Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 17:34
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Jason Dunks

Hi All, Completely new to this.

I have BMW X3 2.0d x drive and would like to replace it with PHEV or hybrid.

My challenges are that I generally do a 110 mile commute (55 each way) with the occasional 200 miler and quite a lot of night time/weekend ferrying the kids around- totaling around 35,000 miles a year. I also tow a caravan.

Really like the RAV 4 but also VW Passat GTE.

Advice gratefully received.

Edited by Jason Dunks on 17/06/2020 at 17:35

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 17:47
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - badbusdriver

If your lengthy commute is, for the most part, at motorway/dual carriageway speeds, there would be little benifit to getting a hybrid (other than tax if it is a company car). Once the battery power has been used up, you are essentially just driving a normal car with a couple of hundred kilos baggage (at this point, you'd actually be better off with a non hybrid petrol, as the significant extra weight will affect the mpg). If the commute involves lots of hills or stop start driving, this will give the battery a chance to recover some energy and contribute, but otherwise a hybrid wouldn't be suitable. For the kind of useage you describe, especially when you throw a caravan into the mix, diesel is going to be the best option.

Edited by badbusdriver on 17/06/2020 at 17:50

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 17:54
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - leaseman

Best response I have read this year bbd. Spot on.

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 18:19
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - sammy1

I hope you try before you buy as the vehicles you mention are a bit of a come down from your X3 which remains one of my favourites, and yes you need a diesel.

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 18:43
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - badbusdriver

I hope you try before you buy as the vehicles you mention are a bit of a come down from your X3 which remains one of my favourites, and yes you need a diesel.

In what way would either car be a comedown from an X3?

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 19:29
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Terry W

Totally agree a hybrid is pointless complexity, weight and cost and a diesel would be a better bet - but:

- if it is a company car there could be significant differences with benefits in kind taxation which may sway the outcome.

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 21:28
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Miniman777

I've looked at hybrids several times and dismissed them for my type of driving.

Pottering to the shops, garden centre, close family, fine, but not for 35,000 miles per year.

Out of interest which X3 is it, as if it's the G01 series, unless it's got niggly faults and you've a good rapport with a dealer, keep it. They are very nice cars, built and finished well. I enjoy mine, though it is a 3.0d. Only last week, out of curiosity, I looked at possible alternatives, and not being in the JLR/Porsche/VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat fan club, came to the conclusion there's nothing close unless I wanted the same model in petrol, to spend twice what I do on fuel. Er, no, what I have is just perfect.

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 17:24
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Jason Dunks

Thanks for this, your comments appreciated

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 17:26
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Jason Dunks

Thanks for your thoughts.

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 22:49
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - mcb100
A hybrid will not flatten its batteries whilst driving. A conventional, non plug-in, hybrid will run on a combination of petrol and current even on the motorway. And, as such, it will give fuel consumption somewhere between a petrol and diesel engined car. It’s never dragging around a mass of flat batteries because they’re constantly being charged and discharged.
A PHEV, once charged from a charge point, will do 30/40/50 miles in EV mode - perfect for shorter trips around town. That approach would be madness, however, on a longer journey. The much greater capacity will allow it to alter the ratio of petrol/current running more towards the electric motors. Should you get to a point where the charge taken in from the charge point is depleted, it runs like a non plug-in hybrid. Again, no lugging around of dead batteries. A hybrid never flattens its drive batteries.
Plug-in hybrids still don’t match diesel MPG on motorway runs, but will comfortably beat them in urban situations.
And, all this time, no DPF’s or trick multispeed transmissions to worry about. And potential tax savings as a company car.
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Thu 18 Jun 2020 12:44
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Andrew-T
It’s never dragging around a mass of flat batteries because they’re constantly being charged and discharged.

I'm trying to extract the point of this remark - any battery is a dead weight being dragged around, whatever its state of charge. At least a tank of fuel gets lighter as it is used ?

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 14:06
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - mcb100
My point being that the batteries are contributing to forward motion, and not, as above ‘baggage’.
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Thu 18 Jun 2020 20:15
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Hugh Watt
My point being that the batteries are contributing to forward motion, and not, as above ‘baggage’.

That is so often misunderstood - I think you clarified it very well.

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Wed 17 Jun 2020 23:40
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Avant

There are fewer people now for whom a diesel is still the best bet, but you seem to be one of them, Jason.

If ytou're concerned about the environment, as we all should be, a new diesel will be Euro-6 compliant and be no more polluting than a petrol. As others have said, a PHEV or hybrid may not be best suited to your motoring needs. And the torque of a diesel makes it better for towing a caravan.

It depends on how many short journeys you do, such as being kids' taxi. A PHEV could do these on electric power.... but only if the battery is fully charged. If these trips are on the evening, it won't have had time to charge up after your commute.

Does your other half have a car? It sounds as if a smaller EV or hybrid might be a good second car to your diesel.

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 09:51
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - London calling

I have a Lexus NX300h and regularly get around the mid 40’s mpg, this includes town and motorway driving.
Last year I did a couple of trips to the south of France which included travelling around the mid Pyrenees and still got over 40mpg, that’s pretty good for the size of vehicle.

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 15:04
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - BPL

I have a Lexus NX300h and regularly get around the mid 40’s mpg, this includes town and motorway driving.
Last year I did a couple of trips to the south of France which included travelling around the mid Pyrenees and still got over 40mpg, that’s pretty good for the size of vehicle.

Don't Mercedes, Peugeot, Citroen & Land Rover make diesel hybrids? Not sure who else if any?

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 15:55
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - London calling

NX300h is a petrol hybrid....

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 17:28
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Jason Dunks

it would seems that option maybe to keep the X3 for work and towing and get a used EV for pottering and the weekend. Thanks all

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Thu 18 Jun 2020 17:40
Hybrids for Long Commute and High Mileage - Heidfirst

I also tow a caravan.

Really like the RAV 4

The AWD version of the RAV4 has a max towing weight of 1650Kg braked), the 2WD is only 800Kg (braked). Is 1650Kg enough? Needless to say the AWD is dearer than the 2WD but possibly still cheaper than a new X3?

It does sound like you may be 1 of those that is still best served by a diesel.

Edited by Heidfirst on 18/06/2020 at 17:42

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?