Electric Vehicle Guides

Yes – a car can have hybrid and electric capabilities, though vehicles are categorised as either hybrid or electric. While an electric car is powered exclusively by an electric motor and battery, and is therefore 100% electric, a hybrid vehicle has a petrol or diesel engine and a smaller electric motor and battery.
 

Switching to electric driving mode in a hybrid car can depend on the model. It’s typically automatic, though. Providing the car’s battery is fully charged – or has enough charge – your journey will start in pure electric mode.

When the battery capacity is close to running out – and hybrid cars have much smaller batteries than all-electric models – the vehicle will switch to being powered by the petrol or diesel engine, so the driver never has to worry about ‘running out of charge’.

With some hybrid car models, you may also be able to switch between pure electric mode and engine manually.
 

There’s no right or wrong answer here – it all comes down to your personal preference. If you’re unsure about switching to an all-electric car, a hybrid vehicle provides a good option as a transition. A hybrid provides the familiarity of a petrol or diesel engine with the support of an electric motor, so driving one can feel less of a sudden change.

With the ability to drive in pure electric mode, it’s possible with a hybrid to complete shorter journeys – local trips to shops, school, perhaps your workplace – without using the engine at all. And, if you choose a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) model, you’ll soon get used to plugging the car in to recharge the battery.

On the other hand, if you want to move away from a petrol or diesel engine car completely, an all-electric car is your best choice.

Driving a hybrid car has lots of benefits, but it’s worth underlining those main differences compared to an all-electric car. If you’re serious about all-electric driving, be aware that most hybrid cars have limited electric range – depending on the model, this could be as low as 20 miles, up to a maximum of around 60 miles capacity. Compare that with many pure EVs, which have ranges of 250 miles and upwards.

So, you will be restricted in terms of how much all-electric driving you can do; mid to long distance journeys will require the petrol or diesel engine to kick in.

Consider, too, that with a hybrid car you’ll still need to fill the tank at fuel stations, so your potential for savings there will be reduced.