Top plug-in hybrids cost £1,000 more a year than EVs
Top plug-in hybrids cost £1,000 more a year than EVs
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28 January 2026
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The UK’s bestselling PHEVs consume nearly 500% more fuel than their manufacturers have claimed
This hidden inefficiency has a knock-on effect on emissions and the true total cost of ownership
The government’s decision to weaken the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate risks flooding the used car market with PHEVs
Research by Transport & Environment found that PHEVs also consume 490% as much fuel as their manufacturers claim
Drivers in the UK could be saving £1,000 a year by choosing an electric vehicle (EV), according to expert analysis which has found that the top-selling plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) are far more expensive to run than manufacturers claim.
According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), drivers of popular PHEVs should be spending £530 a year on petrol and electricity, based on what manufacturers claim. However, the ECIU says they are spending £1,000 more than they would if they chose an equivalent EV.
Further research by Transport & Environment found that PHEVs also consume 490% as much fuel as their manufacturers claim.
Colin Walker, transport analyst, ECIU, said the disparity between claimed and real-world fuelling costs has had a knock-on effect on PHEV’s total cost of ownership. These include the purchase price, fuelling costs, insurance, tax and servicing.
He also said that over the course of their lifetimes, the UK’s bestselling PHEVs cost £81 a year more to run than a regular petrol car.
These findings come following the government’s decision in 2025 to weaken its Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate to encourage manufacturers to sell more PHEVs, and fewer EVs that have no exhaust emissions.
Walker added that flexibilities in the policy lobbied for by some manufacturers allow targets to be met through a combination of the sale of EVs and the sale of lower-emission petrol and diesel cars. Because of this Walker predicted that driving bills are likely to remain high.
“Expanding the pool of hybrids on the road will leave the secondhand market, where most of us buy our cars, awash with vehicles that are much more expensive to run and own than EVs,” Walker explained. “Some families will be left simply unable to make the switch to cheaper and cleaner electric driving.”
“Drivers already pay a ‘petrol premium’ of hundreds, even thousands, of pounds a year to run a petrol car rather than an EV, but it’s clear the premium to drive a PHEV is almost as high.”
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Tamara BirchNewsletters and sponsored content editor
Tamara is a journalist with more than six years experience writing about environmental topics. This includes advising small businesses on cost-effective ways tom become more sustainable, from installing to solar panels and heat pumps and reducing waste. She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs. Now, she’s using this experience to advise homeowners on the benefits of installing low-carbon technologies. She is also qualified in offering innovative initiatives to improve sustainability practices in businesses, from advertising to marketing and publishing.
Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.
Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.
In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.
He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.
Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.
As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.
His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.
Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.
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