The Difference Between Electric & Hybrid Cars
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the UK government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030, part of an ambitious plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
No matter your feelings about electric and hybrid cars, they are going to play an important role in the future of transportation, so it’s worth gaining a proper understanding of them now. Who knows – you might want to make the switch early!
Hybrid cars
As the name suggests, hybrid cars are powered by both an internal combustion engine (petrol or diesel) and an electric motor and battery. There are actually two separate types of hybrid cars, these are:
- Parallel hybrids – a parallel hybrid (also known as a series hybrid) is the most common type of hybrid vehicle and runs on both an electric motor and a fuel-powered motor. The way these hybrids work is that the fuel motor doesn’t actually kick in until you’re travelling at around 15 mph, making them perfect for city driving or stop-start traffic slogs. Once you go past 15 mph, the fuel motor takes over and the electric motor can charge.
- Plug-in hybrids – a plug-in hybrid vehicle has a combustion engine and an electric motor, just like a parallel hybrid. The difference is that, as well as recharging the electric motor while out driving, you can also plug it into any household power outlet and charge it there. In this way, plug-in hybrids are able to travel much longer distances than parallel hybrids without needing to stop.
Electric cars
A fully-electric vehicle is powered by a large battery and at least one electric motor attached to it; however, more powerful vehicles will often feature more than one. In terms of functionality, fully-electric vehicles share some of the same traits as hybrid vehicles, such as regenerative braking and plug-in charging, but there are some key differences too. Electric cars owners will enjoy lower running costs thanks to the associated reduction in tax and not needing to buy fuel. They also technically have a slightly shorter range than hybrid vehicles as they don’t have a separate engine to rely on.
Should I make the switch now?
Absolutely! There are a number of benefits to switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle, here’s the top three:
- Reduced fuel costs: Hybrid vehicles consume far less petrol or diesel than regular vehicles and electric vehicles use none at all. On top of this, electricity prices are lower in general than fuel prices (per km) and tend to change less.
- Lower maintenance: Electric engines tend to require less maintenance and repairs than internal combustion engines, so you will save time and money in this area too.
- Tax breaks: Both electric and hybrid vehicles have associated tax incentives to help speed up the energy transition.
Do you own an electric or hybrid vehicle in Maidstone, Sittingbourne or anywhere else in Kent? 1st Call Windscreens are the top windscreen repair and replacement company in the region for electric and hybrids vehicles, so you can be sure you’re in safe hands with us. To learn more about our services, why not get in touch today? Our team is always on hand to help.
1st Call Windscreens
Hello and welcome to 1st Call Windscreens. To put it simply, we offer the best windscreen repair and windscreen replacement services for customers in Sittingbourne, Maidstone and the rest of Kent.
![Windscreen Repair or Windscreen Replacement? [Infographic]](https://www.1stcallwindscreensltd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/does-your-car-need-replace-or-repair.jpg)
- Reviews.io
I spoke to David today, he couldn’t be more helpful! He was VERY honest, HELPFUL & KNOWLEDGEABLE! What an amazing service, if anyone is looking to use 1st Call, I couldn’t recommend them more! ...
- 52 minutes ago
we are very happy with the repairs carried out and the speed of the response. Great job, would recommend !st Call Windscreens any time....
- 1 week ago
Excellent service. A niggling leak on the windscreen was fixed quickly and efficiently. The screen was removed without fuss or damage and resealed. It's a job that insurers won't touch,they only de...
- 3 weeks ago
Discovered my Volvo V50 was not sealing at the top. Autoglass wanted to replace it for £700, called 1st Call and they removed and resealed it for £100+vat and said that if it had broken it would only ...
- 1 month ago
Absolutely the best. From the first phone call to collecting my car with new side window that had been vandalised being replaced. next day service so my car was back on the road promptly. Extremely ...
- 1 month ago
Excellent Workmanship Good Value and Top Quality Customer Service: I recently had my Ford Fiesta ST heated windscreen replaced by 1st Call Windscreens, I couldn't be happier with the whole experienc...
- 2 months ago
Brilliant service. Would recommend 1st call windscreens to anyone looking for an efficient service. Friendly and helpful above and beyond ! 0...
- 2 months ago
Asked for a quote online which came through quickly. Just £48 inc vat for windscreen stone chip. Phoned to book a repair. I could either take the car to them or they would come out to me the next day....
- 3 months ago
Tom turned up on time, he was professional but friendly, he kept me informed on what he was doing and progress, and did a great job! Thanks Tom. Would highly recommend...
- 3 months ago
I needed my windscreen replaced due to a large crack; I was booked in straight away and I couldn’t be happier. They came to my house to fit the replacement, only took them about 20 minutes and they ev...
- 4 months ago
Couldn't be happier, had my Evoque windscreen re sealed as was leaking. Highly recommend 1st Call Windscreens. The guys were extremely helpful & friendly both on phone and doing the work. The work was...
- 4 months ago
Fantastic service, booked for a site visit to alleviate any disruption to the engineers day and it all went seamlessly. I would definitely recommend 1st Call Windscreens and will use them in the futu...
- 4 months ago
Customer service were great responded to my call out vey quickly and the guy that came out was very nice and helpful Thank you...
- 5 months ago
Had my chip fixed at my home this afternoon - cannot praise the service enough!!!! Lovely man who took 10-15 minutes - perfect job and no issues - very good price and highly recommend them Jo Seveno...
- 6 months ago
Very helpful and carried out a repair at very short notice on our way to catch a ferry. Very polite and stabilised the chip in our windscreen so that we could continue abroad for our holiday uninterru...
- 7 months ago
Made a call to 1st call windscreens as I was worried about a chip in my screen. The guys were very helpful, turned up on time and carried out a fantastic repair and was cheaperthan my insurance acce...
- 7 months ago
We had an emergency windscreen repair needed when travelling down from Oxfordshire to Kent. The Sittingbourne team went out of their way to help us at very short notice and allowing us to resume our j...
- 7 months ago
Jake was friendly, polite and helpful. He left no mess inside or outside the car and took away the boxes the seals came in even though they were supplied direct by the BMW dealer....
- 8 months ago
Arrived on time at my home address. Was very professional, polite and efficient. No hassle and no mess. Screen was replaced on my mini in no time at all and looks perfect. Thank you will highly recom...
- 8 months ago
So happy with Byron and Jake today very friendly and professional from 1st Call Windscreens Ltd. They come extremely well prepared with attention to detail. A great job was done on replacing my wind...
- 8 months ago
1st Call windscreens are absolutely 1st class. Spoke with David on the phone and he was so helpful and knowledgeable. Took our car up to them to advise on the correct windscreens which embarrassingl...
- 8 months ago
See Our experts in Action
Watch 1st Call Windscreens video, featuring our experts in windscreen repair & replacement in Sittingbourne, Maidstone & Gillingham in Kent.
You can come to us or we can come to you. We repair and replace windscreens from single vehicles to whole fleets.
Get a free quoteMAP LOADING...
© 1st Call Windscreens Ltd 2024 · All Rights Reserved · Registered Number: 3942185 · VAT Number: 683 356 803
