# Used hybrids now cost more than new ones

> As gas prices surge and EV sales fall, demand for hybrid cars is so strong that used 2026 Toyota Rav4s are selling above dealership prices.
- Title: Used hybrids now cost more than new ones · WIRED | Shortify
- Summary: As gas prices surge and EV sales fall, demand for hybrid cars is so strong that used 2026 Toyota Rav4s are selling above dealership prices. Used hybrid cars…
- Keywords: toyota rav4, hybrid cars, used car market, gas prices, electric vehicles, car depreciation, Used, hybrids, cost, more, ones, WIRED
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/america-hybrid-hype-has-hit-the-used-market
- Author: Aarian Marshall
- Published: 2026-10-09T09:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: toyota rav4, hybrid cars, used car market, gas prices, electric vehicles, car depreciation
## Used Rav4s selling above new prices
Some used two thousand twenty-six Toyota Rav four s are listing for three thousand to six thousand dollars above brand-new dealership prices, according to CarGurus data.
## Toyota dropped gas-powered Rav4 last year
The crossover SUV went all-hybrid after Toyota announced it would drop the gas-powered model from its lineup, creating unusual demand for the hybrid version.
## Hybrid demand outpaces supply
Hybrid demand is so strong the Rav four is still in that twenty twenty-one world, says Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market intelligence at CarGurus. Toyota cannot make new models fast enough.

> Hybrid demand is so strong, the Rav4 is still in that 2021 world.
## Gas prices spike forty percent in a year
Nationally, a gallon costs an average of four dollars and forty cents, up forty percent from this time last year, according to AAA. Californians pay an average of six dollars and thirty-six cents.
## EV sales collapse after tax credit cut
New EV sales are down by almost half from last year after the Trump administration cut a federal tax credit that made the often-expensive powertrains more affordable.
## GM pivots to hybrids after EV stumble
General Motors said at the decade's start that forty percent of its twenty twenty-five lineup would be electric.That did not happen.

> We're not tone-deaf to our customers. We know what they want, and we want to give that to them as quickly as we can.
## Key takeaway

Used hybrid cars are selling for thousands above new prices as fuel costs spike and buyers flee electric vehicles, reversing normal car depreciation.