Our readers are mostly petrol heads, but that’s getting tough as gas prices in the United States are the highest they’ve been in years.
According to AAA, the national average price of gasoline was $3.39 per gallon at the end of last month, $1.27 more than a year ago.
However, prices vary widely and Californians were paying an average of $4.71 per gallon. Even in the least expensive state of Oklahoma, gas wasn’t exactly cheap as it averaged $2.95 per gallon.
Also Read: Experts Predicted All Cars Would Be Hybrid by 2020. What Went Wrong?
That brings us to our question of the day: how expensive would gas have to get before you’d consider getting something more economical? There’s no right or wrong answer here as a variety of factors come into play, but a handful of eco-friendly models have been introduced recently.
One of the most talked about is the Ford Maverick, which starts at $19,995 and comes with a hybridized 2.5-liter four-cylinder that allows the truck to return an EPA-estimated 42 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. It’s also worth noting those numbers might be conservative as we averaged 49 mpg during a test drive earlier this year.
On the electric side of the equation, the Audi Q4 e-tron seems like an amazing value as the model starts at $43,900 and drops to $36,400 when you factor in the government’s $7,500 tax credit. Of course, there are some tradeoffs as the entry-level Q4 40 e-tron lacks all-wheel drive and only has 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS). However, the all-wheel drive Q4 50 e-tron is still relatively affordable as pricing starts at $42,400 after the tax credit and it has 295 hp (220 kW / 299 PS) as well as an EPA-estimated range of 241 miles (388 km).
Those are just two examples, but there are plenty of other hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on the market. Furthermore, if you own an older vehicle, you might not even have to embrace electrification to see a big improvement in fuel efficiency as modern ICE-powered models are significantly more frugal.
With all that being said, let us know where you’d draw the line in the sand on gas prices and what you’d consider getting.