Hybrid cars explained: What type should you buy? - Which?

hybrid cars are billed as a clean and efficient middle ground between fossil fuel and pure electric vehicles a good compromise if you're worried about the environmental impact of a conventional car or the range of an electric one but how do they work what are the different types and should you buy one hybrid cars are powered by combining an electric motor with a conventional engine manufacturers claim they can save you money on fuel and lower exhaust emissions having two motors in one car might sound like twice as much can go wrong but they're actually mechanically simpler often having no clutch or starter motor plus most models have a gearbox that never disengages making it more resistant to wear and the assistance of an electric motor means the petrol engine doesn't need to work as hard ultimately reducing the likelihood of problems petrol hybrid cars are the most reliable fuel type according to our latest which car survey which has found they consistently outperform both conventional petrol and diesel cars the complicated parts of hybrid technology are the power inverter a non-moving part and the software that controls everything unlike electric cars hybrids run on regular petrol or diesel with electricity generated as you drive for some models the battery can be topped up by plugging it in there are three types of hybrids full plug-in and mild full hybrids charge their battery with energy taken from the petrol engine under acceleration and coasting energy is also harvested from the brakes when you slow down known as regenerative braking the electric motor can take over or help the petrol engine when it's at its least efficient like when you're setting off this can have a big impact on how much fuel you use particularly around town plug-in hybrids also known as phevs are a halfway house between petrol and full electric cars despite having smaller batteries and electrics they can still be driven on electric power alone normally for around 20 to 40 miles for the best economy you'll need to charge them from the mains regularly the amount of time it takes depends on both the size of the battery and the speed of the electric charger this could take under 60 minutes at fast charging stations or several hours at home and even longer if you use a normal three pin plug but some full electric vehicles can charge even faster known as rapid charging which shortens the time but plug-in models can also use the engine to charge up the battery to full if needed which can result in poorer overall fuel economy so is an inefficient way of using them when out of juice plug-ins work like a full hybrid mild hybrids use a small electric motor alongside rather than independently of a conventional engine how it works depends on the model some give extra power when you accelerate others let the engine be turned off when braking or coasting to save fuel with much smaller batteries than full hybrids a mild hybrid can't be driven on electricity alone so fuel consumption and emissions like nitrogen dioxide don't have the potential to be as low [Music] if you're transitioning from a petrol or diesel car and don't have easy access to a convenient charging point full hybrids without the need for access to the mains are likely to be the simplest next step plug-in hybrids have a longer electric driving range but need to be charged to make the most of their potential fuel economy benefits some plug-in models we've tested have smaller fuel tanks to make room for the battery pack which can limit overall driving range especially if you've not charged it up both full and plug-in hybrids aren't viewed as exhaust emissions free like a battery electric car is as they're powered by petrol or diesel at least some of the time this can have implications if you're driving into restricted areas of busy cities like clean air zones [Music] the best hybrid cars make a great choice if you want to save on fuel costs but despite manufacturers mileage claims not all hybrids are the most economical choice for long distance motorway driving the average hybrid actually uses more fuel than the average diesel because once the electric battery runs out the petrol engine has to do all the work and uses more fuel to keep it going some work the petrol engine even harder to charge the battery on the go but there are exceptions some hybrids perform excellently at motorway driving so if you pick the right model you'll get great miles per gallon for both long and short distances for free insider tips sign up to our buy smart newsletter and for more advice on cars just watch the video below and while you're at it don't forget to subscribe to our youtube channel but loads more great content thanks for watching

Channel: Which?

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Id: zMYx3UWdGoE

Length: 5min 28sec (328 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 17 2020