For car buyers looking to invest in SUVs and sedans that offer a premium experience but do not compromise on fuel efficiency, opting for a strong hybrid
car seems to be the perfect solution to keep running costs under check. However, strong hybrid versions of popular models are priced significantly higher than the petrol-only counterparts of the same model. For a price-conscious buyer, this brings the value proposition of petrol vs hybrid into question. Here's a quick look at the mileage difference between five popular models that also offer strong hybrid versions. 1. Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara: The Grand Vitara from the Nexa brand has been a popular choice since it was launched in 2022. It offers customers the option of multiple powertrains, including petrol, CNG, strong hybrid and even an all-wheel-drive version. Between the petrol and hybrid Grand Vitara, the SUV gives an ARAI-certified mileage of 21.11 kmpl in petrol-only and up to 27.97 kmpl in the strong hybrid version. The petrol price starts from Rs 10.76 lakh ex-showroom and the hybrid version prices start from Rs 16.63 lakh ex-showroom. Also Read: 5 Electric Scooters With Reverse Mode - Hero Vida VX2, Ola S1 X, Chetak 3001 And More 2. Honda City eHEV: The City eHEV sedan is another strong hybrid alternative that is available in the market as an alternative to its petrol-only counterpart. When we pit the two versions against each other in mileage, we see that the City petrol has a claimed mileage of 17.8 kmpl and the City eHEV self-charging hybrid has a claimed mileage of 27.26 kmpl. Petrol prices start from Rs 11.95 lakh ex-showroom and hybrid prices start from Rs 19.48 lakh ex-showroom. 3. Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder: Similarly, the Urban Cruiser Hyryder petrol-only version delivers a claimed mileage of 20.60 kmpl and the self-charging strong hybrid version has a claimed mileage of 27.97 kmpl. In terms of price difference, the petrol-only version starts from Rs 11.14 lakh ex-showroom and the hybrid version starts from Rs 16.66 lakh ex-showroom. 4. Maruti Suzuki Victoris: The newly launched Victoris also shows a similar difference in mileage vs purchasing cost when comparing the petrol-only and hybrid versions. The petrol version returns 21 kmpl mileage and prices start from Rs 10.50 lakh and the strong hybrid version returns 28.65 kmpl of claimed mileage and has a starting price of Rs 16.38 lakh ex-showroom.
As we now know, the difference between the fuel efficiency of petrol-only and strong hybrid cars is considerable but the price markup for the hybrid tech is even more significant. Considering this, we suggest that investing in a strong hybrid would be recommended to users who have a daily driving requirement of 50 kilometres or more. For those who drive less than that, investing lakhs of extra rupees for the strong hybrid may not make a big difference in their average running costs.
