Three-quarters of UK’s popular plug-in hybrid cars unable to use rapid chargers
News Source
•Sat, 26 Sep 2026 09:00:32 GMT
📰 What Happened
New analysis has found that three-quarters of the UK's twenty best-selling plug-in hybrid cars cannot use rapid chargers. Only 26 per cent of the models sold can charge at 50 kilowatts or more. The industry body ChargeUK carried out the research.
The top twenty models include the Jaecoo 7, the Ford Kuga and the Hyundai Tucson. ChargeUK's chief executive said a hybrid that is never plugged in is just a costly petrol car pulling a heavy battery around.
🔍 The Backstory
Rapid chargers can add a lot of range in 20 to 30 minutes, which matters at motorway services on a long trip. Cars that cannot use them charge far more slowly, so drivers may wait hours or simply rely on petrol instead.
Plug-in hybrids have both a battery and a petrol engine. Carmakers sell them as a way to cut emissions without the range worry of a fully electric car. ChargeUK warned that boosting hybrid sales is not real progress towards going electric.
🎯 Why It Matters
Buyers may pay extra for a hybrid that ends up running on petrol most of the time. It also affects whether the UK meets its climate targets.
New analysis has found that three-quarters of the UK's twenty best-selling plug-in hybrid cars cannot use rapid chargers. Only 26 per cent of the models sold can charge at 50 kilowatts or more. The industry body ChargeUK carried out the research.
The top twenty models include the Jaecoo 7, the Ford Kuga and the Hyundai Tucson. ChargeUK's chief executive said a hybrid that is never plugged in is just a costly petrol car pulling a heavy battery around.
Rapid chargers can add a lot of range in 20 to 30 minutes, which matters at motorway services on a long trip. Cars that cannot use them charge far more slowly, so drivers may wait hours or simply rely on petrol instead.
Plug-in hybrids have both a battery and a petrol engine. Carmakers sell them as a way to cut emissions without the range worry of a fully electric car. ChargeUK warned that boosting hybrid sales is not real progress towards going electric.
Buyers may pay extra for a hybrid that ends up running on petrol most of the time. It also affects whether the UK meets its climate targets.