Hybrid cars

Simply, it's a car that has more than one source of power. It combines a conventional diesel or petrol engine with an electric motor to power the car.

The benefits of a hybrid include high fuel economy and low CO2 emissions compared with standard petrol and diesel engines - if used in the right way. Some can run on electric power alone for short distances, improving economy and emissions even further.

They tend to be cheaper to tax than conventionally powered cars and some are eligible for 100% discounts on London’s Congestion Charge.

Most hybrid cars are petrol-electric hybrids but there are also diesel-electric hybrids, although they are less common.

The Prius is perhaps the most well-known hybrid, launching more than 20 years ago, but these days many car companies make hybrid cars.

Exactly how the two power sources work together depends on the individual car manufacturer. While they all have different ways of blending the two, the basic idea remains the same – when conditions allow, electric motors will replace or work with the engine to provide drive the car. The reduced load on the engine means it uses much less fuel.

Hybrid cars have packs of batteries that power the electric motor. These batteries are recharged by the combustion engine as you drive along. Braking also helps recharge the batteries as you drive.

On 11 October 2018, the Government announced changes to the Plug In Car Grant scheme. From 9 November 2018 the grant for Category 2 and 3 cars is being scrapped completely.

Is a hybrid vehicle the right choice for you? If you’d like to cut the costs of running a car then this could be a good option. They can cover longer distances than electric-only cars, and if you mostly drive around town you'll get impressive fuel economy. If you can drive in electric-only mode (ie at low speeds and without putting your foot down much) they're serene and relaxing to travel in because there's no engine noise.

To find out if a hybrid car is for you, use the carwow Fuel Chooser.

If you've done any research you will have seen huge mpg figures for some hybrid vehicles – for example, the Volvo XC90 T8 SUV can achieve a claimed 134.5mpg. These figures are obtained under laboratory testing and you won't get anywhere near this fuel economy in real-world driving.

Still, if you stick to town driving and keep the batteries charged then a hybrid will usually be more economical than a regular petrol or diesel car – we got 80mpg from a Toyota Prius in a mix of town and rural driving.

If you mostly do motorway driving, however, a hybrid might not be as economical as a diesel car because you'll be using the combustion engine most of the time.

Another downside is that many hybrids use CVT automatic gearboxes, which can make a lot of noise when you put your foot down and blunt the feeling of acceleration.

The disadvantages of a hybrid car are - well, a hybrid car is not a pure electric car so you don't get completely emissions-free driving. You can drive on electric only for a limited amount of time, but for the most part, the electric motor is working in conjunction with the internal combustion engine to help lower emissions and improve MPG. But you are still burning fuel, albeit less than in a normal car.

Another disadvantage, for some people, is how it feels when you drive one. Hybrid cars recover kinetic energy when you brake, but in some hybrid cars, this can feel as though it’s slowing down a lot quicker than you expect, and it can take a little while to get used to. Also, brake pedal feel isn’t great.

Some people also don’t like the feeling you get when you press the accelerator hard in a hybrid car. Acceleration is not quite as instant as in a conventionally powered car (or even an electric car) and the engine can get noisy as you get up to speed.

A particular disadvantage for a plug-in hybrid car - sometimes called a PHEV - is that... well, you have to plug them in. These cars have almost unbelievably high average fuel economy figures but to achieve these figures you need to make sure the batteries are charged so the electric motor can help the engine out. You can drive them on petrol or diesel alone, but you won't get anywhere near the published fuel economy figures if you do so regularly.

Traditional

A traditional (or sometimes called full hybrid) is a system where to two power sources - the engines and the electric motor - which can work together to drive the vehicle or can each be used in isolation.

Mild

This system differs from the traditional hybrid because the electric motor can only be used to help assist the combustion engine, not power the car on its own.

Plug-in

Plug-in hybrids - also called PHEVs - have a much larger electric-only range than traditional hybrids. As the name suggests, you do have to plug them in to recharge the batteries, much as you would charge an (EV) electric vehicle, but with a full tank of fuel, plug-in hybrids can go much further than any electric car.

Range-extenders

These are predominantly electric cars that have a small petrol engine that recharges the batteries. The engine doesn't power the car.

Thinking about buying a hybrid car? You may have heard phrases such as self-charging hybrid, plug-in hybrid and PHEV, but what do they actually mean and, more importantly, which hybrid is the right one to suit you? Read on for all the essential info to help you decide…

As you might expect, traditional hybrids and plug-in hybrids do have quite a bit in common. For a start, they both pair a regular combustion engine (usually petrol-powered) with an electric motor. This means that you do still need to take them to the petrol station, but the electrical power will make your car more economical than without it. It’s also possible for both traditional and plug-in hybrid cars to be exempt from tariffs like the London Congestion Charge, which can cost motorists £12.50 a day.

There are two main differences between hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars. First is the price. Plug-ins cost a fair bit more than a normal hybrid car thanks to the expensive plug-in technology they have.

The second difference is how they get their electrical power. The batteries in hybrids that aren’t plug-ins get their electricity from regenerative braking (recouping the energy otherwise wasted as your car slows down or comes to a stop) or from the combustion engine itself. That’s why they are also sometimes called self-charging hybrids.

Plug-in hybrids (called PHEVs – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) get their power in a similar way to how pure electric cars do. As well as charging on the move, they also can be plugged into the mains to charge. At home you can plug the car directly into your mains or you can get a home charger installed. Out and about there is a network of charging stations. Check out our Electric Car Charging Points map to find your nearest ones.

Plug-in hybrids have a number of advantages over traditional hybrid cars. First of all, because they’re charged manually, they can have much bigger batteries. This means that they can travel a lot further on electric-only power than regular hybrids. Plus, since they have the combustion engine fitted as well, their combined range can far exceed that of any electric car out on the road. Having a petrol- or diesel-powered engine there can also help get rid of the ‘range anxiety’ felt by many electric car drivers.

There are some disadvantages of plug-ins when compared to traditional hybrids, though. As great as plug-ins are for driving range, using a charging point to top up their supply of electricity can take a fair amount of time. Also, if you want an electricity outlet installed in your own driveway, this can cost you. However, a government grant can cover up to 75% of the cost. This is all a bit of a hassle when compared with a traditional hybrid, which does all the charging automatically.

Which is right for you; hybrid or plug-in hybrid?

A plug-in hybrid is right for you if...

If you want an electric car but occasionally do long journeys then a plug-in hybrid could be the car for you. On short drives or on your commute to work, you drive on emission-free, low-cost electricity.

And when you do go on longer trips you have the peace of mind that your plug-in hybrid will go as far if not further than a similar car with a combustion engine.

If you don't charge up the batteries, however, plug-in hybrids will use more fuel than a standard petrol-powered equivalent. That's because they are heavier than standard cars thanks to their batteries.

A hybrid car is right for you if...

You want your car to have high fuel economy and low emissions but don't want to make the switch to an electric car. Choose a hybrid if you don't want to mess around with leads or cables and just want a car that does the hybrid bit automatically for you.