Which car is better hybrid or electric

Hybrid vs electric cars: Which should you choose?

If youre after a definition of electric cars, the simple version is that they are vehicles with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery that requires external charging.

A hybrid vehicle, on the other hand, is a car that has both a petrol-powered internal-combustion engine and a battery-powered electric motor that can be used either simultaneously or independently.

A main difference between hybrid and electric cars is that hybrids do not need to be charged via an external source as the vehicle generates its own electricity to store in the battery.

If youre wondering which is better, a hybrid or electric car, its worth weighing up the pros and cons in the hybrid vs electric cars battle.

First, lets look at the basics.

Both hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) have one important thing in common: theyll both reduce your petrol costs (by 100 per cent in the case of EVs), and theyll both reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause environmental pollution.

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But when it comes to which one beats the other in the hybrid vs electric battle royale, the EV can seem the clear winner for one simple reason: it requires zero petrol.

Tesla is the poster company for vehicle electrification.

And although its a somewhat slow-moving process, its worth highlighting that the world is moving away from fossil-fuel-guzzling combustion engines and heading towards a future where EVs will be the norm.

Although Australia is sadly a long way behind the eight ball when it comes to infrastructure and consumer incentives for EVs, other nations are being more proactive.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to ban the sale of new combustion-engine vehicles by 2030 with plenty of other European nations following suit - a lead that Australia will eventually have to follow.

What makes EVs, like the popular Tesla Model 3 or the Nissan Leaf, such an attractive option to consumers is that they come with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery, doing away with the need for petrol altogether (and thus removing emissions, and the need for an exhaust pipe of any kind).

Global sales of EVs rose by 43 per cent in 2020 to more than three million, with Tesla and Volkswagen the two best-selling brands. Europe also saw EV sales double, with the region overtaking China as the worlds biggest EV market.

The range an EV can travel on a single charge depends on the size and capacity of the cars battery, which can deliver anything from 6.1kWh of power with a range of about 90km to an electric motor boasting a sizeable 100kWh and a range of over 600km.

Charging times can also vary greatly depending on the type of charging station and the EVs battery, but to give a general idea, a standard EV with a 70kWh battery would take 10 hours to fully charge from empty to full using a 7kW charging point.

One thing that can be depended on, however, is that the cost of maintenance for an EV will be relatively minimal due to the fact the car comes with little in the way of moving parts, meaning drivers will save themselves money in the long run.

Unlike EVs, hybrid cars dont ever need to be charged using an external source.

While this may give the impression that EVs are the victor in the electric vs hybrid fight, the latter still offers some benefits over an EV.

While theres some confusion around what a hybrid is - is it powered by solar? Wind? Happy thoughts? - the answer is quite simple.

Hybrid vehicles have both an electric motor/spowered by a lithium-ion battery and an internal-combustion engine powered by petrol, and the hybrid will either use these two together to deliver extra power, or independently in certain situations - for example, a hybrid will typically switch to the electric motor if youre idling or driving at a low speeds.

Global sales of EVs rose by 43 per cent in 2020.

Having a traditional combustion engine in addition to an electric motor will help ease the fears of those worried that their EV may run out of power or that they wont locate a charging station before the car conks out, making it a good BandAid option for those not ready to fully commit to an EV yet.

In terms of price, hybrid models are usually only slightly more expensive than the petrol-powered versions of a given vehicle, meaning that owning a hybrid isnt cost-prohibitive to the average consumer (while EVs do tend to be more expensive).

Another benefit of hybrid cars is that, unlike EVs, they dont ever need to be charged using an external source.

A hybrids internal-combustion engine generates electricity to be stored in the cars battery, as does a process called regenerative braking where whenever the vehicle slows down or stops, kinetic energy is fed into the lithium-ion battery, effectively charging it up.

Both types of vehicle come with their own set of pros and cons, so your best bet is to figure out whats most important to you in terms of cost and potential savings, the distances youll be travelling and your overall impact to the environment.

Crucially, though, youll be cutting down on pollution regardless of your choice, which can only be a good thing.

Electric or hybrid cars: Which one is best?

As the world looks to go greener, you may be one of the many buyers looking towards an electric or hybrid car as your next purchase.

If youre used to a petrol or diesel car, it can be tricky to pick. Do you cut that cord and make the leap to an all-electric car, or is the middle ground familiarity of a hybrid the step for you?

Well, this guide is here to help you answer that question.

What is an electric car?

An electric car is powered by electric motors, sort of like a giant radio-controlled car. Albeit with you in the drivers seat rather than standing outside with a remote.

These motors draw charge from a stack of rechargeable batteries. These are typically laid under the floor of the car, but can also be stacked where youd traditionally find an engine.

There are three distinct types of electric cars:

Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

This is the most common type of electric car youll find at the moment. Simply, these are electric cars that just batteries and motors for propulsion.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles are more widely known as hydrogen cars. These use a fuel cell that takes liquid hydrogen and converts it into electrical energy.

Hydrogen cars have a benefit over BEVs in that they can be refuelled with hydrogen in a fashion similar to topping up petrol. However, only a handful of stations are open in the UK at the moment and hydrogen cars are much more expensive to buy than BEV equivalents.

Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)

Extended Range Electric Vehicles work very similarly to battery-electric cars but have a very small petrol or diesel engine onboard to charge the batteries.

These are increasingly rare though. The last E-REV vehicle on sale in the UK the BMW i3 left the market in 2018.

What is a hybrid car?

A hybrid car combines internal combustion power with a bit of electric assistance. The vast majority on sale use a petrol engine, linked to an electric motor that takes power from a small battery.

There are two types of hybrid car plug-in hybrid or self-charging

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)

As the name suggests, you can plug in a PHEV. This gives you the option to drive on electric-only for a short distance, without having to use more fuel to charge the batteries on the move.

However, its key to keep these charged when possible. Otherwise, youll likely see a dramatic drop in fuel economy when the engine has to do all the work on its own.

Self-charging hybrid (HEV)

Selfcharging hybrids dont magically plug themselves in. Rather, they use their internal combustion engine to recharge their batteries as they go.

This means you dont have to worry about plugging them in. However, you also typically dont get as much control over how and when you drive in electric-only mode.

What are the pros and cons of electric cars?

Electric cars have a lot to offer, but theyre not without some drawbacks:

Pros of an electric car

• Lower cost to recharge compared with petrol or diesel
• Zero emissions
• Exempt from clean air zone charges including Londons ULEZ
• Government grants are available on some models

Cons of an electric car

• Still typically more expensive than hybrid or petrol/diesel equivalents
• Trickier to keep charged if you dont have access to a charger at home
• Range for some models may be challenge if youre covering long distances often

What are the pros and cons of hybrid cars?

Hybrid cars serve as a good first footing towards an electric car, but theyre not perfect either:

Pros of a hybrid car

• Offer some electric-only driving with the familiarity of a petrol/diesel engine available
• Just need to be fuelled up if you dont have access to a charger or time to charge
• More efficient than petrol/diesel equivalent

Cons of a hybrid car

• Dont offer much electric-only driving
• Take a long time to charge up compared with new EVs
• No government grants available unlike on some electric cars

Should you buy a hybrid or electric car?

If an electric car can fit into your lifestyle and budget, its worth making the leap. Theyre cheaper to keep charged than refuelling petrol or diesel, plus youll future-proof yourself from ever-growing clean air zones. To find out more about getting and owning an EV, check out carwow electric our one-stop hub for driving electric.

However, if you dont have regular access to a charger and want the familiarity of an engine, a hybrid car can serve as a good first step towards an electric car.

You should consider an electric car if:

• Youre looking for the cheapest refuelling costs
• Youll have regular access to a home charger
• Youre regularly driving through clean air zones, such as Londons ULEZ

You should consider a hybrid if:

• You want a taste of an electric car but regular charging could prove a challenge
• You want to keep the familiarity of a petrol or diesel car
• Youre looking for something more efficient than a petrol or diesel car

Hybrid vs plug-in hybrid vs fully electric: which is best?

Last but not least is the fully electric (EV) version. This is the most expensive (from 36,795) and has a huge battery that provides an official range of up to 285 miles. However, after that distance youll definitely need to plug in, or you wont be going anywhere.

You can find out which came out on top in the video below. Or to learn more about the tests we performed, scroll down.

How we tested hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars

The theory goes that electric cars and PHEVs are better suited to urban driving than slogging up and down motorways. So, to cover both scenarios, we devised two round trips that would take place on separate days.

On the first day, we leftthe What Car? officesin Twickenham and head for Norton Canes services, just north of Birmingham on the M6 Toll. Wethen turned around and headed back to Twickenham, finishing at a petrol station (with a charging point) a mile or so from where we started. The total journey was roughly 270 miles, with more than 95% of it using the motorway network.

On day two, wereconvened at the What Car? office, only this time our destination was the London Eye near Waterloo. we thenU-turned and headed back to the petrol station wed finished at on day one. This second trip was just under 30 miles and mostly involved low-speed driving in heavy traffic.

On both days, the three cars started with brimmed fuel tanks and fully charged batteries. Their climate control systems were set to21deg C and Normal driving mode was selected in the regular hybrid and EV versions of the Niro. The PHEV defaults to EV mode if there's enough charge in the battery, so we decided to stick with that.

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