Many people buy hybrid cars with the primary aim of saving on fuel costs, but these cars often come at a price premium over their petrol and diesel counterparts.
However, new data from Green NCAP shows that some hybrids don’t achieve substantive benefits in this respect, highlighting how important it is to choose carefully when buying a hybrid and making sure your driving habits are suited to this fuel type.
Read on to find out more, including some impressive-performing petrol cars and the hybrids to avoid, according to Green NCAP’s data.
– whatever type of car you’re looking for, our comprehensive lab and road tests reveal the ones to buy, and those to avoidWhy hybrid cars are better for certain drivers
Manufacturers often advertise their hybrid cars as having attractive fuel economy, but this can be well off what you actually achieve out on the road.
It all depends on what driving you tend to do the most. Those making lots of short trips will likely achieve decent fuel economy in a hybrid as they're running mostly on battery power. This is in direct contrast to petrol and diesel cars, which tend to perform worse for fuel economy when driving short distances. However, as soon as you get on the motorway, a hybrid's fuel economy can nosedive.
Since hybrids tend to be heavier than traditionally powered cars (they carry both an electric motor and combustion engine, with an accompanying battery and fuel tank), they burn through fuel faster once their battery runs dry.
Green NCAP's testing reveals that regardless of fuel type, a car’s overall weight has a big impact on energy consumption, rising 2% per 100kg, on average. Along with driving, this figure takes into account the energy required to produce the car, as well as the electricity for electric motors and energy for fuel extraction.
Green NCAP’s data also shows that for typical European driving habits, some hybrids offer little benefit over rival petrol models – we reveal some of the worst offenders below.
Hybrid vs petrol: which is greenest?
With a typical, real-world driving style (rather than the more optimised fuel efficiency figures often quoted for hybrids by manufacturers), Green NCAP’s data shows that some hybrids in particular don't perform as well as you might think – both in terms of running costs and environmentally.
Hybrids also tend to cost more than traditionally powered cars, so there’s no point choosing them if they’re not going to deliver the benefits you expect.
Hyundai Tucson hybrid (2021-) vs Nissan Qashqai (2014-21)
For energy consumption, Green NCAP estimates the Tucson requires 0.97kWh per km, on average, compared with 1.00kWh per km for the second-generation Qashqai.
Similarly for greenhouse gas emissions, Green NCAP estimates tat the Tucson produces 241.0 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per km, on average, compared with 249.3g for the Qashqai.
Considering the Hyundai Tucson hybrid costs a great deal more than either generation of Qashqai, you’re not getting extra for choosing the full hybrid.
Honda HR-V hybrid (2021-) vs Hyundai Bayon (2021-)
For energy consumption, data from Green NCAP estimates the HR-V needs 0.90kWh per km, on average, which is considerably higher than the 0.83 kWh per km for the Hyundai Bayon.
The same is also true for greenhouse gas emissions: the Honda HR-V produces 222.7 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per km, on average, versus 208.1g, according to Green NCAP for the Hyundai Bayon.
So Green NCAP reveals that you’re likely to get worse environmental performance by choosing the Honda HR-V hybrid over the Hyundai Bayon. While the Honda HR-V is a very slightly longer car (434cm vs the Bayon's 418cm), it's still clear the HR-V's hybrid offering isn't the game-changer you might expect when compared with the Bayon.
Petrol cars with competitive fuel economy and emissions
Green NCAP’s data also reveals that while petrol cars can't match fully electric cars for their environmental credentials, there are some that give hybrids a real run for their money.
The Hyundai Bayon mentioned above is one of the best Green NCAP has tested (alongside the Skoda Fabia and tiny city cars) when taking the car's full life cycle into account. Here are three more that perform highly.
Small car: Seat Ibiza (2017-)
The Seat Ibiza narrowly beats the Hyundai Bayon in Green NCAP’s data for average energy consumption (0.77 kWh per km) and also beats it for greenhouse gas emissions (173.8 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per km).
Its greenhouse gas emissions are still high compared with the electric cars Green NCAP has tested (factoring in emissions from the car’s production and electricity generation), but if you’re not ready to go fully electric, it’s one of the lowest-emitting Green NCAP have tested when taking into account car’s full life cycle.
Small SUV: Ford Puma (2020-)
Despite being slightly more fuel-hungry than the Hyundai Bayon and Seat Ibiza, the Ford Puma remains very competitive against the hybrids Green NCAP has tested, such as the Yaris Cross, both for energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Green NCAP, it requires around 0.87kWh per km for energy consumption and achieves an impressive 156.9 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per km for greenhouse gas emissions.
Medium car: Peugeot 308 (2014-21)
Generally speaking, the larger the car, the worse its environmental credentials, Green NCAP’s data shows. That said, the Peugeot 308 is still competitive against the hybrid cars Green NCAP has tested.
This is both for energy consumption (0.91kWh per km) and greenhouse gas emissions (225.2 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per km) compared with hybrids such as the Honda HR-V above.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/why-a-hybrid-car-isnt-always-best-for-the-environment-aF8en0G89JI6