What hybrid cars are available in Australia?
• Toyota Prius • Toyota Camry Hybrid (as from 2010) • Honda Civic Hybrid • Toyota Lexus RX 400h • Toyota Lexus GS 450H • Toyota Lexus LS 600HL Fuel consumption Hybrid cars consume less petrol than conventional cars, using under some circumstances only 50 per cent of the fuel consumed by a conventional car. But NRMA expert Greg Fraser says hybrid cars’ fuel efficiency varies from car to car, depending on how the hybrid/petrol relationship is constructed. Fuel consumption also depends on whether the car is being driven in a city or on an open road. Hybrid cars are very fuel efficient to drive around town. For example, if you they are at the lights, the petrol engine stops and then uses the batteries to keep air-conditioning. As you drive off the petrol engine will generally restart, although, under certain conditions, both can run on battery power alone. But driving on the freeway is like being in any other car as the the petrol engine has no reason to shut down. Hybrid cars and rising p
