Green Guilt: Most Hybrid Owners Don't Buy One Again

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Auto owners looking to go green may want to take notice of a new report out by Edmunds.com noting hybrid owners don't repeat that purchase when looking for a new set of wheels.

That's not stopping brand new buyers from grabbing a fuel-efficient vehicle. According to Wards Auto, U.S. vehicles that averaged more than 30 miles per gallon accounted for 11.8% of all new car sales in the U.S. in March. That's up from 4.3% from the same time last year.

The more carmakers focus on improving the gas mileage of non-hybrid vehicles, the more consumers are turning away from hybrids.

It's what happens when hybrid owners want to buy a new car that makes the Edmunds report so interesting.

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The online auto trading site surveyed drivers in Boston and found that only 38.4% of Beantown drivers who owned a hybrid would buy another one.

The automotive market research firm R.L. Polk, which conducted the Edmunds Boston drivers' study, also says that only 35% of hybrid car owners bought another electric/gas vehicle as a trade-in during 2011.

The fact that only about one-third of hybrid owners would repeat the hybrid experience is surprising, given the positive press coverage "green" vehicles enjoy.