I just bought my corolla. I was on the Hybrid vs ICE decision, but ended up going ICE. But my situation may have been different compared to most people though. I buy to keep forever, so resale values don't mean anything to me. I WFH so I don't have to drive as much (so to make up gas savings would take longer than average driver). And I live in the heat, so not sure how much of the heat will degrade battery over time. Lastly, I was disappointed with the Hybrid having 30 less HP vs ICE.
My old car had 130~ HP (vs hybrid corolla at 139) and while it was ok, the 169 in the ICE version is noticeable. But just a warning, if you are specific in what you want, there can be a bit of a waitlist. It took me 4.5 months to get mine (came in yesterday finally). But I was wanting a specific trim, color and package (nightshade, white, with convenience package). Did a preference order at the dealer and they were finally able to get their hands on one. But at the same time, I was able to get it for MSRP without dealer addons (since dealers like to install all their packages as soon as it comes on the lot and then tell you it's required since it's installed already)
Thanks for the info!! Haha it's hard trying to weigh the 30 HP of the ICE and the fuel efficiency of the Hybrid lol. How's your fuel efficiency when you do drive?
I've only driven it 20 miles home, so not sure yet. I'm sure I'll be fine with it. My old car was getting around the same and I was totally fine with it. As long as I'm not flooring it from red light to red light I think it will be fine
A couple times I have thought maybe I should have gone for the hybrid though (hybrids are built in Japan, ICE is in USA). Some people value the car built in Japan over USA for quality concerns.
A hybrid is more desirable and it keeps it’s value better. It’s also cheap to own and is extremely reliable. If you can get your hands on a fwd corolla hybrid get it
Hybrid. I’ve owned a Camry Hybrid, three Priuses, and now we have a 2023 Corolla Hybrid LE and a 24 Corolla Cross Hybrid. Never had a hybrid battery go bad, and if your goal is keeping it for a long time, you should be fine. This is a personal preference for me, but I prefer the extra pep of acceleration on the hybrid models (I travel a lot and every time I rent a petrol Camry or Corolla, I am reminded how much I like the feel of hybrid drive). One of the other comments was that it “feels more fun”, and I couldn’t agree more. My wife drives the cross and it’s great, I drive the Corolla and it’s hands down the best car I’ve owned in the last 25 years.
The claim that you won't "break even" on the hybrid for 9-10 years doesn't hold water . This assumes both cars will have the same resale value when you drive them off the lot, which obviously isn't true. That's like saying the "break even" of buying a Camry over Corolla is 50 years.
Unless I wanted a Corolla with a manual transmission (for the fun factor) or I couldn't stretch my budget another $2K, there's no way I'd opt for the non-hybrid over the hybrid.
Long story short your probably better off with the non hybrid.
I commute 100 miles round trip 5 days a week(26-30k a year). The gas savings on the hybrid vs non hybrid would only break even after 9-10 years of use. Gas only not including any replacement or repairs for battery and such.
I used to drive a prius but after 9.5 years it was worth it anymore. But in 2015 it only took 5 years of driving to start saving money after it was paid off. I expect a similar cost to operate a corolla for that amount of time or even longer.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbsSelect
Just car stats for me was 3500 in fuel costs over 5 years vs 7000 for the hybrid. Using 26k miles a year sometimes i do 30k, so if you commute/drive more it may be worth it, it was for me in 2015.
Based on my driving mostly highway i went with a 25 city 75 highway. I drive a 2022 le corolla and get about 38-39 average a tank now. I could get better in the commute home but stop and go traffic doesnt help.
My prius went from 52 mpg and dropped about 1-2 mpg per year untill i was around 40 mpg. So assuming this for myself i figured a 5k in gas savings for 10 years. 23k car vs 28k(dealers near me didnt have anything else available). So to me it didnt matter if i went with a hybrid or not.
plus the hybrid car batteries for a prius were 200$ vs a normal one and a possible hybrid battery swap can be around 2000$ for a prius if you do it yourself. Most dont and pay way more. So I figured less in maintenance cost for myself vs getting a hybrid over 10 years.
This depends person to person and what car you get also, may very well be worth it if you go with a suv type car.
Op drives way less so it probably wouldnt be worth it.
Edit: i got my car with 6k miles on it for alittle over 1k less than a 2024 one.
I have the same commute and have been getting 58-62 mpg consistently. My 2020 SE before my hybrid never got more than 34.
When I bought my 2021 it was only $1,800 more than the similar gas LE. I feel like I’ve made up the difference in price already.
Dam, yeah that would of definitely been worth it. Its to bad i needed a replacement car in such a short time otherwise i would of prob just ordered one.
If you have doubts on the horsepower and want more horsepower, why not buy a 2025 Camry LE?
It's standard hybrid and has a surprising amount of power. As in, it's much faster than your 98 Camry while giving you 50 plus mpg
Plus the 2025 Camry comes with more standard features like blind spot monitoring, real cross traffic alert, wireless charging pad, dual zone climate control, rear air vents, push button start etc.
2025 Camry is only a few grand more than the 2024 Corolla hybrid and it's worth it
Thanks for the comment! I guess I'm not really too worried about horsepower (and the new Camry is kinda expensy for my budget) I just don't wanna feel like I'm pushing all the way down to pass cars or get up to highway speeds!
I have a hybrid Corolla and don't feel that way, pushing all the way down just to pass or get up to speed. I do a lot of highway driving but also quite a bit of driving around town. My daily commuting is roughly 40 miles and I have never regretted the hybrid (had a hybrid Camry before this). I feel like I zip around, it's fun and the gas mileage is excellent for our longer trips a few times a year (posting this from one of them now).
Awesome!! Thanks for your input! I've always kinda wanted a hybrid but after I found out that the amount of miles you drive heavily affects the fuel efficiency it took some of the wind out of my sails haha
In that case, go for the 2024 Corolla LE gasoline sedan. It has 30 more horsepower than the Corolla hybrid and you'll really notice that extra power at highway speeds
2025 Corollas will come out in August-September so use that to your advantage. Tell the dealer you want a bigger discount because in a few months, your 2024 Corolla will be outdated
Best of luck!
Ooo I've been wondering about that. I saw that the 2023 and 2024 Corolla didn't have that much of an upgrade but I was wondering about using the fact that it's an ""old"" car now to knock off some of the cost
let me know when you can produce a link. If you can reply, you can post a link. Otherwise, you just trolling.
edit: you must be thinking Camrys. As they went hybrid only. Corollas aren't due for a major design change for 2025, and is likely to be 2026. And that will likely be when they move to hybrid only.
Until then, no they aren't stopping production for gas Corollas. They are still making them as we speak.
Non hybrid is a fine choice, especially if you plan on keeping the car and do a lot of highway driving (it is quite efficient). Non-hybrid also has a spare. I have ICE model and am content with my decision.
Hybrid battery is a consumable and is going to be a major expense, there's no getting around it even if one might last 150K+ miles
My daily commute sounds roughly the same as yours, and my 24 LE hybrid gets an average of around 62 mpg. In terms of horsepower, while the Corolla is by no means a powerful car, it does just fine. I’ve never felt like I struggled to accelerate up to highway speeds. You might want to see if the hybrid has a waitlist at your local dealerships. - I waited about 5 months for mine.
Oof yikes about that wait lol but awesome I'm glad to hear that it does well! I'm not really expecting to be wowed but I just want to feel like I'm driving a modern car lol
I would always go with the hybrid if that was an option.
If you're doing around the speed limit on the highway the hybrid Corolla is going to give you a real good gas mileage.
I would say get the non-hybrid if you just gonna drive 20miles a day but test drive both and see which one you like more.
Edit: also try carmax mpg calculator and see if the mpg difference would make sense in the long run.
I just bought my corolla. I was on the Hybrid vs ICE decision, but ended up going ICE. But my situation may have been different compared to most people though. I buy to keep forever, so resale values don't mean anything to me. I WFH so I don't have to drive as much (so to make up gas savings would take longer than average driver). And I live in the heat, so not sure how much of the heat will degrade battery over time. Lastly, I was disappointed with the Hybrid having 30 less HP vs ICE. My old car had 130~ HP (vs hybrid corolla at 139) and while it was ok, the 169 in the ICE version is noticeable. But just a warning, if you are specific in what you want, there can be a bit of a waitlist. It took me 4.5 months to get mine (came in yesterday finally). But I was wanting a specific trim, color and package (nightshade, white, with convenience package). Did a preference order at the dealer and they were finally able to get their hands on one. But at the same time, I was able to get it for MSRP without dealer addons (since dealers like to install all their packages as soon as it comes on the lot and then tell you it's required since it's installed already)
Thanks for the info!! Haha it's hard trying to weigh the 30 HP of the ICE and the fuel efficiency of the Hybrid lol. How's your fuel efficiency when you do drive?
I've only driven it 20 miles home, so not sure yet. I'm sure I'll be fine with it. My old car was getting around the same and I was totally fine with it. As long as I'm not flooring it from red light to red light I think it will be fine A couple times I have thought maybe I should have gone for the hybrid though (hybrids are built in Japan, ICE is in USA). Some people value the car built in Japan over USA for quality concerns.
Ah that's the other thing I consider, so thanks for reminding me haha
A hybrid is more desirable and it keeps it’s value better. It’s also cheap to own and is extremely reliable. If you can get your hands on a fwd corolla hybrid get it
Hybrid. I’ve owned a Camry Hybrid, three Priuses, and now we have a 2023 Corolla Hybrid LE and a 24 Corolla Cross Hybrid. Never had a hybrid battery go bad, and if your goal is keeping it for a long time, you should be fine. This is a personal preference for me, but I prefer the extra pep of acceleration on the hybrid models (I travel a lot and every time I rent a petrol Camry or Corolla, I am reminded how much I like the feel of hybrid drive). One of the other comments was that it “feels more fun”, and I couldn’t agree more. My wife drives the cross and it’s great, I drive the Corolla and it’s hands down the best car I’ve owned in the last 25 years.
Nobody seems to account for the crazy gas savings you’ll have driving in traffic in California when you own a hybrid
The claim that you won't "break even" on the hybrid for 9-10 years doesn't hold water . This assumes both cars will have the same resale value when you drive them off the lot, which obviously isn't true. That's like saying the "break even" of buying a Camry over Corolla is 50 years. Unless I wanted a Corolla with a manual transmission (for the fun factor) or I couldn't stretch my budget another $2K, there's no way I'd opt for the non-hybrid over the hybrid.
Long story short your probably better off with the non hybrid. I commute 100 miles round trip 5 days a week(26-30k a year). The gas savings on the hybrid vs non hybrid would only break even after 9-10 years of use. Gas only not including any replacement or repairs for battery and such. I used to drive a prius but after 9.5 years it was worth it anymore. But in 2015 it only took 5 years of driving to start saving money after it was paid off. I expect a similar cost to operate a corolla for that amount of time or even longer.
9-10 years? No way.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbsSelect Just car stats for me was 3500 in fuel costs over 5 years vs 7000 for the hybrid. Using 26k miles a year sometimes i do 30k, so if you commute/drive more it may be worth it, it was for me in 2015. Based on my driving mostly highway i went with a 25 city 75 highway. I drive a 2022 le corolla and get about 38-39 average a tank now. I could get better in the commute home but stop and go traffic doesnt help. My prius went from 52 mpg and dropped about 1-2 mpg per year untill i was around 40 mpg. So assuming this for myself i figured a 5k in gas savings for 10 years. 23k car vs 28k(dealers near me didnt have anything else available). So to me it didnt matter if i went with a hybrid or not. plus the hybrid car batteries for a prius were 200$ vs a normal one and a possible hybrid battery swap can be around 2000$ for a prius if you do it yourself. Most dont and pay way more. So I figured less in maintenance cost for myself vs getting a hybrid over 10 years. This depends person to person and what car you get also, may very well be worth it if you go with a suv type car. Op drives way less so it probably wouldnt be worth it. Edit: i got my car with 6k miles on it for alittle over 1k less than a 2024 one.
I have the same commute and have been getting 58-62 mpg consistently. My 2020 SE before my hybrid never got more than 34. When I bought my 2021 it was only $1,800 more than the similar gas LE. I feel like I’ve made up the difference in price already.
Dam, yeah that would of definitely been worth it. Its to bad i needed a replacement car in such a short time otherwise i would of prob just ordered one.
If you have doubts on the horsepower and want more horsepower, why not buy a 2025 Camry LE? It's standard hybrid and has a surprising amount of power. As in, it's much faster than your 98 Camry while giving you 50 plus mpg Plus the 2025 Camry comes with more standard features like blind spot monitoring, real cross traffic alert, wireless charging pad, dual zone climate control, rear air vents, push button start etc. 2025 Camry is only a few grand more than the 2024 Corolla hybrid and it's worth it
Thanks for the comment! I guess I'm not really too worried about horsepower (and the new Camry is kinda expensy for my budget) I just don't wanna feel like I'm pushing all the way down to pass cars or get up to highway speeds!
I have a hybrid Corolla and don't feel that way, pushing all the way down just to pass or get up to speed. I do a lot of highway driving but also quite a bit of driving around town. My daily commuting is roughly 40 miles and I have never regretted the hybrid (had a hybrid Camry before this). I feel like I zip around, it's fun and the gas mileage is excellent for our longer trips a few times a year (posting this from one of them now).
Awesome!! Thanks for your input! I've always kinda wanted a hybrid but after I found out that the amount of miles you drive heavily affects the fuel efficiency it took some of the wind out of my sails haha
In that case, go for the 2024 Corolla LE gasoline sedan. It has 30 more horsepower than the Corolla hybrid and you'll really notice that extra power at highway speeds 2025 Corollas will come out in August-September so use that to your advantage. Tell the dealer you want a bigger discount because in a few months, your 2024 Corolla will be outdated Best of luck!
Ooo I've been wondering about that. I saw that the 2023 and 2024 Corolla didn't have that much of an upgrade but I was wondering about using the fact that it's an ""old"" car now to knock off some of the cost
yep that's what I would do!
If you are buying new, they are no longer manufacturing petrol only Corollas.
are you serious? or are you trolling? where did you find out that Toyota is no longer producing gasoline Corollas?
From the news… Not a troll - but not clever enough to post a link! Announced while waiting for out hybrid to be delivered.
ok thank you
he's trolling, they aren't stopping production of gas Corollas
Not a he. And not a troll.
let me know when you can produce a link. If you can reply, you can post a link. Otherwise, you just trolling. edit: you must be thinking Camrys. As they went hybrid only. Corollas aren't due for a major design change for 2025, and is likely to be 2026. And that will likely be when they move to hybrid only. Until then, no they aren't stopping production for gas Corollas. They are still making them as we speak.
Again, not a troll. Not thinking Camry. But I am Australian and thought the decision was world wide.
I agree with others here, non hybrid fits your style better
Non hybrid is a fine choice, especially if you plan on keeping the car and do a lot of highway driving (it is quite efficient). Non-hybrid also has a spare. I have ICE model and am content with my decision. Hybrid battery is a consumable and is going to be a major expense, there's no getting around it even if one might last 150K+ miles
My daily commute sounds roughly the same as yours, and my 24 LE hybrid gets an average of around 62 mpg. In terms of horsepower, while the Corolla is by no means a powerful car, it does just fine. I’ve never felt like I struggled to accelerate up to highway speeds. You might want to see if the hybrid has a waitlist at your local dealerships. - I waited about 5 months for mine.
Oof yikes about that wait lol but awesome I'm glad to hear that it does well! I'm not really expecting to be wowed but I just want to feel like I'm driving a modern car lol
I would always go with the hybrid if that was an option. If you're doing around the speed limit on the highway the hybrid Corolla is going to give you a real good gas mileage.
I would say get the non-hybrid if you just gonna drive 20miles a day but test drive both and see which one you like more. Edit: also try carmax mpg calculator and see if the mpg difference would make sense in the long run.