What are the alternatives to petrol and diesel powered cars?

As the best-known engine types, petrol and diesel are still the most popular choice of vehicle in the UK.

Powered by combustion engines, with fuel and maintenance widely available, these cars and vans can have a range of up to 700 miles per tank of fuel. Most vehicle manufacturers produce a wide selection of vehicle shapes, sizes and styles with both petrol and diesel options.

There are two types of vehicle in this category – electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Both involve a battery, but there are some key differences.

EV = Electric Vehicle

Electric Vehicles do what they say on the tin, and are powered purely by their battery.These need to be plugged into an electricity source between uses to recharge and will have a limited mileage range depending on which model you choose. 

PHEV = Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Plug-in Hybrids have a battery, but also have a petrol or diesel engine.These vehicles also need to be plugged in to charge but will revert to the petrol or diesel engine once you’ve used up the battery. Plug-in Hybrids are great for longer journeys as you’re not restricted by the range of the battery.  

With more choice of makes and models, and ongoing improvements to the number of miles per charge, you might be wondering about the benefits of these vehicles, and if any of them could work for you.

This handy video from the Energy Savings Trust demonstrates the pros and cons of each engine type and compares them to the more conventional petrol and diesel options.
 

Hydrogen powered vehicles (fuel cell electric vehicles) are similar to electric vehicles in that they are also battery powered. But in this case, the battery is charged by a chemical reaction created by combining hydrogen with air. The only emission from the vehicle is water (H2O). 

These cars need topping up with Hydrogen, which can be done in a matter of minutes at a Hydrogen filling station. This is much quicker than charging a plug-in vehicle, but doesn’t have the flexibility of charging at home. The number of stations in the UK is currently fairly limited, so there may not be onein  your local area, but the government has put forward funding to incentivise the growth of this network.

Although these new technologies are exciting, and bring a whole host of benefits, you’ll need to consider the best option for you. Factors to consider include:

• Your daily mileage
• Type of driving – mostly motorway, or local commuting?
• Budget
• Local access to fuel stations/charging points*

* Check out ZapMap to find the electric vehicle charging points in your area.

There’s a lot to think about, so we’ve summarised some information to help you compare some the options.

Over recent years, many popular vehicle manufacturers including Volkswagen, Renault, Mitsubishi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Peugeot, Citroen, Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Audi, Tesla, and Kia have started to produce electric and hybrid vehicles. With alternative versions of well-known models and specially designed cars, there’s bound to be a vehicle to suit your needs.

And it’s not just cars. Whilst the range of electric commercial vehicles is smaller there are already electric vans on the market with many new models planned for release over the coming years.

Hydrogen is a newer vehicle option, so there are limited options available in the market today. That said, Toyota and Hyundai already have Hydrogen cars for sale in the UK with many other manufacturers working on their vehicles.