[Ambassador Spock]

We traded my commuter Clio for a Zoe a few months back, and we are so happy with that decision we want to take it a step further and get rid of our family Qashqai as well. The problem is, there isn't really a full BEV on the market that would fit our needs in that area without breaking the bank. This is one case where I think a PHEV (as much as I dislike the idea of buying another car with a petrol engine inside....) might fit our needs better. The wife could use it for her daily activities pretty much on battery alone, but we'd still have the capability to drive long distances without the hassle of charging.

Problem is, I know literally nothing about the PHEVs on the market... Which ones are good? Which ones are bad? Do any of them actually get 25-30 miles on the battery, or is that a false promise?

 

[Sean Nugent]

I get 30-40 on mine (Winter-Summer). But as they aren't spring chickens any longer that may not help.
Vauxhall Ampera

 

[HandyAndy]

I think the latest Golf GTe has a larger battery, about 13 kWh. That should be capable of genuine 40 miles I'd hope. Ampera gets 45 miles comfortably, using 10.4 kWh of actual 16. Golf should be using a far smaller buffer, so may be making 10 to 12 kWh ish available.

 

[BabyEVDriver]

We traded my commuter Clio for a Zoe a few months back, and we are so happy with that decision we want to take it a step further and get rid of our family Qashqai as well. The problem is, there isn't really a full BEV on the market that would fit our needs in that area without breaking the bank. This is one case where I think a PHEV (as much as I dislike the idea of buying another car with a petrol engine inside....) might fit our needs better. The wife could use it for her daily activities pretty much on battery alone, but we'd still have the capability to drive long distances without the hassle of charging.

Problem is, I know literally nothing about the PHEVs on the market... Which ones are good? Which ones are bad? Do any of them actually get 25-30 miles on the battery, or is that a false promise?

If you consider leasing you might find the BEV lease rates are not far off the ICE rates. This seems so with the Pug E2008. We test drove one last Friday and it is bigger than you think, not car off Qashcow size. Have a look at one in the flesh.

 

[gofer]

For genuine 25-30 miles range you need to be looking at vehicles with 10kwh battery or larger. Not much choice on the used market with a large enough capacity.

Plenty of new models with larger batteries but all v expensive. I'm thinking of leasing mk8 Golf GTE, Audi equivalent when its available. JLR/BMW/Audi SUVs if any good deals pop up.

 

[Todor]

The new SEAT Leon will have the same PHEV as the big brother GTE, so 13kWh battery, with a lower price?

 

[TrevorH]

Ki8a Niro PHEV is worth a look

 

[Sandy]

New MG HS Phev might suit your needs. A bit bigger than the QQ but not massively so, pretty decent interior. Good for 25+ miles I believe in EV only. Considerably cheaper than and Outlanders?

 

[NeilO]

Discovery sport Phev or Evoque.
13kwh battery, claimed 35-40 mile range. Would be my choice 😜

 

[Sandy]

Discovery sport Phev or Evoque.
13kwh battery, claimed 35-40 mile range. Would be my choice 😜

Might well be. I was being pragmatic and basing my recommendation on what they have now and not what their aspirations might be. Maybe that's a failing on me. If your looking at Disco or Evoque maybe save a bit longer and go a model Y? Would be pretty epic as a family run around and a mahooosive upgrade from a QQ.

 

[Ambassador Spock]

Discovery sport Phev or Evoque.
13kwh battery, claimed 35-40 mile range. Would be my choice 😜

We did look at a Discovery today actually, but sadly £50k is much more than I'd like to pay. We also looked at the MG, which we liked (apart from a smaller-than-expected boot).

 

[Ambassador Spock]

New MG HS Phev might suit your needs. A bit bigger than the QQ but not massively so, pretty decent interior. Good for 25+ miles I believe in EV only. Considerably cheaper than and Outlanders?

We looked at one of those (well, the petrol version since they didn't have any of the PHEVs in yet) and we like it. We really like the price too - seems like a lot of car for £30k. Our only complaint was the boot was smaller than we would have expected for a car that size. Not sure we could fit three big suitcases in the boot...

 

[gofer]

The new SEAT Leon will have the same PHEV as the big brother GTE, so 13kWh battery, with a lower price?

Will have a look at it when it’s in the showrooms but not been impressed with the interior of the Seat compared to Golf/A3. Also poorer ride, more basic suspension setup on some models. Also from what I’ve read it’s the 200hp they are putting into the Leon not the 240hp that the Golf GTE gets? Same with the A3 but hoping the more powerful version follows soon.

Will be on a PCH so will see if any good deals appear.

 

[proddick]

We looked at one of those (well, the petrol version since they didn't have any of the PHEVs in yet) and we like it. We really like the price too - seems like a lot of car for £30k. Our only complaint was the boot was smaller than we would have expected for a car that size. Not sure we could fit three big suitcases in the boot...

Yes it definitely isn't Outlander sized! A friend just got the Volvo XC40 PHEV which looks nice, but is expensive and real world EV range isn't great.

Are you planning to buy cash, PCP or lease? I ask because used values on PHEVs are getting weaker because used buyers don't like the complexity and possible high repair costs. Obviously some like Kia and the MG have long warranty that mitigates, but perception is everything in the used market.

I would push you again to see if a BEV would work. Charging on long distance journeys is getting easier every month - how often do you make longer journeys?

 

[Ambassador Spock]

Yes it definitely isn't Outlander sized! A friend just got the Volvo XC40 PHEV which looks nice, but is expensive and real world EV range isn't great.

Are you planning to buy cash, PCP or lease? I ask because used values on PHEVs are getting weaker because used buyers don't like the complexity and possible high repair costs. Obviously some like Kia and the MG have long warranty that mitigates, but perception is everything in the used market.

I would push you again to see if a BEV would work. Charging on long distance journeys is getting easier every month - how often do you make longer journeys?

We're looking at PCP, Range Rover offered £8k for our Qashqai so I imagine we could get similar for it elsewhere.

We already have one BEV (Zoe ZE 40) and while we absolutely love it, we do several 300+ mile trips each year, and with two kids (and a dog) a family BEV just isn't practical. Or, rather, the BEVs that would be practical (decent range, proper fast-charging) are just too pricy right now.

 

[firetrax]

Why not keep your Qashqai for a couple of more years and see what BEVs come out then, or replace it with another Ice or hybrid. The premium for PHEVs over equivalent Ice or hybrids is not worth it imo.

 

[Ambassador Spock]

Why not keep your Qashqai for a couple of more years and see what BEVs come out then, or replace it with another Ice or hybrid. The premium for PHEVs over equivalent Ice or hybrids is not worth it imo.

Not sure what "premium" you are referring to - for the Kia Niro vs eNiro, for example, the PHEV and BEV seem pretty comparable in price.

 

[proddick]

The Quashqai isn't exactly large - the boot in an e-2008 is as big but mixed reports on rear seats - how old are kids? If only a few trips a year it might work? Also, the actual space in a Leaf isn't much different to a Quashqai - it just doesn't have mock SUV looks Although CHAdeMO is a downside now...

Bear in mind best EV deals are often PCH from leasing companies. For example, the e-2008 GT is around £300 a month on 6+35 term. No option to trade in, but selling your car to dealer or privately wouldn't be hard as they are popular.

 

[firetrax]

Not sure what "premium" you are referring to - for the Kia Niro vs eNiro, for example, the PHEV and BEV seem pretty comparable in price.

The premium for the PHEV over the Ice equivalent.

 

[TrevorH]

Quick comparison using lease car. co.uk (no affiliation but Iam using them)

NIRO PHEV 2 . PCH 6+35 10000 miles 3 years owner maintained Initial 1691.93 + 281.99 (PHEV 3 is 1,727.93 + 287.99)
e-NIRO 3 PCH 6+35 10000 miles. 3 years owner maintained Initial 1943.93 + 323.99

So not a massive amount in it and from my experience often more offers on the e-Niro