A hybrid car is a vehicle that has more than one source of horsepower, meaning it uses a combination of an electric motor with a petrol or diesel engine.
The Benefits of Hybrid Cars
- The biggest benefits of driving a hybrid vehicle are that your lease car will require less fuel, therefore making it cheaper to run, plus it will emit less CO2 in comparison to a regular car powered by a petrol or diesel engine – so you’ll be looking after the environment too.
- There’s also other benefits to be had by driving a hybrid car, such as potentially being able to avoid congestion charges.
- Businesses can benefit greatly from leasing a hybrid car, paying less Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) tax compared to a conventional petrol or diesel car, plus cars which emit less than 75g/km means you, the driver, will be exempt from having to pay London congestion charges.
Types Of Hybrids
A hybrid car consists of an engine you’d typically find in a regular car, an electric motor and a battery. Basically, there are three different kinds of hybrid cars available today, however each one works differently.
Firstly, the most common type of hybrid is known as a Parallel Hybrid and is the one known to most people. The wheels on the car can be powered via three various ways – by the engine alone, by the electric motor on its own or with both power points of supply combined together.
On these type of hybrids, when the vehicle pulls away at a speed of around 15mph it uses just the electric motor for power, therefore making it particularly economical in the city when a lot of stop-start driving is often the case. As the speed increases, the engine steps in. When the driver uses the brakes or decelerates, the regenerative braking system produces electricity, storing it up in the battery for later use.
The second type of hybrid car is known as a Range Extender Hybrid, which only uses a conventional engine to produce electricity which is then sent to a generator to recharge the batteries. The car cannot be driven by the engine, it merely produces energy to supply the electric motor.
Lastly is the plug-in hybrid, which as its name suggests can be plugged in to an electricity outlet so that the batteries will be recharged. This can also be done whilst out on the road at an electric charging point. Basically, these are a cross between a conventional hybrid and a full electric vehicle. And whilst they do have a conventional engine, they hold larger batteries compared to those found on a regular hybrid so can travel longer distances on their electric power.
When it comes to performance, a hybrid car is like driving a conventional automatic car. A number of hybrids give you different power modes to chose from, ranging from eco to power. This allows the driver to choose between performance or maximum efficiency based on what the driving conditions are.
So should you lease a hybrid car?
If the mileage you cover is mainly from trips to town and around your home then you’ll probably benefit from driving a hybrid, running on just electric power only – which translates to very low cost journeys!
However, if your journeys are regular short trips that don’t rely on the flexibility that a hybrid gives you, then an electric car might be your best option – also available at Flexed.
If you cover a lot of miles on the motorway and A-roads, then a conventional petrol or diesel car is probably your best option, as hybrid cars are less efficient when it comes to longer journeys – we have a wide range of these to choose from here at Flexed on short term leases – if you’d like to find out more, give us a call on 0800 311 8290.
Hybrid cars available to lease at Flexed:
We have more than 20 hybrids to lease at Flexed currently; please see this page for a full list. As a taster, here’s a sample of what we’ve got in stock:
- Cupra Formentor 1.4 eHybrid 204 V1 5dr Auto
- Alfa Romeo Tonale 1.3 PHEV Veloce 5dr Auto
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 Mild Hybrid Motion Auto
- Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T Mild Hybrid Acenta Premium 5dr
- Kia Niro 1.6 GDi 127 Hybrid 2 5dr Hatchback Auto
- MG ZS HATCHBACK 1.5 Hybrid+ SE 5dr Auto
- Volkswagen Tiguan Estate 1.5TSi eHybrid Match Auto
If you can’t see the car you’re interested in, contact us now via email and we’ll do our best to help: hello@autohorn.co.uk
Please click here to find out more about our car leasing services and fantastic offers for both Business and Personal customers, or give us a call on 0800 311 8290.
Drop us a quick email to hello@autohorn.co.uk or chat with a member of our team NOW using our online ‘We Are Here!’ service – we’ll gladly answer any leasing questions you may have.
