Plug-in Hybrid Cars: Higher Dissatisfaction Rates Than Electrics, According to Our Survey

We recently published two surveys on our site aimed at gathering the opinions of readers who have chosen an electric (EV) or rechargeable hybrid (PHEV) option for their new car. Indeed, we were surprised by the results of a study by Monta, a Danish startup that specializes in managing charging stations. He claimed that more than half of owners of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles regret their purchases due to rising electricity prices.

After analyzing the results of our survey for customers of electric cars, it is time to focus on the second satisfaction survey we conducted. This time it pertains to plug-in hybrid cars.

Thus, only half of the 603 PHEV car customers who responded to our survey are completely satisfied with their vehicle (50%). 23% say they are partially satisfied and 28% are dissatisfied. That’s certainly lower than the 54% of electric and plug-in hybrid car drivers surveyed who regretted their choice during the Monta study, but the proportion is far from negligible.

We found that only 19% of electric car drivers were dissatisfied, while 70% of users were completely satisfied with their vehicle. So the difference is significant when compared to plug-in hybrid cars. The latter, equipped with either a petrol or diesel engine and at least one electric motor, are nevertheless often described as combining the best of both worlds.

Electric autonomy disappoints

54% of those surveyed regret the short electric range of their plug-in hybrid car. According to the WLTP cycle, the range of most of the models currently in the market is around 50 to 100 km in electric mode. However, in real conditions it may be difficult to reach these certification values ​​and older models do not claim such electrical autonomy. Naturally, a gasoline or diesel engine starts to run more often, and fuel consumption increases. The latter does not satisfy 24% of users, who consider it too high.

If plug-in hybrid cars are more intended to be recharged at home, since recharging is not an absolute necessity, then the network of terminals frustrates its users almost as much as the electric cars themselves. Thus, 29% of respondents condemned the exorbitant cost of recharging at public terminals (32% among users of electric cars). 22% are dissatisfied with urban charging networks (27% among electric car owners) and 16% with highway charging networks (21% among electric car users).

22% of plug-in hybrid car drivers surveyed rated the cost of home charging as unsatisfactory, while 18% of electric car drivers rated it as unsatisfactory.

Among other sources of discontent, autonomy of petrol or diesel is too low for 14% of respondents and fuel cost is too low for 9% of them. 10% cite other reasons for frustration and 7% are disappointed with the driving experience, compared to only 4% among electric car drivers.

Finally, only 31% of respondents reported no dissatisfaction, compared to 52% among electric car customers.