Hybrid, plug-in or electric: What EV suits me best? 

The future of motoring is charging towards electrification. But, there isn’t one perfect route to reducing emissions, as individual demands and budgets require different solutions.

Instead, there’s a variety of roads you can take, be it hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicles.

Here’s a quick look at today’s landscape and the differences between the three common types of electrified vehicles.

Read on to find out which one is most likely to suit your lifestyle, including typical running costs and what to look for when insuring an electric vehicle from our friends at ROLLiN’ Insurance.

Often called a ‘conventional hybrid’, these vehicles are an entrée into electrified motoring.

The term refers to any vehicle that uses a combination of internal combustion engine and electric motor(s). Hybrids use a small battery pack that is recharged directly from the engine or via regenerative braking when decelerating.

While hybrid petrol-electric vehicles were first developed in the early 20th century, it wasn’t until the late 1990s – with the arrival of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius – that the concept became a viable option in the mainstream.

While it has taken almost 20 years for hybrid vehicles to lose their novelty factor, they are now available across a wide range of vehicles, from small city runabouts to family sedans, SUVs – even a handful of heavy-duty work trucks.

They are often more affordable than either plug-in or fully electric alternatives.

The primary function of a hybrid powertrain is to reduce fuel consumption. They do this by integrating an electric motor into the drivetrain, which assists a small-capacity petrol engine with some of the heavy lifting when accelerating, such as in slow-moving traffic and overtaking or climbing hills at speed when more power is needed.

But not all hybrid configurations are the same.

The most common layout is known as a parallel hybrid, where both motors are connected to the transmission and can simultaneously – or individually – transmit power to the driven wheels. Think Toyota Prius…

A series hybrid is often referred to as a range-extender and has the electric motors driving the wheels while a small combustion engine acts as an on-board power station that recharges the battery pack. Nissan’s e-Power is an example.

In all cases, a hybrid’s battery pack is only replenished onboard, and the vehicle cannot be plugged into a charging station or household power.

Hybrid vehicles are around 10 to 30 per cent more fuel efficient than comparable combustion engine vehicles. They are more effective in urban environments than in the country, as hybrids recharge the battery faster in stop-start traffic than at constant highway speeds.

For the most part, the experience of driving a hybrid vehicle is no different to driving any other conventional car.

A plug-in hybrid is a fusion between a conventional hybrid and a dedicated electric vehicle.

Essentially, it works the same as a parallel hybrid – with both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor – but features a larger battery pack, and usually a more powerful electric motor that allows the vehicle to be driven on electric power alone.

In some cases, the EV driving range of a plug-in hybrid is up to 80km on a single charge (range is increasing as technology improves). This means most users can run errands and regular commutes without using a drop of fuel.

Like a conventional hybrid, a plug-in recuperates energy while decelerating, but not usually enough to fully replenish the battery pack. Instead, the driver can choose from drivetrain modes that alters the power assistance from the electric motor or shut it down completely, so that the engine both drives the vehicle and powers-up the battery.

This allows the user more choice on how and when to activate the electric motor, such as only using the combustion engine when cruising at low engine speeds on the highway and saving the battery for inner-city work where it’s more effective.

Rather obviously, plug-in hybrids have both a fuel-filler and a plug that allows the battery to be recharged at public charging stations, at home or at the office.

Plug-in hybrids have significantly more overall driving range than both conventional hybrids and electric vehicles and are an ideal choice for those who experience a regular mix of urban and rural driving.

While choice is increasing, there’s only a limited number of plug-in hybrid vehicles on the Australian market. Popular choices include the MG HS+ Plug In, Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross and Outlander, the Cupra Formentor and Mini Countryman ALL4.

The majority of plug-in hybrids are large SUVs and luxury sedans.

But, if you have the need… the need for speed (and plenty of cash), the high-performance car world is being upturned by a new age of plug-in hybrid sports cars that produce mind-bending acceleration, along with silent, guilt-free motoring at low speeds.

Two brilliant examples of this are the Ferrari 296GTB and McLaren Artura, with more rival options under development from the likes of Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG.

Finally, if you want to extinguish your reliance on fossil fuels altogether, there is a growing league of purely electric vehicles, sometimes called BEVs (battery electric vehicles) or simply EVs.

By definition, an EV uses only an electric motor (or motors) powered by a larger battery pack. These are zero-emission vehicles, as they do not directly produce any tailpipe emissions.

EVs drive differently to conventional vehicles – and even hybrids. Where an internal combustion engine is restricted by mechanical forces in how fast it can spin, an electric motor is either on or off and, therefore, can deliver its maximum outputs in an instant.

This means most EVs don’t have a traditional gearbox-type transmission, as the engine(s) produces the same amount of torque at 1rpm as it does at 20,000rpm. This gives them such a broad bandwidth of useable performance that a single gear is suitable for both low-speed inner-city driving and faster highway cruising.

What that means, is that electric cars are seamless in how they accelerate, with none of the hesitations associated with changing gears and the rise and fall of engine speeds. They can also be face-bendingly quick off the mark – some of the fastest-accelerating cars on the planet are EVs.

Electric cars are quieter than ICE vehicles, and this has seen some manufacturers create artificial ‘soundtracks’ for their EVs for both enjoyment and safety reasons.

At the opposite end of the driving spectrum, EVs can also feel radically different under brakes. Most electric cars have multiple settings for the regenerative braking power that alters how much energy is recuperated and restored to the battery when slowing down.

In the most aggressive mode, this means that drivers won’t have to touch the brake pedal (unless in an emergency situation) when coming to a complete standstill. This can take some getting used to for those new to EV driving but, on the plus side, means less wear and tear on brake pads and discs, making EVs more affordable to maintain.

Speaking of costs, while electric cars are usually more expensive to purchase, they are generally more affordable to run – both in terms of fuel and maintenance.

The benefits increase depending on where, when and how you recharge the battery. At best, when using renewable energy such as having solar panels and battery storage at home, refilling an electric car can be free. But, even in the worst-case scenario, a typical EV’s weekly running expenses will be significantly lower than a comparable petrol or diesel vehicle.

One downside is that it does take considerably longer to replenish the battery than it does to refill a petrol tank, and there are fewer public charging stations than there are service stations. But you can recharge an electric car anywhere there is a power point.

When it comes to insuring a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or EV, it pays to check the fine print.

However, ROLLiN’ Insurance isn’t concerned with what’s under the bonnet, with a comprehensive insurance policy for all types of EV cars . In fact, ROLLiN’ helps by ensuring EV owners are not only protected for damage to their vehicle in the event of an accidental collision, theft, or extreme weather, but also for accidental damage to the battery pack, as well as charging accessories such as cables, wall boxes and adapters, arising from a covered event* .

With the support of IAG, Australia’s largest general insurer , ROLLiN’ has access to an extensive network of high-quality repairers and provides a lifetime repair guarantee on the quality of workmanship and materials for all authorised repairs for as long as you own the vehicle.

And as a digital-first brand, ROLLiN’ Insurance keeps its running costs and premium prices low, while also offering a unique ‘all ages’ excess with the same contribution cost for any listed driver in the event of a claim*.

For more information on covering your EV, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid with ROLLiN’ Insurance, head to the ROLLiN’ Insurance website.

Disclaimer: *Underwriting criteria, policy terms, limits and exclusions apply. Insurance issued by Insurance Australia Limited ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 trading as ROLLiN’ Insurance. This is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs (“your personal circumstances”). Before using this advice to decide whether to purchase a product, you should consider your personal circumstances and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determinations available from rollininsurance.com.au