Living with a BYD Seal 6 Touring: how much does it cost to run a plug-in hybrid if you never charge it?

In theory, plug-in hybrid cars offer many of the benefits of an EV – smooth, silent progress and cheap running costs – with the peace of mind of a petrol engine for longer journeys. Company car drivers also enjoy lower BiK rates on PHEVs compared to pure petrol or diesel cars.

But what if you don’t have anywhere to charge a PHEV? A home charger with an EV tariff makes it dirt cheap to top up, but homes with no off-street parking will be limited to expensive public chargers.

This is exactly the situation associate producer James Drujon has faced with his BYD Seal 6 Touring. He lives in a terraced house with on-street parking, and his busy life organising video shoot logistics and raising his first-born means he rarely has time to go and plug the car in elsewhere.

So for the last six months, he’s been driving this car pretty much like a normal hybrid. Does it still make sense to run a PHEV this way? Well to find out I’m going to work out the total cost of ownership, and compare it to some alternative cars.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

BYD Seal 6 Touring: total fuel costs over the last six months

When plugged in regularly, our BYD Seal 6 Touring is meant to return 109mpg. Obviously, we’ve not got anywhere near this figure because we’ve not been able to make use of the 31-mile electric range, but it’s still proven to be very fuel-efficient.

Over the last six months and 3,000 miles, we’ve managed to average around 55mpg from this car. That’s partly thanks to the clever hybrid system, which can keep a chunk of the charge in reserve to be deployed around town and at low speeds. Even without plugging in, we can still waft through traffic without the engine running.

At today’s average fuel price of 152.2 pence per litre (according to Fuel Finder), that works out to around £380 in fuel. Let’s see how that compares to an alternative car.

Skoda Superb diesel: how do the fuel costs compare?

Back in 2025, we also lived with a diesel Skoda Superb for six months. Through Carwow, you can get a Superb for about the same price as our BYD – both come in at around £35,000, and it’s also a spacious family car.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine managed to return an average of 40mpg, which over 3,000 miles equates to £570 in fuel – diesel is currently sitting at 166.6 pence per litre on average.

So even though we don’t plug the BYD in, it’s still saved me £190 in fuel compared to a diesel alternative.

What about company car tax?

Plug-in hybrid cars make even more sense if you’re a company car driver, because you have a fortune on Benefit in Kind tax – which is based on your car’s emissions.

If you cover 10,000 miles per year in a company car, a diesel Superb will cost you £2,281 per year in BiK for 20% tax payers. Our BYD Seal 6, on the other hand, will cost you £975.

It’s even cheaper if you go for the Comfort model, because it has a bigger battery and more electric range. That car costs £757 in BiK.

If you have access to home charging, EVs make the best company cars. A Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive will only set you back £359 per year. However, if you have nowhere to plug in at home, and relying on public charging is too much of a faff, a PHEV is a great way to enjoy lower tax rates while still running on petrol.

Verdict: does a PHEV make sense if you don’t plug it in?

Don’t let a lack of home charging put you off considering a plug-in hybrid car. Our BYD Seal 6 Touring has still been really cheap to run, even though we’ve not charged it, and it’s a cost-effective company car as well.

That said, you do need to charge the car to get the full benefit of a PHEV, so don’t expect to reach the manufacturer’s claimed MPG figure if you don’t intend to plug the car in. There are also self-charging hybrid options, such as the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, which will do 60mpg in the real world with no need to plug in at all.

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