Small Plug in Hybrids available in the Uk

[MickR]

Hi

We have just started to look for a replacement car for my wife. She currently drives a VW Polo and most of the trips in this car are to town or the supermarket, less than 15 miles in total. Therefore, we've always talked about getting a Plug in Hybrid when we replace the Polo, so we can charge during the day when our PV panels are generating, then drive around for "free". We still do the occasional long journey in this car, and I'm not yet convinced on going fully electric, so a Plug in Hybrid (PHEV) seems ideal

However, now that we're at that stage, we're really confused as there just doesn't seem to be any PHEV available in that size of car. The smallest PHEV that VW do is the Golf, and other manufactures only seem to offer the non plug in type hybrid (regenerative braking etc) in small cars of a similar size.

Therefore, DAK of a decent PHEV, in a similar size to a VW Polo? And no, she won't drive a Golf or any car "that big"

Thanks

Mick

[swill453]

There is a Mini Countryman PHEV, but some might say that's not very small either.

I guess you need quite a big car to take on the dual fuel/motor bits and bobs.

Scott.

[Urbandreamer]

Hi

We have just started to look for a replacement car for my wife. She currently drives a VW Polo and most of the trips in this car are to town or the supermarket, less than 15 miles in total. Therefore, we've always talked about getting a Plug in Hybrid when we replace the Polo, so we can charge during the day when our PV panels are generating, then drive around for "free". We still do the occasional long journey in this car, and I'm not yet convinced on going fully electric, so a Plug in Hybrid (PHEV) seems ideal

However, now that we're at that stage, we're really confused as there just doesn't seem to be any PHEV available in that size of car. The smallest PHEV that VW do is the Golf, and other manufactures only seem to offer the non plug in type hybrid (regenerative braking etc) in small cars of a similar size.

Therefore, DAK of a decent PHEV, in a similar size to a VW Polo? And no, she won't drive a Golf or any car "that big"

Thanks

Mick

I think that you are looking for something that doesn't exist. Now if you are willing to buy an older car and simply want range assurance, then BMW did a REX variant of the I3 (range extender). It had a small scooter engine that could charge the battery when you ran out of range. They stopped making the REX variant when they fitted the larger battery though and stopped making the car at all in 2023. It's slightly higher but slightly shorter and narrower than a Polo.

The public charging structure does mean that you can actually do long trips in BEV's that have a limited range. You do have to recognize though that charging will take time.
There are a number of Youtube videos of people covering 300-500 miles in the likes of an electric Mini. But that would entail charging multiple times while on route for 30-40min each. A standard mini is smaller, but the countryman is almost 400mm longer than the Polo.

If you now the long distance journey then you might want to use [url]Zap map[/url] to reassure yourself that you could easily cope if the chargers were busy or didn't work (often cited by drivers who don't want an EV themself).

[MickR]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

I'm happy to use petrol on longer journeys, it just the multitude of shorter journeys I'm trying to cover using the battery. This is why the regenerative types won't work as I'm assuming you have to travel a fair distance to generate enough energy to make them worth while

Mick

[Bminusrob]

Have you looked at the Citroen Ami? I am not keen on it, personally. It isn't really a car, it is classified as an electric quadricycle, and is limited to 28mph. To me, this means that it is no use outside towns and cities, in fact, I think it is downright dangerous. However, if you are only going to do supermarket trips and the like, it may do a job for you. It is very cheap (about £8k), and all electric.

[DrFfybes]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

I'm happy to use petrol on longer journeys, it just the multitude of shorter journeys I'm trying to cover using the battery. This is why the regenerative types won't work as I'm assuming you have to travel a fair distance to generate enough energy to make them worth while

Mick

Not really, as they will regenerate on the way home. However your explicit purpose was to "charge during the day when our PV panels are generating, then drive around for "free"." which these will not do.

Are you on an old FIT or one of the current SEG tariffs? (I think it has been mentioned before). If the former then you are indeed giving your surplus energy away, rather than getting paid for it on the SEG which changes the maths a whole lot.

A battery system makes some economic sense - there are some simple 'all in one' solutions out there which connect simply to your existing solar. Be aware if you want the larger ones you might need more paperwork - some installers charge several hundred quid for filling in the G99(?) form. 5kWh systems start about £3k.

Look at your daily consumption and generally a battery about half of that will give the best bang per buck. It will buffer your use in the day for the brief periods you draw more than you generate (kettle, oven, etc), and for the days where you generate more than you use (mainly March to Sept) it will provide your energy much or all of the night. The payback is basically the difference between your export payment and your normal tarrif (currently about 25p/unit), so if you are on an old FIT then a 5kWh system will save you roughly £1.25 per day for 6-7 months of the year charging for free and using overnight. Spending double on a larger battery only benefits if you use a lot overnight. Even charging for free, the economics make little sense at current energy prices.

If you get paid for your surplus energy the maths change a lot, and you generally need to use a variable tariff and charge it overnight to make it economically viable.

Paul

[JohnB]

Guardian article about very small cars, not all of them PHEVs

https://www.theguardian.com/business/ar ... ip-of-suvs