Going electric or hybrid

rmg1

Hi all

I'm thinking of going eletric/hybrid as I don't do many miles these days (and the journeys I do are short ones).
I've been looking at various hybrid cars but the battery life seems to be very low (somewhere in the region of around 30 miles).
I'd like to be able to putter around town on electric and use the petrol for longer journeys where necessary.

Can anyone recommend something I can pick up second hand (can't afford new) with a decent battery mileage?

I'm not bothered if it's self-charging or plug-in (are there any grants/help with getting a charging point installed if it's a plug-in?).

Thanks in advance

Richard

AdrianC

"Self-charging" hybrids tend to have an even smaller battery range - and very poor battery performance. And, of course, all the electricity comes from petrol/diesel, not from the grid...

20-30 miles is the minimum required for plug-in hybrids to qualify as zero-emission for most schemes - and, of course, more range equals more weight and more cost from the heavier battery packs.

There's no grants for used electric or hybrid vehicles.

coffeehound

If you are only doing short journeys, would a plug-in EV not fit the bill?

DrEskimo

How often do you do larger journeys?

A second hand pure EV can be had for reasonable money that will comfortably do 120miles+, and it's far more convenient than having to plug a hybrid in every single night. Although choice is limited based on your budget.

Alternatively you could go for something like an older i3 REX or Ampera that have petrol generators to give you extra miles.

Grumpy_chap

For the use described by the OP, an EV looks a good option.  Pure EV, like a Leaf or a Zoe, not hybrid.  Then hire a car for rare occasions that the EV range does not suit the journey.

rmg1

Thanks for all the input folks.

I'll try and answer the questions/comments in some semblance of order:-
I wasn't after a grant for buying the car, just for installing the socket at home for charging purposes (if necessary)
I tend to do longer journeys every few months but didn't really want the hassle of hiring a car if I could get away with it (hence the request for something with decent mileage and a petrol engine as a backup)

I've never heard of the i3 REX or Ampera, I'll have a look at those.

Not sure of budget yet, this is something that's on my wish-list not really a necessaity at the moment.

BOWFER

Hybrids are becoming a complete irrelevance, such is the progress in range of pure EV.
Beware that if you buy a hybrid now, you may struggle to get rid of it again.

Herzlos

There's going to be a lot of people reluctant to go pure EV for a while, and a lot of people who buy hybrids for low emissions zones, so there's going to be no problem selling it later. It's always going to be in more demand than a pure petrol.

A 30 mile range hybrid will suit an awful lot of people whose usage pattern is small trips during the week with longer ones at the weekend, so you get cheap motoring for the most part without the range anxiety. Our next will probably be one.

BOWFER

Herzlos said:

There's going to be a lot of people reluctant to go pure EV for a while, and a lot of people who buy hybrids for low emissions zones, so there's going to be no problem selling it later. It's always going to be in more demand than a pure petrol.

A 30 mile range hybrid will suit an awful lot of people whose usage pattern is small trips during the week with longer ones at the weekend, so you get cheap motoring for the most part without the range anxiety. Our next will probably be one.

A hybrid is a waste of time, needing the engine you're trying to avoid using to recharge it.
Then you get onto PHEVs, which are the bane of every pure EV owner and despised with a passion as they hog chargers at their ludicrously small charging rate for their 25 miles.
Cynical company car tax avoidance vehicles for people that really don't want an electric vehicle, that's all they are.

Grumpy_chap

I agree with @BOWFER that hybrids do not achieve the benefits they claim.

Many of the PHEV's available are only purchased for low BIK and the cables are never unwrapped in the full period of ownership.

Self-charging hybrids do not achieve anywhere near the fuel efficiency claimed in the book.  I had a 2104 Toyota Auris hybrid and swapped it when I left the job for a regular 2007 petrol Focus.  Difference in actual fuel economy achieved about 3 mpg.  With a different mix of driving locations, the hybrid may have been more impressive, but it was never going to achieve the diesel mpg that it supposedly can.  The ability to drive on battery only was virtually nil.

Herzlos

BOWFER said:

A hybrid is a waste of time, needing the engine you're trying to avoid using to recharge it.
Then you get onto PHEVs, which are the bane of every pure EV owner and despised with a passion as they hog chargers at their ludicrously small charging rate for their 25 miles.
Cynical company car tax avoidance vehicles for people that really don't want an electric vehicle, that's all they are.

They do serve a purpose beyond annoying pure EV drivers. For instance, the vast bulk of my car journeys are <15 miles (and I doubt I'm alone there), so I'd really only need a 20 mile battery to avoid having to use any petrol most of the time.