ChargeUK finds three-quarters of top-selling UK plug-in hybrids cannot use rapid chargers

The analysis by the industry body ChargeUK found that only 26% of vehicles sold across the top 20 models can use rapid chargers with power of 50kW or more. The top-selling models include the Jaecoo 7, Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson. The top 20 also include the BYD Seal, MG HS and BMW 3 Series, none of which can use rapid chargers. None of the top 20 models can use ultra-rapid chargers, the fastest tier on the network, which can add significant range in minutes. Rapid charging is defined as 50kW and above, while ultra-rapid charging starts at 150kW.

Rapid chargers can quickly top up a car battery, for example at a motorway service station, adding significant range in 20 to 30 minutes. Cars that cannot use them are limited to much slower charging speeds, meaning drivers who want to recharge mid-trip may face a wait of several hours. Hybrid owners may instead rely on their petrol engines.

Shane Brennan, chief executive of ChargeUK, said a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that is never plugged in is a costly petrol car pulling round a heavy battery. He said PHEV drivers unable to charge on the public charging network quickly fall into patterns of being petrol reliant. He added that the government must not be hoodwinked into promoting the idea that boosting PHEV sales is a meaningful step towards electrification, and that it would be a spectacular own goal to be seduced by a mythical PHEV compromise.

Repeated studies have found that PHEVs produce significantly more planet-heating pollution than official figures show. Despite this, the government last year allowed manufacturers to sell more of them towards their EV targets. PHEVs were the fastest-growing type of car sold in the UK last year, with 227,000 registered, up almost 35% on 2024, according to official data. A further 180,000 have been sold so far this year.

In a recent consultation on the zero emission vehicle mandate, the government said PHEVs were driven on electric power far less than official figures suggested. The report said the method used to calculate emissions savings significantly overestimates electric driving, because in real life many drivers charge infrequently, meaning real-world CO2 emissions are higher than official figures. The government is expected to weaken targets for pure EV sales even further when a consultation on changing the mandate closes in October, after a period of intense lobbying from the car industry. Last week, Nissan suggested it could withhold a £170m investment in its factory in Sunderland if the UK does not weaken the rules.

Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers make up about a quarter of the UK’s public charging points, according to government figures, but deliver the majority of the network’s total charging capacity because they are much faster. By contrast, every one of the top 20 pure electric vehicle models sold last year could use rapid chargers, and 64% could use ultra-rapid chargers.

The findings come after carmakers raised discounts on combustion engine cars last month, including hybrids, and weakened them on electric vehicles as they neared their annual EV sales targets. Autotrader said average discounts for petrol cars listed on its platform jumped sharply to 11.9% in September from 11.3% in August. EV discounts fell to 10.7% from 11.1%, which the group said was mainly down to companies such as Mercedes-Benz and MG scaling back their incentives as they close in on their required ZEV mandate levels for the year.

A government spokesperson said it was taking a practical approach by letting drivers choose plug-in hybrids, adding that the vehicles’ real-world carbon emissions were still 40% lower than the average petrol or diesel car.

Editor's Summary

Research by ChargeUK reported by The Guardian found that only 26% of vehicles sold across the UK’s 20 best-selling plug-in hybrid models can use rapid chargers, and none can use ultra-rapid chargers. The finding has intensified concerns that many PHEVs are heavily petrol-reliant, even as the government considers weakening pure-electric sales targets and carmakers adjust discounts. The government says plug-in hybrids remain a practical choice with lower real-world emissions than average petrol or diesel cars.