Your guide to hybrids
Hybrid Cars
Driving a hybrid car can reduce both your fuel bill and your impact on the environment. In our guide to hybrid cars we’ll explain the different types of hybrid available, the benefits of owning one and why hybrids can be the perfect car for families and businesses alike.
Hybrid cars explained
What is a hybrid car?
A hybrid car is a vehicle that combines a traditional fossil fuel engine with an electric motor, allowing it to be powered by whichever is the most efficient for the current speed and conditions.
A hybrid offers the benefit of reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, while typically having a greater overall range than an electric car.
Hybrid cars explained
How do hybrid cars work?
A hybrid car uses a process called regenerative braking to capture energy from the brake pads and converts it to electricity. All hybrids do this to help with reducing emissions and fuel consumption when stopped or pulling away, but plug-in hybrids also allow you to plug the car in, dramatically increasing how far the car can drive purely on electricity.
Why buy a hybrid?
The best hybrid cars
Offering improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions compared to an equivalent car with a traditional engine, the best hybrids bridge the gap between electric and conventional cars, offering the cost savings and environmental benefits of electric, while still retaining the longer range of petrol.
Environmental Benefits
Cleaner than your standard car
Transport makes up over 30% of the UK's CO2 emissions and while alternatives to petrol and diesel cars have existed for decades, ever-growing concerns over Climate Change and CO2 emissions have increased the numbers of hybrid cars available because they’re greener than standard cars.
Cost Savings
Save yourself money and trips to the pump
The savings you can get from owning a hybrid cover all parts of car ownership, from running costs to tax benefits. Company car drivers get significantly lower BIK on hybrid cars, while exemption from clean air charges like the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) means they can save you a lot on city driving.
Driving a Hybrid
What's it like to drive a hybrid car?
You can do everything in a hybrid car that you can in a standard one and they drive the same. Hybrids can often provide a better driving experience as they’re quieter, electric power offers smoother acceleration, and you don’t have any delay in torque.
Plug-in Hybrids
Not all hybrids are created equal
With mild and standard hybrids the benefits can be quite slim, but a plug-in hybrid like the Outlander PHEV takes a big step closer to enabling zero emission driving over longer distances, providing bigger savings on fuel and making them more future-proof than other types of hybrid.