Hybrid Car Review

Experian has conducted a study on the loyalty of car buyers. The results are in and 47 percent of those who bought a hybrid in the past purchased another vehicle of the same make, making them one of the most loyal groups of car buyers.   The average car buyer is about 35 percent loyal.

As sales have grown, hybrid vehicle buyers have shown they are not only the most loyal segment of buyers to the make of a vehicle, but to the model as well.  Eighteen percent of hybrid car buyers purchased another vehicle of the same model.  The average is at 12 percent.

Toyota, in particular, benefits from this loyalty.  Prius owners were among the most loyal of hybrid car buyers, with around one in four buying another Prius.  That makes them the most loyal Toyota buyers, with the highest rank in vehicle make, model and class loyalty.

"There is no doubt that economic and environmental factors are significantly changing which vehicles individuals buy and, even more interestingly, the types of vehicles they choose to purchase again," said Scott Waldron, president of Experian Automotive. "Our data has shown that hybrid manufacturers have a clear advantage in reaching and keeping the more loyal vehicle buyers on the road today."

Hybrid truck (SUV) owners were also above average in loyalty, with 37 percent buying another vehicle of the same make compared to the 35 percent average.

These results aren't surprising given the J.D. Powers survey a few days ago showing hybrid cars are well made cars, which induces loyalty.  You could also credit the scarcity in models, and scarcity in competitors to the Prius when it comes to fuel economy.

The Experian Automotive study examines vehicle sales from January 2007 to March 2008.