What fuel for my next car?

[Greygreaser]

2025 looks like being the year when we change our transport to match where and how we now live. Leaving rural Norfolk this year ('24) means the need for 2 cars has diminished and also the 'insurance' of an all-wheel drive.

Sadly I will say goodbye to my '08 Forester which has done 110,000 miles with no repairs except wearing parts, it used up the first tyres at 55,000 and the second lot split the walls at 105,000 with 4-5mm of tread still on! To replace with even a decent s/h E-hybrid Forester looks too expensive.

Our '07 Yaris Zinc gets through at least one front coil spring per year, has had fuel issues and brake sensor faults. It fails each year on yellow headlamp lenses if I don't polish them up and wears out at least one tyre per year. My partner likes a smaller car!!!!

Given it now travels 8 miles a day and the forester about 60 per week I'm torn between keeping them, both petrol, or plunging into the 'Electric abyss' where the rules for tax etc seem to change each year. We don't have any rapid charging points in the village and i have to park in the road adjacent to the house.

Current thoughts are self-charging hybrids? The Which listing suggests a Yaris might suit but when we looked at one its like sitting in a pill-box with slit windows. My current preference is the Kia Niro, bigger but well equipped as standard and not too bad electrically on short runs.

Be very interested to know first-hand experiences from folk,
Cheers Chris

[Newportnobby]

I'm on my first Qashqai and will be changing it June 2025 for another. Yes, I'm hooked. I don't want pure elec and they don't do pure petrol or diesel so it looks like a non plug in hybrid for me. Needs to be automatic as well owing to medical issues.
This has probably been of no help whatsoever

[Roy L S]

My wife Dawn has just bought a new MG3 Hybrid "plus", it is a self-charging one, it come loaded with kit, it even has headlights that dip themselves when headlights are detected in the opposite direction! It is reasonably frugal, usually she gets high 50s mpg, but this does drop slightly in cold weather when heated bits are used. It will run a reasonable distance on "EV" alone, certainly enough to get out of our village, then, depending on speed it juggles between hybrid modes, either the engine acts as generator or drives wheels direct at higher speeds. If you put your toe down the electric motor and petrol engine work in tandem - nearly 200BHP - acceleration is very impressive! Dawn is well pleased with it!

I am plodding on with my petrol "16 Plate" Seat Ibiza FR and as I only do about 4k miles a year I am in no rush to change it. To be honest, much as I admire all the amazing tech on the MG hybrid, the Ibiza still has a few gizmos, is nicely "planted" on the road and an absolute joy to drive - manual transmission provides a much more tactile driving experience, which even Dawn admits she still likes!

Roy

[Firstone18]

I'm yet to be convinced a pure EV is a good choice for me. I am concerned about the extreme pollution caused by mining, refining, and quantity available of lithium required for the batteries, and the cost of disposing of same when the batteries are life expired. A hybrid of some type seems a good compromise; the Ford MHEV system is less complicated mechanically than, for example, the Toyota system and is lighter comparing similar sized vehicles. I am also wary of the high voltages used in EVs, and other hybrid types around 600V DC I believe. Look at some of the fire Service views on attending EV fires, particularly Teslas.
I have been told the Ford system is 48V DC. I hoop to be test driving a Ford hybrid next year, ideally a Fiesta so I can compare it with my current (10 year old) Fiesta Ecoboost. I like the idea of not worrying about charger availability and having a greater availability of refuelling possibilities. I often wonder about our UK electricity generation and supply distribution networks - is there really enough capacity and security to support all of us going over to EV cars so quickly? Will this push by the Government to get us all into EVs be like the Diesel fiasco?
I am sure the will be many varied and differing views expressed on this thread, which will run to many pages. I will be watching and reading with interest.....
Cheers  

[stevewalker]

We have an EV and it is great, but they are not cheap and electricity is expensive and inconvenient when you can't charge at home. Even without a driveway, it may be possible to charge at home, if you a) can normally park in front of your house and b) live in an area where the council will approve adding a slotted duct in the pavement for the cable. You can then get electricity for the car at less than 7p per unit (approx 2p per mile). Otherwise, avoid an EV for now.

[dannyboy]

I bought my first Toyota HEV in 2020, a Corolla saloon. I bought a Yaris Cross at the begining of 2023 and the current C-HR Mk2 in May. Each car seems to be an improvement on the previous one, although I just was not keen on the Yaris Cross. I have never fancied a plug in electric, mainly due to 'range anxiety', plus the fact that my nearest plug in charger is ten miles away I think. The current C-HR is just about everything I want in a car, comfortable, noise is acceptable and at the moment, I am getting nearly 60 mpg. In the depths of summer, I was getting nearly 70 mpg. I can not see me changing it any time soon.  Having said all that, I have no expereience of any other hybrid makers.

[Roy L S]

I'm yet to be convinced a pure EV is a good choice for me. I am concerned about the extreme pollution caused by mining, refining, and quantity available of lithium required for the batteries, and the cost of disposing of same when the batteries are life expired. A hybrid of some type seems a good compromise; the Ford MHEV system is less complicated mechanically than, for example, the Toyota system and is lighter comparing similar sized vehicles. I am also wary of the high voltages used in EVs, and other hybrid types around 600V DC I believe. Look at some of the fire Service views on attending EV fires, particularly Teslas.
I have been told the Ford system is 48V DC. I hoop to be test driving a Ford hybrid next year, ideally a Fiesta so I can compare it with my current (10 year old) Fiesta Ecoboost. I like the idea of not worrying about charger availability and having a greater availability of refuelling possibilities. I often wonder about our UK electricity generation and supply distribution networks - is there really enough capacity and security to support all of us going over to EV cars so quickly? Will this push by the Government to get us all into EVs be like the Diesel fiasco?
I am sure the will be many varied and differing views expressed on this thread, which will run to many pages. I will be watching and reading with interest.....
Cheers

A MHEV or "Mild Hybrid" is another variation on a hybris so to speak. The principle of the "MHEV" such as on the Suzuki Swift or Ford Puma (Ford don't make Fiestas any more) is that it has a battery that self-charges which under certain conditions, mostly acceleration, adds a "boost" to the conventional petrol engine via what is essentially a beefed up starter motor. It can be used with a normal manual transmission BUT importantly the motor is small and cannot drive the car on "pure" electric as a "normal" self-charging or plug-in hybrid can.

Were I a cynic I would say that a "MHEV" is more a way of looking to get otherwise conventional petrol cars round the forthcoming changes outlawing new petrol/diesel cars in 2030, and while technically it is a hybrid, the benefits are more limited.

Roy

[emjaybee]

I've never understood the hype over your average hybrid.

People I've spoke to say they get 40-50mpg.

My wife's 2018 plate 2.0ltr VW Golf Estate auto knocks out 60+mpg just running around, 70+mpg on a steady run.

[Bealman]

I get 2 weeks running around out of a $60 fill up of my 2015 Toyota Corolla. Best car I've ever had.

[Newportnobby]

That's a bit meaningless, George, especially if you only do 10 miles a week

[Platy767]

Yeah, our 2005 Toyota Corolla only has 105,000 kilometers on it. Although there has been a little thought go in to a replacement vehicle, the conclusion is it makes no sense to move on from what we have, even though fuel efficiency is not great (could be driver related!).

@emjaybee 70mpg!? Does a 2018 2.0l Golf have pedals other than stop and go? 

Mark

[Bealman]

That's a bit meaningless, George, especially if you only do 10 miles a week

Perhaps I should have said "running around town" 

Geez, you get up early 

[GrahamB]

We bought a MG4 for my wife last March. My Focus now spends most of it's time in the garage as we now use the MG4 for most trips. The furthest away being around 250 miles.  It should do that on one charge but my bladder can't. As a result we charge at home (IOG - 7p per KwH and sometimes free) and give it a top up when we stop.

If I can I use Tesla chargers as they are cheaper than the others but not all are available to non Tesla owners. You will need to download a number of Apps. Octopus Electroverse, Telsa, Pod Point and Gridserve should get you going).

When we started we did have range anxiety but not now - my wife had that before the electric and would worry if the  tank dropped below half full. Now she's happy to do a 20 mile trip even if the range guessometer only says there 40 miles in the battery.

Also, it's nice to wake the car up when the weathers cold ten minutes before we need to leave get get straight in to a nice warm car.

[emjaybee]

Yeah, our 2005 Toyota Corolla only has 105,000 kilometers on it. Although there has been a little thought go in to a replacement vehicle, the conclusion is it makes no sense to move on from what we have, even though fuel efficiency is not great (could be driver related!).

@emjaybee 70mpg!? Does a 2018 2.0l Golf have pedals other than stop and go? 

Mark

I know!

It's modern automatic gearboxes. The Golf has a seven speed 'box & a more fuel efficient engine.
The vehicle it replaced was a 1.6ltr 2014 manual Golf hatchback. It was less fuel efficient.

[emjaybee]

One thing to also consider when thinking of buying EV is tyre wear.

EV's are considerably heavier than their IC counterparts. They have more aggressive/instant torque & harsher suspension. The tyres for EV's are also more expensive due to the increased load ratings, sidewall strength etc..
This has an impact on tyre wear.

I've a couple of clients who have them. One has  VW I.D.3, the first set of tyres lasted 5½k miles! With careful driving he managed to stretch the next set to 7½km miles.
This still means he gets through £1,100 worth of tyres a year.

There's a lot to consider these days when changing vehicles.