Is a PHEV a better choice than a hybrid?
I have owned Toyota hybrids for a few years now and have been satisfied with the quality and performance. My wife and I cover about 12,000 miles a year. It's mixed driving (motorway, country roads and some city). Because my wife does quite a lot of shortish driving, on country roads in particular and sometimes into South London from Kent, I have wondered whether our next car should be a plug-in Toyota Prius. However, I have read about the "lugging a heavy car around" after the electric charge runs out. This has confused me because I was under the impression that when the charge runs out it would perform like our current Toyota Auris Hybrid and recharge during the journey? Was I mistaken and does it then perform like an ordinary petrol car?
Asked on 17 September 2019 by Chris Harper

Yes, once the battery's flat it will operate like a normal hybrid using the engine to recharge the battery and recuperating energy normally lost under braking. It's not very efficient, though - the batteries are heavier than those used in a standard hybrid and it's recommended that to get the best from a plug-in hybrid, you charge regularly. If most of your wife's journeys are within the electric range of the Prius Plug-in and you have a home charger (or can get one), it makes a lot of sense.
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