When hybrid vehicles came on the American market about 15 years ago, they were the go-to vehicles for the hippie or techie crowd — people who were interested in the cars because of their technology or their environmentally friendliness. These days the vehicles are much more mainstream and have been accepted by Americans as a favorite alternative option to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. In fact, Americans bought more than two million hybrids in 2012. Though one of the main reasons people buy hybrids is because of the great fuel economy, here are a few more.

1. Tax Incentives
One thing that many people don’t realize about buying a hybrid car is that there are usually tax incentives that come with it. This is not usually true for buying a used hybrid, but buying a new one can gain owners up to about $3,400 in federal tax incentives. The amount is dependent on the year the taxes are filed and the make and model of the car.

2. Going Green
Another benefit of buying a hybrid technically does have a little bit to do with fuel economy. Hybrid fuel economy is so impressive because the car doesn’t always burn gas (it uses energy from the hybrid battery), but this also accounts for the fact that the cars release less harmful emissions into the environment. Since hybrid batteries take over powering the car, less gas is burned by the car’s engine and less emissions go into the environment.

3. Hybrids Are Pretty Much the Future
Though hybrids are more commonplace in America, there is an emerging shift toward fully electric cars. For people who are not yet comfortable with buying such a new technology or would prefer not to have to plug in, hybrids are the perfect stepping stone. Who knows, maybe in the next 15 years hybrids will have replaced traditional cars and electric will become more common.

Do you own a hybrid? What are some of the benefits that you’ve experienced? Feel free to let us know in the comments! Refernce materials.