Going electric in any form can be a bit of a minefield – we're all being told that we need to do it, but it's hard to work out what's what. It's important to arm yourself with all the knowledge that you can, so you're able to make an informed decision about what's the best setup for you. 

To start with you have to think about what level of electric is right – there are three levels and the first two still use a petrol or diesel engine to back up the electric motor and batteries. So if you're not quite ready to commit to a full EV or you don't have access to home or local street charging then you can opt for a different blend. 

Don't panic, though, because we're here to clear the air and help you make the right choice for you and the way you drive. We’ll start on how you make an informed choice between a HEV, PHEV and a BEV. 

Hybrid 

Let’s start with a HEV, otherwise known as a hybrid electric vehicle. That means it has a conventional combustion engine (usually petrol), an electric motor and a small battery pack, which all work together. When you press the brakes to slow down, the energy is recovered by turning the motor into a generator to top up the battery. The power is then used by an electric motor to boost the petrol engine when you are moving away from a stop or wanting a bit of extra acceleration. It’s like recycling, but for energy!

It makes the car feel livelier, but also means the motor can be tuned to be more efficient. You can also sit for extended periods with the car on, but the engine doesn't need to run, like if you're in traffic. Generally, a good hybrid will use 20% less fuel than an internal combustion engine. But this is not an electric car in the traditional sense as it never uses power from a plug – it’s a petrol which has been made more efficient through energy capture and electrification.

Example cars: there's a good mix of hybrid cars around, think of the Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Santa Fe or Dacia Jogger, which all have HEV versions.

Plug-in hybrid

A PHEV, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, has a larger battery than you’ll find in the HEV (around 20kWh or 30kWh compared with 2kWh) and in addition to capturing energy from braking it can be plugged in to charge. They can be plugged into a three-pin domestic socket, but that charges very slowly, so expect to budget for a home charge point being installed as well. If you're in rented accommodation there are still grants available for that. 

Generally speaking we wouldn't recommend running a PHEV unless you can charge at home – public charging is more expensive, and the efficiency of a PHEV makes it more expensive than running on petrol. Home charging is much cheaper though, so then the cost advantage swings back to the plug-in hybrid. If you are a company car driver a PHEV is also more tax efficient, with a much lower rate of benefit in kind tax to pay.​

Previously most PHEVs could only manage around 20 miles of real world running in electric mode, but now carmakers are selling PHEVs that will manage up to 80 or 90 miles on a full battery. Most of us do drive less than 20 miles a day, though, so we could manage the bulk of our journeys on electricity. All PHEVs will default to the petrol engine when the battery is empty, and many (but not all) PHEVs will act as a HEV at this point too. 

Example cars: most carmakers offer PHEV versions of their big sellers these days – the Skoda Superb, BMW 3-Series and Toyota RAV4 all offer PHEV versions

Battery electric

BEV stands for battery electric vehicle, which means there is no traditional engine at all. Instead, it has a big battery pack (mostly from around 40kWh to 100kWh in size) and electric motor, so you never have to fill up with fuel again. The electricity comes from a charging point at home, work or at a public charger. It produces no CO2 emissions while driving, is almost silent and can be as cheap as chips to run. 

Getting used to charging needs a bit of acclimatising, but there are always people at charge points who will give you advice and there are lots of useful apps you can download to find out where to plug in and how to save some money on public charging. 

Example cars: there's something electric to suit everyone these days – the Fiat 500 supermini, Kia EV3 family car and BMW iX3 SUV are electric cars from across very different classes 

Which suits you? 

There are pros and cons for each, so the best for you will depend on the type of journeys you do most often and if you have access to charging easily. You will also need to check if you can get incentives to go electric, such as company car or salary sacrifice tax benefits, or access to low emission zones in cities.

A hybrid will be little different to the cars you’re used to, except more efficient. And that’s pretty much it. You use it like a petrol or diesel car, can fill up as normal at a fuel station and never have to worry about charging, or range anxiety. If you do lots of long journeys to towns across the country, then a hybrid might work for you.

A PHEV is more expensive than a straight hybrid, but it can run for much greater distances on electric only. If you’re a business user, a PHEV can attract some serious BIK advantages, without ever having the practical issues of a pure electric car. It’s also as convenient as a hybrid, because if you can’t charge or are doing longer journeys, it just uses the engine. In a lot of ways, it’s the best of both worlds. However, you will have to plug it in more often than a BEV to get the cost benefits of charging at home, and if you're running around with an empty battery the petrol engine is having to work harder. 

A pure electric car is quiet, calm, and quick. If you are on a long journey the charging takes longer than visiting a petrol station, but if you have home charging, you wake up every morning to a full 'tank'. Bear this in mind if you think an electric car won’t work for you because you do a long trip a few times a year – the inconvenience of needing to stop for 30 minutes to rapid charge the battery is actually outweighed by the convenience of never having to visit a fuel station for the rest of the year. 

And pure electric gets better tax incentives too, especially if you are a company car driver. It could save thousands of pounds every year.

What about the cost? 

One of the biggest issues with pure electric vehicles is that batteries are expensive, so electric cars are sometimes more costly than their traditional equivalents, though prices are coming down. Plus there are lots of cars now that benefit from the UK government's electric car grant, which gives £1,500 or £3,750 discounts on new electric cars if they meet certain criteria. 

Hybrids are cheaper to run than purely combustion driven cars, and are more efficient round town than on the motorway (it's usually the opposite way round with a petrol or diesel car). 

A PHEV is a good compromise, combining the convenience of a traditional car with some of the capability of a pure electric. If you plug one in regularly, you can seriously improve your efficiency and lower your costs without compromising convenience. 

But as charging gets both faster and more convenient – and charging stations are popping up everywhere now – a pure EV is better to drive and for air quality. Electric cars can be cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars. Electricity from home is cheaper than fuel, especially if you are charging your electric car in off peak times using a special tariff.

So, ultimately, it’s up to you. Do the sums, analyse the driving you do and make your decision. Good luck – and check out the rest of the site for hints and tips, including our Complete Guide to Going Electric. 

Let us help you to make the best decision possible when it comes to going electric