Hybrid/electric cars for under AUD $40k (USD$26700)

Hello people and welcome to this edition of Right Car. Right now, with climate change being a major issue and part of the solution being cars with partial or complete electrification, it makes sense that this month’s edition is about them. So today I will be compiling a small list of my favourite and best value for money hybrid and electric cars you can buy in Australia for what most people would consider relatively affordable. If you are in other markets, you will have to do your own research to find if these cars are available. As always, I will put an image of all the cars I mention in this post at the bottom.

Toyota Corolla Hybrid: This could quite possibly be one of the world’s favourite cars. It’s small, comfortable, reliable, cheap and just generally a very good car. The hybrid version of this car makes it even better as it makes you feel good because you know you’re having a very small impact on the environment by driving a car with fuel economy of 4.2 L/100 km (56mpg) while enjoying a car that you can get for low AUD30k’s (USD20k’s) nicely specced.

Toyota Prius: If you think the Corolla is too thirsty or you are a taller person, you should probably consider the Toyota Prius. Although it is very similar to the Corolla, it’s a bit taller so if you had trouble fitting in the Corolla because you’re tall, should fit in the Prius a bit easier. It is also a bit more economical with fuel economy of 3.4L/100Km (69.2mpg) and a bit more expensive with a well-specced version costing pretty close to the barrier.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: If you are seeing a trend here, you are probably making one of two assumptions. One being I’m a Toyota hybrid fan boy and the other being that Toyota make wonderful hybrid cars and suvs. This time, it’s a bit of both. This is because, as mentioned in my Corolla blurb, they make genuinely great cars for the price point and their hybrid cars make them even more appealing. This is the same for the RAV4 as if you want a small, quite cheap, reliable and economical hybrid SUV, this is probably your best bet. With fuel economy of 4.7L/100km (50mpg) and a price of about AUD38000 (USD25300) for a relatively well specced version, if this doesn’t tick all your boxes, I don’t know what will.

Hyundai Ioniq: The Hyundai Ioniq is very similar to the Toyota Prius. They both have the same dimensions and they even have the same starting price. But what sets the Ioniq apart from the Prius is that it is offered as a plug-in hybrid and a full electric car. This may the cars ultimate selling point because it means there is more variety over the Prius. The electric version starts at AUD42000 (USD28000), however, but if going AUD2000 (USD1300) over-budget is a deal-breaker is up to you.

Nissan Leaf: The Nissan leaf, the only electric car from Nissan, is a competitor to the electric Ioniq and a possible electric alternative to a Prius. What might scare buyers away though is the fact that the starting price for a new leaf is AUD50000 (USD33300). However, you can get 2 year old Nissan leafs of the same generation as the current leaf for AUD42000 (USD28000), which is the same price as a base electric Ioniq.

Sorry this edition was so short, I only realised that new sub-$40k hybrid and electric cars are relatively hard to come by when I started and it was the only idea I had. I promise to make next month’s edition longer and more informative to make up for this week’s short edition. Make sure you follow me so you don’t miss the next edition, it’ll be worth it.

Thanks for your time today and remember, if you want to tell me something or ask my opinion on a new car you are thinking of buying, feel free to contact me via the Contact page. Also, share this with your friends or anybody you know who’s looking for a new car as I would like to get this a bit more wide-spread. Thanks.