One journey, two identical VW Golf cars, and a battle of hybrid tech.
On paper, the cars are basically the same – same brand, same body, same engine size. But one is a plug-in hybrid, the other a mild hybrid.
And that one detail made a big difference to the cost of the journey.
So, who spent less, and does ‘hybrid’ always mean ‘cheaper to run’?
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Same car, same road, but different bills for the VW Golf Cars
Will drove the mild hybrid Golf – it supports the petrol engine with a small electric boost, but can’t run on electricity alone.
Doug took the wheel of the plug-in hybrid, which came with a bigger battery and electric motor that could go 73 miles on pure EV power.
Will left London with a full tank, and Doug’s car was fully charged.
After a scenic 200 mile loop, the trip computers told a promising story: Doug clocked 109mpg, while Will saw 59.6mpg.
So far, so good for the plug-in, until they tallied up the final costs.
Will needed 14.81L of fuel, costing him around $29 (£19.53).
Doug used just 8.85L of fuel, a mere $16 (£11.67), but had to spend another $22 (£16.07) to recharge at a public charger. That brought his total to around $38 (£27.74) – $9 more than Will’s trip.
But if Doug had charged at home, his cost would’ve dropped to around $8 (£5.74).
On an off-peak tariff? As low as $2 (£1.56).
In that case, the plug-in would’ve been far cheaper.
Comparing the price of each car
There’s a bigger problem for Doug: his plug-in hybrid costs $6,800 (£5,000) more to buy than Will’s mild hybrid in similar trim.
To make up that difference with lower running costs, he’d need to drive 150,000 miles and charge at home every time.
And while the plug-in has more power, the extra weight from its battery made it ride a little harsher and feel slightly less agile than the mild hybrid.
Plus, public charging is unpredictable and pricey – not ideal if you’re relying on it daily.
Still, there’s a case for plug-ins.
If you’re a company car driver getting tax breaks, or you mostly do short trips with access to home charging, it can pay off.
But for most people, the plug-in’s edge only shows up in perfect conditions. In this test? Will’s mild hybrid came out on top.
Because when it comes to real-world driving, keeping things simple – and getting solid fuel economy – might just be the smarter choice.
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