Buying a hybrid SUV: which is better, plug-in or self-charging?

Let us first set out two initial considerations before getting into the dilemma of buying a plug-in hybrid or self-charging hybrid SUV. The first, by definition, is the one we accept as irrefutable truth: the best car is the one that meets the needs, demands or tastes of its buyer. From there, the second is that there are not too many manufacturers that offer the same car in both HEV and PHEV variants in their range at the same time. The exceptions are found in highly sought-after models such as the FordKuga or the popular Kia Niro, where one may face the dilemma of whether to opt for the electric version; the peculiarity is that, as a rule, manufacturers offer either a hybrid or a rechargeable hybrid but not both schemes simultaneously, and not even competitively within their range.

Now, analysing which is better to buy, a self-charging hybrid SUV or a plug-in hybrid, the balance will tip in favour of the model, with advantages and arguments that each buyer ends up making their own, and which, from this pulpit, we offer as help and guidance, but never as the single truth, in line with the fundamental principle of purchase that opens this article.

Be that as it may, we are faced with two electrified powertrains which, while they do share common ground that tends to associate them with the same type of mobility, the technology of each differs from the other considerably, making the decision when buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid car almost as important as, not so many years ago, choosing between buying a diesel or petrol car and now a hybrid one as well.

For this reason, we are going to analyse points that concern both technologies in common but which, in themselves, represent the greatest differences, discrepancies or singularities that may tip the decision over buying an HEV or a PHEV, with a very small margin in favour of the chosen one over the discarded one. Let us begin.

Buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid SUV: the emissions label technology

As is well known, since 2016 the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has classified vehicles, for better or worse, according to what this public body understood as energy efficiency. In this way, broadly speaking, it differentiated between four groups: two, let us say, on the edge of the precipice, and two that were politically correct.

Among these last two, the ZERO sticker, the champion of the political trend in matters of ecology and traffic, is awarded, in the case of hybrids regardless of type, to vehicles capable of covering at least 40 km in fully electric mode, while the ECO label basically includes all electrified vehicles that do not reach this range.

Now, given that DGT stickers act as the key or anchor for allowing or denying access to different cities, areas or even pollution episodes, respectively, the revision of the labelling, promised for this spring, leads us to fear, judging by the cryptic reductions that the ECO label has been losing in comparison with the advantages the ZERO label provides, that for those who have in mind buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid SUV with a view to keeping it for at least the next five years, the blue sticker will undoubtedly guarantee benefits for its holders, whereas the blue and green two-tone stickers will possibly see theirs reduced or lost.

Buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid SUV: when one makes more sense than the other

What is clear is that hybrid or rechargeable hybrid cars, for long distances, still do not reach the savings levels that diesel cars permitted in their best years.

Be that as it may, with average ranges already approaching 50 km in 100 per cent electric mode, it is feasible, depending on what the manufacturers themselves announce about their potential customers, that a rechargeable hybrid car with more than 40 km of range can cover these users’ usual interurban journey, making its daily use their best ally in saving on fossil fuel.

Now, this fact makes it necessary, if not essential, that when deciding whether to buy a plug-in hybrid SUV rather than a self-charging hybrid, just as with a pure electric car, one needs access to a charging point to which to connect the equipment that stores electricity.

Whether at one’s own home, in a communal car park or near the workplace, given the time needed to replenish all or almost all of the electricity that a PHEV’s battery is capable of storing, comparable to average hours of sleep or standard working days, it may be inadvisable to buy a plug-in hybrid car and, therefore, to opt for a self-charging one instead.

Buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid SUV: when it pays off more

Both powertrains allow driving, to a greater or lesser extent, in electric mode. This means that, in any case, their environmental impact in urban areas is better, with the impact of plug-in hybrids being even more marked also in terms of the aforementioned fuel consumption.

For this reason, although it is usually not the main motive, ethical principles regarding respect for and protection of the environment may be one of the reasons for buying a plug-in hybrid SUV instead of a self-charging one.

Now, if fuel savings are what drive the choice between buying a hybrid or plug-in hybrid SUV, one must compare the cost per kilometre of each. As a general rule, depending on fuel and electricity expenditure, the price of both energy sources and homologated consumption figures, it can be generalised that the cost per kilometre of a plug-in hybrid car is roughly half that of a self-charging one.

Now, with the list of PHEV or HEV vehicles available, model by model, one would then need to weigh other specific aspects to tip the decision, such as the aforementioned possible advantages to be enjoyed through the differentiation between the ECO or ZERO label.

It is also extremely important to consider the final purchase cost of each vehicle, where both versions have clearly differing prices due to the technology they feature, almost always significantly more expensive in the case of the PHEV, as well as any possible deductions, discounts or incentives aimed at purchasing the most efficient vehicles possible.

Finally, one must not forget the maintenance or repair operations which, although they may share certain requirements, are more complicated and, therefore, more laborious and expensive in the case of rechargeable hybrids… nor the compulsory insurance, also linked to, among other things, the value of the vehicle itself.

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