Hybrid cars more expensive to fix

Parts and labour costs are higher for hybrid vehicle repairs than for repairs to gas-only vehicles, according to Mitchell International, Inc.’s latest Industry Trends Report.
The 2008 Q3 edition of the Mitchell report features a report by Jamison Day entitled ‘The Average Severity of Hybrid versus Gas Vehicles.’
The study shows average part costs for hybrid cars is more expensive across the board than for gas-only cars in the same seven categories (including sheet metal, engine, drive train, installation panel, electrical, specialty and ‘other.’)
Engine parts for hybrid cars cost $59 on average ($43 for gas-only cars) and the drive trains for hybrid cars cost an average of $454, versus only $334 for gas-only vehicles.
Labour costs to fix hybrid cars are also higher than those to fix gas-only cars. In particular, average hourly labour rates were at least $10 per hour higher to fix a hybrid’s glass, structural or mechanical parts than to fix the same types of parts in gas-only cars.
The report surmises the higher labour costs may be due in part to the additional training repairers require to work with hybrid vehicles. They may also be a result of repairers needing more time to familiarize themselves with fixing hybrid vehicles.
Day, senior director of information services, found hybrid severities were consistently higher across different states.
“The ever-increasing gasoline prices have affected virtually every aspect of our economy, including increasing the demand for hybrid vehicles,” Day said in a release. “Given their increasing popularity, we thought it would be interesting to see how the hybrid’s average estimate amounts compared and explore what might be driving the differences.”