A new study has calculated the distance an average petrol, diesel and hybrid car can travel on £10. Comparing the average cost of fuel in 32 major cities, the report has found the savings residents across the UK can expect if they make the switch to hybrid.
Automotive manufacturer Suzuki has analyzed how far £10 will take you in a diesel or petrol car in comparison to our hypothetical hybrid car, as well as surveying 2,000 drivers to understand their attitudes towards hybrid cars.
The study reveals that more than a quarter (27%) of respondents would like to buy a hybrid car, with almost half (46%) confessing their main reason to buy a hybrid car would be the lower running cost. Surprisingly, only 2% of the population correctly identified what the average savings for running it would be, with nearly two-thirds (60%) estimating a lower saving on just £1 – £300. In fact, the in-depth analysis shows that drivers could save up to £386 per year.
How Far You Can Travel With £10 In A Hybrid Car:
- Manchester – Mancunians that switch to a hybrid car will travel as far as 70.11 miles with £10, while petrol and diesel cars will only take them 50 miles and 53 miles, respectively.
- Belfast – Belfast residents that top up the tank of their hybrid car with £10 will drive as far as 70.1 miles. However, if they were to drive a petrol or a diesel car, £10 would only take them 51 and 52 miles, respectively.
- Birmingham – For those starting their road trip from Birmingham, a £10 top-up of a hybrid car will take them as far as 69.38 miles, while a petrol vehicle will take them as far as 50.2 miles and a diesel will take them 52.35 miles.
- London – Londoners ready to adventure themselves on a road trip with a hybrid car will go almost double the distance (69 miles) than with a petrol car (49.9). If they were to go with a diesel vehicle, a top-up of £10 will only last them for 52 miles.
Spokesperson at Suzuki adds: “There is a lot of misunderstanding about Hybrid Vehicles; mostly because there are many variants. Suzuki has hybrid technology included as standard across the entire passenger car range, offering Mild, Full, and Plug-In Hybrid technology. To some, this might appear a little confusing, but we do this so there is a model for everyone. Hybrid technology works by combining a conventional petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor. This electric motor, along with a hybrid battery works together to support the engine – or in some cases, power it on its own. The level of power varies by hybrid type, this is why you’ll see variations of Hybrids.”
Potential running cost savings in the UK’s top cities:
Birmingham – £10 of petrol in Birmingham will take citizens around 50 miles and £10 of diesel will take them up to 52 miles. However, with a hybrid car they will go as far as 69 miles! This is a saving of almost 35%.
Coventry – People living in Coventry that make the switch to a hybrid car will save up to 35.26% which is an average of £379 a year.
Manchester – Mancunians topping up the tank with £10 will see that a petrol car will take them around 50 miles, a diesel car around 53 miles and a hybrid car 70 miles! This is 35% saving compared to a conventional car.
London – Londoners that make the switch to a hybrid car will be able to save 35.3% on running costs which equals to around £378 per year.
Edinburgh – People topping up their car with £10 will be able to go up to 49 miles with a petrol car, 50 miles with a diesel and 67 with a hybrid car.
Glasgow – Glasgow residents making the switch to a hybrid car will be able to save on running cost up to £382 which is around 35.3%.
Hybrid cars are the future of the automotive industry
Hybrid cars are here to stay with two-fifths (41%) of respondents believing that hybrid cars are the future of the automotive industry and it’s the millennial and Gen Y age group, aged 24 – 42, who are the strongest advocates (44%) with more than one in ten already owning a hybrid car (13%).
Greater London is the region with the most hybrid car owners (15%), followed by the West Midlands (11%) and the North East (11%). Wales has the lowest ownership at 3%.
Nearly a fifth of drivers (16%) say that they will make the switch to a hybrid car in the next 5 years. The key reasons for respondents to move away from conventional cars include:
Lower running cost (46%)
Eco-responsible (41%)
Reduce noise pollution (26%)
No congestion charge (24%)
What’s holding people back?
The research also unveiled some common misconceptions around hybrid cars with 39% of respondents claiming that they believe the National Grid is not able to handle the increasing demand despite many hybrid vehicles being self-charging.
And one in five (20%) think that hybrid cars are slower than petrol and diesel cars.
Spokesperson at Suzuki adds: “We’re big believers that Hybrid Cars are right for the here and now. With genuine concerns over charging infrastructure and rangeability in Electric Vehicles, we’re confident that our Hybrid range can offer drivers the convenience they need. In the meantime, we’re continuing to invest in Electric for when the time is right, with our first EV coming in 2025.”
Enterprise Car Club is introducing eight new low-emission hybrid electric cars in the Highlands and Islands region of Scotland, which can now be booked using the new and ground-breaking GO-HI journey planning app.
