This is how sales and high demand for hybrid vehicles are going in Colombia: almost 40 thousand units have been sold.

Hybrid cars, as well as electric cars, have been experiencing exponential sales growth for about four years, which has boosted both segments and prompted brands to stockpile alternatives to maintain their position. However, in absolute numbers, hybrids are the ones generating the greatest demand, as they must now number in the tens of thousands in our market.

The ratio of hybrids to electrics currently sold is roughly 4 to 1, with hybrids accounting for nearly 40,000 units as of August compared to more than 10,000 electrics sold.

A similar trend is also evident in the best-selling cars of each type. While the best-selling hybrid car in Colombia so far this year is the Toyota Corolla Cross, with 6,385 units, the most sought-after electric car by buyers is the BYD Yuan Up pickup truck, with nearly 3,000 units.

These two signals are an indicator of a significant shift in the trend among Colombian buyers, of whom almost 35% have opted to purchase either a hybrid or an electric car. In total sales, more than 150,000 new cars have been sold in Colombia to date, of which 50,000 are hybrids and electrics.

And the question that arises in this context is what has motivated this appetite in recent years. Is it perhaps motivated by an awareness of the use of this type of technology, or if it has to do with less altruistic factors such as a low price and better cost-benefit ratio, or simply to avoid the peak-and-license restriction that applies in all major cities.

There's a bit of all of these. First of all, not only in Colombia but also around the world, there's been a shift and acceleration in the purchase of hybrid and electric vehicles, always favoring the former, and more or less following the same trend we see in our market.

The various international policies that forced brands to include electrified powertrains in their portfolios and imposed expiration dates on combustion engines drove this movement and showed the public that there were "cleaner" options for using cars.

However, it is necessary to land because the global figures still remain in the niche segments, although to a lesser extent for hybrids, which totaled 17.3 million. In the case of electric cars, excluding China, where compliance and subsidy are mandatory, it seems that demand has already peaked, with 3.5 million units worldwide, compared to a total of almost 75 million new vehicles sold last year worldwide.

And this doesn't even take into account market fragmentation, the myriad of offerings, infrastructure stagnation, production costs, and the driving limits imposed by different battery sizes.

For this reason, hybrids appear to have a much brighter future for now and continue to experience periods of recovery or at least sustained growth in markets such as Europe, Japan, and now also in China, where brands are beginning to strengthen their offerings, almost all leaning toward the extended-range format.

This new movement toward hybrids has been positive for both buyers and the industry. The latter hasn't had to make major investments in developments for this area, compared to the significant effort required by the new electric era. And for buyers, the obvious range benefits of their hybrids, at least the non-plug-in ones, made this move seamless, as well as the new anxiety surrounding the "electric last mile."

Thus, buyers are "praying for a tie" because, although everyone knows that an electric car is less polluting in daily use, and this proclamation has had a worldwide and necessary echo, they are also well aware that a hybrid pollutes much less than a conventional vehicle. Their conscience is cleared and anxiety is zero.

This demographic explosion of options on both sides and across all brands globally, almost without exception, also resulted in a substantial drop in hybrid prices due to fierce competition and rising demand. This has only occurred with electric vehicles in the case of a couple of Chinese brands that have already been able to match the price of combustion-engine cars.

These hybrid prices, especially for pickup trucks, have fueled the sales and showroom attendance for this type of car for a while, because in the cost-benefit ratio, owning a hybrid car means being at the forefront of technology in terms of the powertrain, plus the other features of these offerings that tempt you around every corner.

Furthermore, in our market, there are tax and tariff considerations that make hybrids even more attractive. This is because they currently pay a VAT of only 5% and, depending on the district administration, also receive discounts on registration and other procedures. Meanwhile, an identical car, of the same brand but without a hybrid system, pays a VAT of 19%.

To this we must add that if there is a trade agreement with the country from which the vehicle is imported, they may or may not pay a certain tariff, as is the case with vehicles currently imported from Brazil, which is where the best-selling hybrid in Colombia comes from, which with this difference does not pay tariffs.

Finally, the high demand for hybrid cars in Colombia is closely linked as a solution to the urban mobility restrictions imposed daily by regulations such as peak and plate. This system was copied in all major capitals as a solution to urban traffic jams and slow traffic, and since hybrid and electric vehicles are exempt, this factor also boosted their wholesale sales.

To the point that in previous years, many people bought a second car to avoid the restriction, but authorities implemented a strategy to change the way the peak and plate system works, leaving many families with no other option but to find a hybrid car to get around on a daily basis.

These are the main buyers and the greatest motivation for this segment, as current demand includes both full hybrids and mild hybrids, which will sell in similar proportions and alternate places on the list of the 20 best-sellers in 2025, representing the smallest share of all plug-in hybrids or PHEVs.

The truth is that demand for hybrid cars in Colombia has doubled by 2025 and a little more, as the rate of increase is already 61% compared to the previous year, which was a record, and the same trend continued with respect to 2023.

So, whether as a mobility solution, for the cost-benefit they represent due to the tax benefits and the greater technology they offer compared to traditional combustion-engine cars, or perhaps for environmental reasons, the truth is that this sector has already become a third of the market, which is why brands continue to step on the accelerator to fill the showcases with ever more innovative offerings.

Giovanni Avendaño - Editor Motor.com.co