Own A Prius? 1 in 4 Also Own a SUV

While it probably feels good to drive your Prius to show your environmental chops to your neighbors and co-workers, it may also be a bit of a front. A study found that one out of every four Prius owners also own an Sports Utility Vehicle.

That’s right: the megawatt popularity of hybrids is dimming and Americans are rediscovering their favorite automotive guilty pleasure, gas-guzzling SUVs. And here’s something even more shocking: a surprising number of Americans have it both ways. They own a hybrid and an SUV. According to an analysis for NEWSWEEK by researcher GfK Automotive, 24.2 percent of hybrid owners also have an SUV in their garage. Oh sure, plenty of hybrid owners like small cars, too. One in five of them has a diminutive gas sipper in the family fleet. But SUVs, from large to little to luxurious, are hybrid owners’ No. 1 stablemate, according to GfK, an affiliate of the Roper research organization.

So when your co-worker looks down their nose at your gas guzzling sedan, they may have a guilty secret in their garage back at home.