A good plug-in hybrid will also transition seamlessly between the electric power source and the engine, offering quick responses and strong performance. The inevitable extra weight of the complex battery and engine combination shouldn’t be too evident in the way the car corners and rides over bumps.
PHEV FAQsIs a plug-in hybrid right for me?
To make the most of having a plug-in hybrid, owners need to charge them regularly either at home or at work.
If you never exceed the electric range of a PHEV you will never use any fuel but once the battery is depleted on longer journeys, efficiency is likely to be worse than in an equivalent petrol car. That makes PHEVs a very cost effective option if you do lots of short trips with the occasional longer journey of 100 miles or more thrown in. If you rarely do longer journeys and have easy access to charging, a pure EV is worth considering. If you don’t have access to easy charging, do lots of long distance miles, a full hybrid or mild hybrid may prove cheaper to run.
Which is the safest plug-in hybrid?
There’s no simple answer to that particular question. For starters, every single one of the cars in our best plug-in hybrid rankings that has been crash tested by industry experts, Euro NCAP, have received the maximum five-star rating.
The Toyota Prius is the only car that we don’t have an official safety score for yet, but considering the Japanese brand’s reputation for reliability and the amount of standard safety kit it gets, we think a five-star rating is a pretty safe bet.
Which plug-in hybrid holds its value best?
According to our latest expert data, the Land Rover Defender 110 P300e is the plug-in hybrid that holds onto the most of its original value after three years of ownership and 36,000 miles covered. As much as 68% of its sticker price in fact, depending on the exact specification. Meanwhile the DS9 depreciates the most, retaining as low as 29per cent after the same period of ownership.
