As electric car technology continues to evolve, hybrid cars are gaining market share, efficiency and, obviously, presence in every segment. We are going to review the ones that best fulfill their mission of reducing fuel consumption.
The hybrid car market has had a spectacular boom in recent times as a result of the forced transition to electric vehicles. Neither industry nor society are yet ready to complete this transformation and hybridization has been the solution for many manufacturers who must comply with the stringent emission regulations imposed by governments and administrations.
Be that as it may, the hybrid car It is, in theory, a mere intermediate station in this daring journey towards total electrification, but the truth is that it has many years to live and today it is probably the most rational option for many users.
And, in this context, consumption is one of the main points in favor of the hybrid car. For that reason, we wanted to review the vehicles of this type with lower consumption approved according to the WLTP cycle.
Hybrid car types
But before going into the matter, we must be clear about the types of hybrid cars that we currently find on the market, since the assessment that must be made when choosing one or the other model depends largely on it.
At the moment there are three types of hybrid cars, popularly known by their acronym in English: PHEV, HEV and MHEV.
PHEV refers to plug-in hybrid car o Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This type of car has a heat engine, generally gasoline, associated with an electric motor. Both can move the vehicle independently and the electric battery usually allows a range of between 50 and 100 km, and can be charged with the help of the heat engine or through the electrical network.
The best hybrid SUVs? Javier Gómara faces this difficult question.
HEV it’s a non-plug-in hybrid car o Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This type of car is similar to the plug-in one, but with the particularity that the battery cannot be recharged through the electrical network, but uses the combustion engine or a kinetic energy recovery system. The electric autonomy is very short and, in essence, it contributes to reducing consumption on urban routes.
Finally, we have the MHEV, acronyms corresponding to 48 volt mild hybrid car o Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This type of hybrid car includes an electrical system that can stop the combustion engine in situations where it is possible to reduce consumption and emissions. Its higher voltage also allows active suspensions or small electric motors that the vehicle can incorporate.
Do you want to know more about the hybrid car and how it works? Do not miss this article about it.
The PHEV ‘trick’
We will make one last reservation before delving into what the official market figures say. And it is that the PHEV have found a bargain in the current consumption and emissions measurement system, the so-called WLTP cycle.
As we have already said, this type of vehicle has a battery capable of propelling it in electric mode for a distance of between 50 and 100 km, depending on the model and driving system.
The particularities of the system mean that, as a general rule, a PHEV completes the test in a 60 or 70% in all electric mode, that is, consuming zero. The rest will do it as a conventional hybrid or HEV, so the consumption will be much higher.
This, in practice, means that the approved consumptions can only be extrapolated to the use of no more than 100 km between each recharge, because if we exhaust the total autonomy of the vehicle they will be much higher.
Small and Compact
We are already entering the consumer sector with the two smallest segments of the market, that of utility vehicles and compact cars. In this section, the PSA Group and the VAG Group share most of the top 5, with the Peugeot 308 and the Volkswagen Golf as the main exponents, both plug-in hybrids.
They are accompanied by the SEAT León and the Audi A3, which is joined by the only ‘infiltrator’, the Mercedes A Class of 2018CV. Of course, all five are PHEVs, mainly due to the exception that we have previously commented in relation to the WLTP cycle.
- Peugeot 308 PHEV Hybrid 180CV – 1.1 l / 100 km
- Volkswagen Golf PHEV eHybrid 1.4 TSI 204CV – 1.2 l / 100 km
- SEAT León PHEV 1.4 e-Hybrid DSG 204CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- Audi A3 Sportback PHEV 40 TFSI 204CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- Mercedes A-Class PHEV 250 218CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
SUV / SUVs
Óscar Magro has tested the hybrid KIA Niro, in this case the HEV version.
Equally spectacular are the consumption figures of the most popular segment today, that of SUV. In this case, it is KIA that obtains the lowest figures with the Niro and the XCeed, although these are very similar to those of the Audi Q3, the Volkswagen Tiguan and the Peugeot 3008.
Again, all of them are PHEVs and have powers that go from 141 of the KIA up to the 245CV of the Q3 and the Tiguan. And, as in the previous case, all of them are again PHEV.
- KIA Niro PHEV 1.6 GDi 141CV – 1.3 l / 100 km
- KIA XCeed PHEV 1.6 GDi 141CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- Audi Q3 and Q3 Sportback TFSI e PHEV 245CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV 1.4 TSI eHybrid 245CV – 1.5 l / 100 km
- Peugeot 3008 PHEV Hybrid 225CV – 1.5 l / 100 km
Minivans
The Mercedes B-Class is one of the few exponents of the MPV segment that still survives SUVs.
We continue with the segment of minivans and, in this case, we find the first in the top 5 HEVYes, with an approved consumption clearly higher than that of the Mercedes B-Class and the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, which homologate consumption of less than two liters.
Among non-plug-in hybrids, the Toyota Prius +, with Ford’s S-Max and Galasy following with already quite high consumption.
- Mercedes B-Class 250 e PHEV 218CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- BMW 2 Series Active Tourer PHEV 225xe – 1.8 l / 100 km
- Toyota Prius + HEV Eco 136CV – 4.6 l / 100 km4
- Ford S-MAX 2.5 Duratec HEV 190CV – 5.2 l / 100 km
- Ford Galaxy 2.5 Duratec HEV 190CV – 6.5 l / 100 km
Saloons
In the section of sedans we find iconic models of this segment such as the Passat, Octavia or A6, but suitably updated to face new trends in the sector.
In that context, the Volkswagen it is the one who boasts a lower approved consumption, while the Audi is clearly the most powerful of the top five classified in the ranking.
- Volkswagen Passat GTE 1.4 e-Power PHEV 218CV – 1.1 l / 100 km
- Škoda Octavia 1.4 TSI PHEV 204CV – 1.2 l / 100 km
- Audi A6 50 TFSIe quattro S tronic PHEV 299CV – 1.2 l / 100 km
- Toyota Prius Plug-In 125PH PHEV 122CV – 1.1 l / 100 km
- Peugeot 508 Hybrid PHEV 225CV -1.3 l / 100 km
Family
Between vehicles intended for the family and the countryside, but without losing comfort and effectiveness on the road, such as off-road vehicles and even SUVs, we find ourselves in a new duel between the PSA Group and the VAG Group.
In this case it is again the Peugeot 308 the one that approves a less consumption, closely followed by the family version of the Volkswagen Passat. The differences between the five chosen are minimal, in any case.
- Peugeot 308 SW Hybrid PHEV 180CV – 1.1 l / 100 km
- Volkswagen Passat Variant GTE 1.4 TSI e-Power PHEV 218CV – 1.2 l / 100 km
- KIA Ceed Tourer 1.6 GDi PHEV 141CV – 1.3 l / 100 km
- Peugeot 508 SW Hybrid PHEV 225CV – 1.3 l / 100 km
- Volkswagen Arteon eHybrid 1.4TSI PHEV 218CV DSG – 1.3 l / 100 km
Sports or Coupés
Javier Gómara tells us his impressions in relation to the Mercedes CLA Coupé.
We finish this review of the hybrid cars that consume less with the sports cars and coupes, in which the offer is more scarce than in other segments.
Mercedes It is the one who bets the most for it and the CLA and GLC in their coupe versions are the ones that stand out mainly, approving consumption of two liters or less. The third in contention is a sports car, the Lexus LC 500h, which is also a non-plug-in hybrid.
- Mercedes CLA Coupé 250 e PHEV 218CV – 1.4 l / 100 km
- Mercedes GLC Coupé 300 e 4MATIC PHEV 320CV – 2.0 l / 100 km
- Lexus LC 500h 3.5 HEV 359CV – 6.4 l / 100 km