[raycaran]

I just bought my first Niro HEV last week. My wife and I were looking for a PHEV but couldn't find one. The dealer that we bought our car from said that they don't bring in PHEVs because they don't sell very well in Florida.This was a big surprise as I had followed this forum and just assumed we would be buying a PHEV.

We have put 225 miles on the car and are very happy with it. Surprisingly, it already shows that we are getting 52 miles /gallon. Is there that great a difference between a PHEV and a HEV Niro?

 

[FiddlingNiro]

The PHEV is heavier and so when it runs in HEV mode the mileage isn't as good. However, 90% of my driving is local so I mostly run in EV mode and rarely use any gas. When I did a longer trip I still got 51 mpg so I was pretty pleased with that.

 

[charlesH]

I just bought my first Niro HEV last week. My wife and I were looking for a PHEV but couldn't find one. The dealer that we bought our car from said that they don't bring in PHEVs because they don't sell very well in Florida.This was a big surprise as I had followed this forum and just assumed we would be buying a PHEV.

We have put 225 miles on the car and are very happy with it. Surprisingly, it already shows that we are getting 52 miles /gallon. Is there that great a difference between a PHEV and a HEV Niro?

HEV/PHEV

At $3.00/gal and 50mpg the cost is ~$0.06/mi.

PHEV

At $0.12/Kwhr the EV cost is ~$0.04/mi

At $0.03/Kwhr the EV cost is ~$0.01/mi (my off peak rate)

 

[FlNiro]

I just bought my first Niro HEV last week. My wife and I were looking for a PHEV but couldn't find one. The dealer that we bought our car from said that they don't bring in PHEVs because they don't sell very well in Florida.This was a big surprise as I had followed this forum and just assumed we would be buying a PHEV.

We have put 225 miles on the car and are very happy with it. Surprisingly, it already shows that we are getting 52 miles /gallon. Is there that great a difference between a PHEV and a HEV Niro?

Congrats on your new car and much luck with it. We are in Florida also and am very happy with our new Niro. Unfortunately salespeople will tell you whatever they want to sell you a car. They want to sell you what they have in stock and sell it to you today. We wanted a barebones LX. Deland Kia didn't have any but they did do a dealer trade to get us one. But they also told me that they were in short supply with no more 18's coming on the ship and the next shipment would be 19's. Well now about a month later they have 4 of them. What a surprise, guess the ship did come in LOL. But I'm glad I got the one that I got.

 

[olimpiaKIA]

Dealers in FL stocked a handful of PHEVs when they first came out (in Orlando, St. Pete and Ft. Myers that I know of) but after they sold that initial batch there were no PHEVs available in the state for a while until a few days ago. One of the Kia dealers in Orlando restocked and has 3 or 4 PHEVs available in all trims (LX, EX and Premium).

 

[Kleen]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new Niro! I think the differences will be fairly negligible, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I find it hard to believe that the PHEV model isn't selling in Florida.

 

[hawke]

If you can find a Niro PHEV and you'll benefit from the available federal tax credit of $4,543, the PHEV won't cost you anymore money than the HEV.

 

[yticolev]

If you can find a Niro PHEV and you'll benefit from the available federal tax credit of $4,543, the PHEV won't cost you anymore money than the HEV.

Except that discounts on the PHEV are rare, and that it is fairly easy to get $3,000 discount on even a base Niro (like my LX). Thus you are out of pocket for the PHEV compared to the HEV.

 

[picstart]

We got our Niro EX premium PHEV last week in Cape Coral FL The majority of PHEV's have gone to California but my dealer claiming to be the largest KIA dealership on the planet were able to get two of them. It is sad to see such discrimination against the 3rd largest state. You would think California dealers were giving kick backs to America Kia headquarters.
PHEV's are better for South Florida and not so good for California.. We rarely in Florida need heat so we avoid having to turn on the engine to generate it. Every house becomes its own gas station at least for the first 26 to 30 miles. If your journeys are less than that round trip you are you own exclusive gas station.
The car with the tax credit and gas cost avoidance over 5 years is the cheapest Niro to own even though we paid MSRP.....over $10,000 in reduced cost.

 

[olimpiaKIA]

We got our Niro EX premium PHEV last week in Cape Coral FL The majority of PHEV's have gone to California but my dealer claiming to be the largest KIA dealership on the planet were able to get two of them. It is sad to see such discrimination against the 3rd largest state. You would think California dealers were giving kick backs to America Kia headquarters.
PHEV's are better for South Florida and not so good for California.. We rarely in Florida need heat so we avoid having to turn on the engine to generate it. Every house becomes its own gas station at least for the first 26 to 30 miles. If your journeys are less than that round trip you are you own exclusive gas station.
The car with the tax credit and gas cost avoidance over 5 years is the cheapest Niro to own even though we paid MSRP.....over $10,000 in reduced cost.

How much did you pay total if you don't mind me asking. I know FL dealers are scummy with dealer fees and have one of the highest in the US.

 

[judyn]

We couldn't find a plugin hybrid either, they were pretty much sold out everywhere as far as we could tell (we were willing to drive a considerable distance to get one). However, since most of our trips are not short it probably wouldn't make much difference for us and is a bit more of a hassle. Maybe next time...

 

[yticolev]

Short trip owners benefit from PHEVs the most!