Hybrid cars have become an increasingly popular choice as we move towards an environmentally friendly, electrified future. And, as an added benefit, they’re affordable to run – saving you some money on your fuel and tax bills. 

1. YOU’LL SAVE MONEY ON FUEL

In a hybrid, the petrol engine only runs when it’s needed, saving fuel while its running purely on electric power. So, it’s more economical, because it doesn’t need to produce as much power – the electric motor helps out. And hybrids can use a system called regenerative braking to generate electricity from waste energy as the car slows down. That electricity is stored in the battery and can be used later to power the electric motor. 

2. YOU’LL HAVE LOWER TAX BILLS

Car tax is cheaper for hybrids. They’re classed as ‘alternative fuel’ cars, and the tax rates are £10 less per year than for a petrol vehicle with the same CO2 output. Also, the hybrid delivers performance equivalent to a larger petrol engine that would create more CO2 and cost even more to tax in the first year. For company car drivers there are even more savings, as the hybrid’s lesser CO2 output means a lower band for benefit-in-kind tax.

3. YOU’LL BE HELPING TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Hybrids burn less fuel, and that means they produce less of the CO2 that can act as a greenhouse gas and promote global climate change. And because a hybrid can switch off the petrol engine and run on electric power only at low speeds, for example in a traffic jam, it can help to reduce noise, lower pollution and improve local air quality. Driving a hybrid sends a powerful message about your respect for the environment.

4. THEY HOLD THEIR VALUE

Hybrids are growing in popularity as more people look for greener and more economical ways to drive and realise the benefits of combining petrol and electric power, such as low running costs. That means there’s a demand for used hybrids, which keeps resale values high. Leasing and finance costs consider what the car is likely to be worth at the end of the contract, so the hybrid’s higher trade-in values help to keep the cost of ownership down. 

5. THEY'RE AFFORDABLE TO MAINTAIN

Because hybrid cars spend some of their time running on electric power, there’s less wear and tear on the engine. The brakes last longer, too – they don’t have to work as hard because the regenerative braking system helps slow the car down. As the brakes need replacing less often, servicing costs are kept down. For peace of mind, the Honda i-MMD battery is covered by a comprehensive warranty for the first five years or 100,000km – whichever comes first.

6. NO WORRIES ABOUT RANGE

A hybrid can give you all the advantages of electric power without ever worrying about running out of charge. In the Honda Jazz, you can drive up to 540 miles (as measured on the new WLTP standard) before you need to refuel. That’s enough to drive from Watford to Inverness without filling up.

7. THERE’S NO NEED TO CHARGE UP

Honda’s hybrids are not plug-ins, instead, they are self-charging. The car carries its own generator, which is driven by the petrol engine or by the motion of the car as it slows down. The electricity generated can be used by the electric motor straight away, or it can be stored in a battery for later use. There’s no need to unravel a cable and plug it into a socket – great if you don’t have off-street parking, or you park somewhere with no source of electrical power.

8. YOU’LL GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Hybrid cars offer a great combination of petrol and electric virtues. Electric power provides quiet, zero-emission running at city speeds, while the regenerative braking system captures energy that would otherwise go to waste and turns it into electricity that can be reused. At high speed, there’s the power of a petrol engine, and as with a conventional car, you can quickly refuel and continue on a long journey. 

9. THEY HAVE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

The petrol engines in Honda’s CR-V Hybrid and Jazz work on the Atkinson cycle, which improves efficiency by extracting more useful work out of every engine revolution. The latest-generation lithium-ion batteries store more electricity but weigh less than ever before.

10. THEY’RE EASY TO DRIVE AND CONVENIENT TO USE

The fuel efficiency of hybrids means you need fewer fuel stops, so you can spend less time in windswept filling stations and more time where you want to be.

Honda’s CR-V Hybrid and Jazz have an efficient, single-gear transmission, which means they’re very simple to drive. And because there’s no plugging in, there’s no need to install a special charging socket at your home. You fill hybrids up like normal petrol cars – just not very often.

Hybrids deliver fuel efficiency and emissions benefits, so it’s well worth considering a hybrid as your next car. And with Honda’s range of hybrid cars set to grow, you’ll be seeing more and more of them on the roads in the future.