaining by relying less on foreign oil.

An electric vehicle is unique because drivers never have to visit gas stations. They can charge their vehicles at home, which takes several hours or more, or they can stop by quick-charge stations. Drivers can charge their electric vehicles to full power in about 30 minutes when they use quick-charge stations. Drivers who opt to charge at home may even choose to utilize solar power or other renewable energy technologies to charge their vehicles in the greenest way possible.

By using less gas or no gas at all eco-friendly cars are also helping the environment by reducing the pollutants entering the atmosphere. Drivers who purchase new eco-friendly vehicles can receive tax breaks because of the environmental benefits of these cars. Some locations even offer special parking spots for eco-friendly cars because they want to reward environmentally-friendly drivers. Some areas also allow eco-friendly vehicles to drive in carpool lanes even if there is only one person in the vehicle. This can reduce a driver’s commute time, reducing the vehicle’s gas usage even more.