I only do around 1000 miles a year - would a hybrid suit my needs?

My current car is a BMW 320i, bought new in 2014 and has 12,800 miles on the clock. Would my usage suit a hybrid or would the battery be a problem with such low mileage?

Asked on 21 June 2023 by George O'Donnell

Answered by David Ross
You don't mention how you use your current car, but assuming you have travelled only 13,000 miles in nine years this would suggest you make frequent short journeys and relatively few long trips.

Hybrid vehicles are suited to shorter journeys as the frequent acceleration and braking means the battery is frequently charging and discharging. However, some hybrid owners have found that an absence of longer journeys and long periods of being parked up means the hybrid battery is rarely recharged fully, and have experienced a lack of functionality from the hybrid system.

You may wish to consider a plug-in hybrid, because if you can charge at home you can keep the battery topped up and also carry out short journeys on purely electric power, which will result in lower running costs than a conventional hybrid or petrol car.
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