Hybrid vs electric cars: which one is best for me?

There’s more of a focus on electrification than ever before but choosing what type of battery-assisted vehicle will work for you can be tricky. Mild-hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles all offer their advantages and disadvantages, so in this article, we’re going to be exploring them to find out which is right for you.

The most recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that electric vehicle registrations grew for the eleventh month in a row, reflecting growing demand - particularly in the fleet sector.

But if you’re in the market for an electrified vehicle, which one should you choose? Let’s take a look.

Mild-hybrids

A type of powertrain that’s been widely adopted in recent years is mild-hybrid. Available on both petrol and diesel cars, there are different types of mild-hybrids available, which bring light electrical assistance – often through a small generator that replaces a normal starter motor and alternator, as well as a small battery

Mild-hybrid systems work by taking some of the strain away from the combustion engine, though others also help to run auxiliary functions like the air conditioning. In doing so, they help to make petrol and diesel engines more efficient. However, mild hybrids cannot run on electric power alone for any real length of time.

Pros

• Largely similar to a ‘regular’ petrol or diesel-powered car
• Tech doesn’t increase a car’s price significantly
• No change in driving experience

Cons

• Can’t travel for any real distance on electric-only power
• Can often bring only slight efficiency boosts
• Emissions are only improved by a small amount

Full hybrids

Full hybrids are where you’ll start to see electrification playing more of a key role. Used by many Japanese manufacturers for a good number of years now, full - or ‘self-charging’ - hybrids don’t need to be charged via a plug, but instead use some of the petrol engine’s energy to top the batteries up. Some full hybrids also recuperate the energy that would otherwise be lost during braking and feed this back into the batteries.

Full hybrids can travel for a short distance on electric power alone but this does vary between models. Some of the latest hybrids switch things up by using the petrol engine as a generator which then powers electric motors on the wheels, too. However, you’ll still need to fill up a regular hybrid with petrol from time to time, though during urban driving these cars can achieve very good levels of fuel efficiency.

Pros

• Good efficiency is easy to achieve
• No real change in driving character over petrol or diesel
• Some scope for electric-only driving - but not much

Cons

• Best suited to urban or around-town driving
• Electric-only range is limited
• Engine noise in hybrids can often be pronounced when you’re accelerating hard

Plug-in hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are essentially a balance between a traditional petrol or diesel car and an all-electric model. They feature a rechargeable battery that needs to be plugged in to replenish. They typically take around three hours to charge, and can then travel for a number of miles on electricity.

How many miles you’re able to achieve on electric-only power will vary between models. Some can manage around 20 miles, whereas the latest plug-in hybrids with the very largest batteries can travel for upwards of 50 miles on a charge. You’ll need to keep a plug-in hybrid charged up often to get its best-possible efficiency as without any charge in the batteries they’re not able to deliver great fuel consumption. As with an EV, this is made easiest with a home charger as using a plug-in hybrid on public chargers will be costly and doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Pros

• Scope for some serious fuel savings if charged up regular
• Great for those who do lots of shorter trips as you’ll barely need to use the combustion engine
• Lots of variety with plenty of models to choose from

Cons

• Will require somewhere to reliably charge it up
• Batteries can sometimes eat into the boot space of a plug-in hybrid compared with a ‘traditional’ car
• Often more expensive than a standard petrol or diesel

Fully electric

As the SMMT’s registration figures show, electric vehicles are growing in popularity. While second-hand values have dipped, this does represent an opportunity for those shopping for a used example while infrastructure has improved enormously over recent years with thousands of chargers being added each year.

Of course, an electric vehicle still won’t suit everyone - particularly those who need to undertake long-distance journeys on a frequent basis. But for average drivers, an EV will offer more than enough range for daily commutes and drives while bringing the opportunity for lower running costs than a ‘traditional’ petrol or diesel car. Home charging is a key method of transforming the EV experience - if you can top up at home, you’ll have more than enough in the ‘tank’ for all sorts of journeys and can take advantage of super-low energy rates during off-peak times.

Pros

• Low cost to run if you’ve got home charging
• Infrastructure is improving all the time
• Smooth, quiet driving experience

Cons

• Still not an ideal fit for long-distance drivers
• Does require a home charger to make running costs the cheapest they can be
• New examples are often more expensive than petrol and diesel equivalents

Information correct at time of publication [12/2024].