Lets see what i said.
Keep in mind that PHEVs don’t really cope well with long distances (especially motorway etc), once the battery is empty you have basically the 180hp petrol version with 350kg added weight.
Now, feel free to explain to me how you recharge the battery on the motorway. The system does not constantly regenerate, it regenerates when you brake/slow down. And if you use your engine as a generator to recharge the battery, you’re using more petrol than the equivalent ICE variant.
How are you impressed with mid 40s? While better than the absolutely ridiculously awful standard T5, it’s still horrendous.
Here. Take their word.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/long-term-reviews/volvo-xc40-recharge-t5-2021-long-term-review
Particularly this bit:
“Admittedly, I had managed only a two-thirds battery charge at my local supermarket before setting off, and as I pretty much default to Android Auto for every car that plays nicely with my phone, I missed out on the built-in sat-nav’s economy optimisations, which calculate how best to divvy out the remaining electricity along your route. This meant an MPG figure that dipped into the low-30s on the return leg.”
It’s common knowledge that PHEVs lose their efficiency quickly when driving long journeys, not sure why you’re yet again arguing something that’s well proven.
Again, don’t take it from me, take it from professionals.
https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-is-a-plug-in-hybrid-and-should-you-buy-one/n1141
“The main downside of owning a PHEV is that it’s likely to have poorer fuel economy than a conventionally-powered alternative when it’s driven using the engine rather than the electric motor. This is because you’re lugging around the additional weight of its electric battery pack.
Add this to the fact that PHEVs tend to cost more to buy than petrol or diesel rivals, and this could mean your motoring costs are higher than they could be.
So if most of your journeys are longer than your PHEV’s pure electric range, or if you’re not able to charge up the batteries frequently and end up doing the majority of your driving using the engine, then a plug-in may not be the best option for you.
If most of your journeys are longer motorway drives, a pure electric car with a long range could be suitable as long as you’re able to replenish its batteries after each long drive. If you’re not able to charge up cheaply and easily, a diesel-engined model is likely to be the most cost-effective option. ”
Mid forties means around 20% better economy on long journeys than the ICE version (which they don’t sell anymore, so the entire comparison is pretty moot since you wouldn’t have a choice anyway), which on motorway etc returns slightly over 38ish mpg. Feel free to do the math – look at the premium for the PHEV system over the standard ICE, and see if 20% fuel savings would counter that premium over three years.
Same case here. Yes, on long journeys the E-Tense might get slightly better mileage than the 180hp petrol (if that), but it needs to be more than £4000 worth of petrol in three years to make sense. And even if i’d agree that you could save £4000 in petrol over three years (which is absolutely not happening) to make up the AP premium, you still have now a less reliable engine, more tyre wear, worse brakes (or rather, same brakes but 350kg more to brake) etc.
There’s no way an E-Tense makes sense currently (*through the scheme). Other having way too much disposable income and not caring whether or not you lose £4000 over three years, and need the extra 40hp.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.