Study: Majority Of Hybrid Owners Not Buying Another

According to an R.L. Polk study, just  35% of hybrid car owners who were in the market for a new vehicle replaced their car with another hybrid in 2011.

Why is buyer loyalty for this sector so low when fuel prices have been on the rise? Apparently the main reasons are twofold. Number one is high initial cost. Apparently it can take between 7 and 10 years to recoup the extra cost of hybrid car from the actual fuel savings. The second reason is a leap forward in the fuel efficiency of many conventional vehicles.  With the conventional vehicles offering comparable fuel economy to gas-electric cars at a much lower initial cost, consumers are  less inclined to participate in the hybrid trend.

See The Bottom Line on MSNBC : Hybrid owners unlikely to buy another one, study shows