More than just a Prius these days
- Toyota Yaris
- Honda Civic
- Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi hybrid
- Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV
- Kia Sorento 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid
There are several types of hybrid cars these days. The most popular variety in the UK at present is the “mild hybrid”, while there are also plug-in hybrids, but they’re relative newcomers compared with the “full hybrid” vehicles, exemplified by the Toyota Prius and, to a lesser degree, the Honda Insight, which both launched in the late 1990s.
What are ‘mild hybrid’, ‘full hybrid’, ‘plug-in hybrid’ and ‘pure-electric’ cars?
Full hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) can be driven on electric power alone but only for around a mile, before the engine is needed to help keep the propulsion battery topped up. They don’t come with a plug for charging up using mains electricity, and Toyota started using the term “self-charging hybrids” in marketing campaigns to differentiated their HEVs from pure-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The idea was to make them sound more hassle-free, though it irked some pure-electric vehicle advocates who said it made HEVs sound like pure-electric cars that could recharge on their own, as if by magic. The fact remains, they argued, that they use petrol engines and therefore produce exhaust emissions. The Advertising Standards Authority disagreed that the term was misleading, so the moniker “self-charging hybrid” has remained and been adopted by other manufacturers.
Over a mix of roads, HEVs can achieve fuel economy roughly on a par with diesel models, and they are more efficient in towns and cities where they can negotiate low-speed traffic mostly on electric power. It’s at sustained higher speeds, such as on motorways, that economy suffers.
The government eventually wants us all to switch to pure-electric cars, and so sales of all types of new hybrid car will be banned from 2035, five years after petrol and diesel, but if you think that a full hybrid is the right car for you at this present moment there are plenty of options on the market still. Here are five of the best self-charging hybrids on sale in the UK this year.
Toyota Yaris
From £22,110
Toyota has doggedly stuck with self-charging hybrids at the expense of a broader electrification strategy, but it’s something that has paid off with the company now the leader in the field and having rolled the tech out across most of its range.
Despite concerns many years back about the reliability of complex hybrid systems, Toyota’s have proven to be eminently dependable, one of the factors making the Prius so sought-after among minicab drivers.
The latest example of Toyota’s Yaris supermini is now also a hybrid. It’s handsome and well-made, with a good level of specification as standard.
There’s only one powertrain option — a petrol-electric hybrid using a 1.5-litre engine and electric motor to produce 114bhp — but it’s an economical one, officially returning more than 68mpg.
Honda Civic
From £30,495
Honda’s new eleventh-generation Civic only comes as a self-charging full hybrid. It’s a lot more discreet than its predecessor but it’s none the worse for it. The quality is excellent, it drives rather well and the hybrid system, though complicated in engineering terms (and to explain), works admirably.
Most of the time, the Civic’s 2-litre petrol engine is used to charge the battery and supply the electric motor with energy, which in turn powers the wheels. But when a little more poke is required, the engine can also be used to directly power the wheels. The fact that the engine is rarely under stress means that the Civic is capable of returning 60.1mpg on the official test.
Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi hybrid
From £34,700
Newly relaunched in 2022, the Kia Sportage is proving as popular as ever with UK buyers with fresh styling, a slick advanced-looking new interior and a strong range of powertrain options.
It comes with petrol, mild hybrid, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. The self-charging hybrid, which uses a 226bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, could be the sweet spot for many thanks to fuel economy of up to 50mpg.
Performance is relatively brisk (though far from sporty) with a 0-60mph time of around 7.2 seconds. The engine can sound a little loud when drivers are pushing on a bit but the hybrid Sportage represents a highly competent and spacious family car with attractively low running costs and an interior that’ll please all.
Ford Kuga 2.5 FHEV
From £30,755
All versions of the Kuga have plenty going for them, with good looks and a high level of interior tech as standard. There are no diesel models anymore and the plug-in hybrid version is on the thirsty side when the batteries run down. For drivers covering higher mileage, the self-charging Kuga is the one to go for, with the model returning more in the way of miles per gallon than the petrol-only version.
One of the Kuga FHEV’s strengths is that it can pull a trailer or caravan with a braked towing weight of 1,600kg, which is useful if that’s a concern. Fuel economy on a mix of roads is on a par with diesel models, making the Kuga a pleasing and sensible choice, even if the interior is less impressive than some alternatives.
Kia Sorento 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid
From £50,995
While we had originally hoped to add the Hyundai Santa Fe to this list on account of its seven good-sized seats, at the time of writing the company doesn’t appear to be selling the hybrid model in the UK, so we opted instead for the next best thing — the closely-related Kia Sorento.
Like the Hyundai with which it shares its underpinnings, the Sorento also features seven seats and is powered by the same hybrid system utilising a 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor to provide 261bhp and 258lb ft of torque, with fuel economy of up to 40mpg, which isn’t too bad for a such a big car and roughly on a par with the 2.2-litre diesel version.
Normally, those intent on towing a caravan or trailer are best-advised to plump for a diesel model, but given that the Sorento hybrid can tow a braked 1,650kg, it’ll suit many such motorists.
The Sorento is a big car with room not just for seven occupants but also a decent bit of luggage (there’s space in the boot for a couple of small suitcases even with all seven seats in place). It’s very well-equipped and handles like a smaller car, too.
- After reading about the best self-charging hybrids, you might be interested to read our review of the Toyota Corolla
- Keen to go electric instead? Here are the top 10 longest-range electric cars
- Read how Jeremy Clarkson got on with the Honda Civic hybrid
Keyword: 5 best self-charging hybrid cars to buy in 2023