The company car tax benefits are even more significant. There’s an extra £335 a year for five years for cars with a list price of more than £40,000.
#Plug in hybrid cars drivers#
Only pure electric cars are free from year two, but drivers of plug-in hybrid vehicles get a £10 discount, taking the price down to £145 a year. VED is free in the first year for vehicles emitting up to 50g/km of CO2, with the rate increasing to £15 for cars in the 51g/km to 75g/km band. The advantages are even more compelling when viewed in the context of an equivalent petrol or diesel car.Īlthough plug-in hybrid cars no longer qualify for the government’s plug-in car grant or free VED (road tax), there are other tax benefits associated with running these vehicles. The plug-in hybrid variant is more expensive, but the running costs will be lower, especially for fleet users. You get a maximum of a couple of miles of electric range, up to 625 miles from the petrol engine, CO2 emissions of 102g/km to 105g/km and combined fuel economy of 61.4mpg to 62.8mpg. It offers 32 miles of electric range, a total range of 660 miles, CO2 emissions of 26g/km and combined fuel economy of 256.8mpg. Take the Hyundai Ioniq Plug In Hybrid as an example. If you remember to recharge it overnight, a plug-in hybrid should be more efficient and economical than a conventional petrol, diesel or hybrid car. This increases to 11 hours when using a three-pin plug socket.
#Plug in hybrid cars full#
The combination of a 24kWh battery and a lowly 3.7kW maximum charging speed in the BMW X5 xDrive45e means a full charge will take seven hours when using a home charger. It’s worth noting that a larger battery means a longer charging time. Shop around for a cheaper energy tariff and you could pay as little as 4.5p per kWh of electricity used. That figure is based on a rate of 14p per kWh. As these British Gas figures show, it costs £1.68 to recharge the battery on a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The cost and speed of charging a plug-in hybrid car depends on the size of the battery and the type of charger. Taking advantage of cheaper off-peak energy tariffs is an added benefit of using a home charge point (also known as a wallbox). This method of recharging is faster and safer, and you benefit from the car’s smart technology. Locating the car’s charging port depends on the vehicle in question, but it’s likely to be on the side or front of the car.Īlthough it can be plugged into a three-pin domestic plug socket, you’re advised to invest in a home charge point. Replacements are available, but you’ll need to spend £100 to £200 for a new one. The majority of plug-in hybrid cars are supplied with a charging cable, so make sure this is present when you’re buying a used car. You won’t achieve anything like the official range in an EV, but you will benefit from faster charging times.
The fact remains: you must recharge the battery to get the best out of a plug-in hybrid car.Ĭharging a plug-in hybrid car works in much the same way as charging an electric vehicle. This was debunked by a Mitsubishi survey which showed that 68 percent of Outlander PHEV drivers plugged in every day, while 90 percent of owners charged their vehicles at least two to three times a week. Plug-in hybrids have come in for criticism following reports that drivers were simply taking advantage of tax benefits and failing to recharge the batteries. Take the BMW X5 xDrive45e: its 24kWh battery pack delivers up to 54 miles of electric range from single charge, with a 100 percent charge available in 6.8 hours when using a 3.7kW BMW home charging point.Īchieving the official figures very much depends on how you use the car. Its 13.8kWh battery offers up to 28 miles of pure electric range, while CO2 emissions of just 46g/km deliver tax benefits for company car users. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is one of the most popular plug-in hybrid vehicles in the UK. You could, in theory, finish a commute or school run on zero tailpipe emissions, leaving the engine for longer journeys at the weekend. This should deliver between 20 and 30 miles of pure electric range, before the petrol or diesel engine takes over to complete the journey. A plug-in hybrid car, also known as a PHEV, bridges the gap between a battery electric car and a conventional car with a petrol or diesel engine.Īs the name suggests, a plug-in hybrid can be plugged into the mains to recharge the battery.