This calculator can help estimate personalized fuel use and costs for a plug-in hybrid based your driving habits, fuel prices, and charging schedule. Our plug-in hybrid calculator lets you estimate fuel economy and gas and electricity costs for plug-in hybrids.
Upon entering the MPG of the traditional car, our plug-in hybrid economy calculator will automatically determine the fuel costs based on your driving habits and monthly mileage. It will also display how much money you will save each month if you settle for a PHEV instead.
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) will almost always cost less to fuel than a conventional car and will usually cost less than a hybrid, too, says Jake Fisher, senior director of CR''s Auto Test Center. But on average, the purchase prices of PHEVs we tested were 15 percent higher than their gas-only counterparts and 13 percent higher than hybrids. Whether your fuel savings will cover the additional purchase cost depends on a number of factors. (To better understand the lingo, read The Words You Need to Know Before You Buy a Hybrid, EV, or PHEV.)
We calculated for drivers who put 40 miles a day on their cars, plug in their EVs and PHEVs nightly, and take four 500-mile road trips each year. We assumed a blend of city and highway driving in optimal temperatures for electric range, used the latest fuel and energy prices available in January 2024, and chose gas and electric prices for states with energy costs that represent most of the country.
"PHEVs give you the flexibility to pick whichever energy source costs less," Fisher says. But if you live somewhere with high gas prices and relatively low electricity costs, such as Washington state, we found that a PHEV will save you more money per mile than if you lived somewhere with lower gas prices and higher electricity prices, such as Massachusetts. The savings are less significant in states such as California, where electricity and fuel costs are high, and Florida, where both costs are relatively low.
See CR''s 10 Top Picks of 2024, find out who makes the best vehicles, and learn more in our annual report on car performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety.
In general, a PHEV will save you money on fuel over a gas-only version of the same vehicle as long as you regularly plug it in. The payback period depends on your fuel and energy costs. The BMW 330e PHEV costs $1,390 more than the conventional 330i. Even with a modest electric-only range of 20 miles, the 330e pays for itself in just under three years in Washington but over seven years in California.
By and large, a PHEV will cost more to purchase than a conventional hybrid. In the case of this Tucson, any fuel savings might not make up the $3,395 difference in cost—especially if electricity is expensive where you live. But conventional hybrids aren''t eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 that may help defray the cost of leasing the PHEV.
Fueling costs are similar between the two vehicle types, and EVs almost always cost more upfront to purchase than PHEVs. The Niro EV would make financial sense only if you could take advantage of state and local incentives that apply to EVs and not PHEVs, if the manufacturer is offering a lease deal on an EV, or if you have solar panels at home.
Automakers are betting heavily that the roads of the future will be populated with full-electric powered cars, trucks, and SUVs. As for now, however, their numbers remain relatively slim, with potential buyers wary of their higher purchase prices, and limitations with regard to operating ranges and charging availability.
The prudent go-between for those who want to both save money at the pump and reduce their carbon footprints is a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV). Like standard hybrids they use one or more electric motors to augment a gasoline engine, for the sake of both improved acceleration and fuel economy. But a PHEV goes a step further by including a larger battery pack that allows the vehicle to operate for an extended period solely on electric power. Once the battery is depleted, the vehicle continues to operate as a regular hybrid under a combination of gas and electricity.
While their all-electric range on a charge is far less than with full electric cars, PHEVs effectively eliminate the so-called "range anxiety" over being stranded at the side of the road with a drained battery. However, a PHEV must still be tethered to the power grid nightly to enable its initial run on full-electric power. This can be accomplished via a standard 110-volt outlet, though charging times are far quicker if you have a 220-volt line installed in your garage.
PHEVs are the most efficient when running solely on electricity, which remains a much cheaper power source than gasoline. The EPA rates this in terms of "MPGe," which is a miles-per-gallon equivalentbased on a conversion factor of 33.705 kilowatt-hours of electricity consumed equaling one gallon of gasoline. The top performer in this regard is the Toyota Prius Prime, which is rated at 133 MPGe when running on electricity over its initial 25-mile range.
As with electric vehicles, an PHEV''s battery-only capabilities vary from one model to another.Some can run for only 17 or 18 miles on full electric operation, which affords little in the way of a cost advantage. At the other end of the curve, a few can run for over 40 miles at a time on electricity, which for many motorists could be sufficient to affordably cover their daily commutes. One downside here is that, as with electric cars, a PHEV''s battery range tends to be adversely affected by extreme temperatures and the use of accessories, especially the climate control.
A few states further sweeten the deal with rebates or tax credits of their own, but they''re usually less than they are for full-electric models. For example, Massachusetts and Oregon give PHEV buyers a $1,500 incentive, while it''s a $1,000 in Pennsylvania and Maine.
The one-time tax credit alone (provided you can claim the full amount when you file your tax return) can often make up for a PHEV''s added cost. For example, a gas-only Chrysler Pacifica Limited minivan is retail priced at $35,495, while the Plug-in Hybrid Touring model—which can run for 32 miles on battery power with a full charge—stickers at $40,295. Factoring in the Hybrid''s $7,500 federal tax credit effectively drops the PHEV''s price to $32,795, which amounts to $2,700 in up-front savings.
Also, you''ll find some PHEVs being offered with incentives from their respective automakers to spur sales. Again using the Chrysler Pacifica as an example, this month buyers are eligible for up to $5,750 cash back (versus $3,500 for the standard model) or zero percent financing.
Beyond that, a plug-in hybrid''s cost effectiveness largely depends on its energy efficiency. According to the EPA, the cost of driving a PHEV 15,000 combined city and highway miles per year at current national average gas and electricity prices runs between $600-$1,650 using regular-grade fuel, and between $1,300 and $2,150 for plug-ins that require premium. By comparison, the EPA says the average 2021 vehicle costs $1,500 to go the same distance using regular-grade fuel, and $1,950 with premium.
Getting back to the Chrysler Pacifica, the EPA says it will cost the average owner $1,850 per year to drive the standard V6 model 15,000 miles, while it''s estimated at $1,000 for the PHEV. That''s an additional savings of $4,250 over a five-year ownership period.
The EPA''s annual operating costs cited below are based on gas priced at the national average of $2.72 per gallon for regular grade ($3.47 for premium) and at electricity at $0.12 per kilowatt hour (kWh). Your costs will vary according to local gas prices and electricity rates. Fortunately, the EPA maintains a handy calculator at itsfueleconomy.govwebsite that lets you estimate a PHEV''s operating cost according to your state''s average costs for gas and electricity, based on many miles you drive.
We''ve ranked the most cost-effective plug-in hybrids for 2021 based on each vehicle''s federal tax credit, it''s range per charge on battery power, and estimated average annual operating costs.
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