Eight of the UK’s 10 best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) cost more to buy than their electric equivalents, new data from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) reveals.

Analysis by the research-driven think-tank found that the UK’s 10 best-selling PHEVs had recommended retail prices (RRPs) on average £4,150 higher than an equivalent EV – making PHEVs 10% more expensive, on average, to purchase.

Examples cited by researchers include the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid PHEV at a hefty £5,780 more expensive to buy than the Volkswagen ID.4 EV.

Meanwhile, the Ford Kuga PHEV came out at £4,035 more expensive to buy than the Explorer EV.

Researchers also revealed that the MG HS PHEV is £3,400 more expensive to buy than the S5 EV, while the PHEV version of the Jaecoo 7, the UK’s best-selling car in March 2026, is £2,000 more expensive to buy than the Omoda E5 EV, although it’s worth noting that the Jaecoo is larger.

This analysis comes on the back of recent news from Autotrader that the average price of a new electric vehicle is now lower than the average price of a new petrol car. Based on advertised prices on Autotrader after discounts, the study found that new electric cars now cost £42,620 on average, compared with £43,405 for petrol models, driven by government grants and sustained manufacturer discounting.

The research by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, carried out as the price of petrol and diesel soars due to the Middle East conflict, also uncovers the increased cost of fuelling PHEVs compared to their electric equivalents.

Based on their manufacturers’ claims about their fuel efficiency, the UK’s best-selling PHEVs should cost, on average, £540 a year for petrol and electricity. But with research finding that PHEVs consume 490% more fuel than their manufacturers claim, the real-world figure is £1,030 – almost twice as high. These real-world fuelling costs have jumped by 18%, or £160, since the war in Iran began.

This means that PHEVs now cost, on average, £620 a year more to fuel than their electric equivalents – a figure that is £140, or 30%, higher than it was before the conflict in Iran started. Once servicing, tax and insurance costs are factored in, together with the typically higher up-front costs of a PHEV compared to an EV, PHEVs are now over £1,000 a year more expensive to own and operate than an EV.

Colin Walker, head of transport at the ECIU, said the reality is that PHEVs cost more to buy, and more to run, than their electric equivalents.

And he warned that with more drivers looking to shift to electric vehicles in some form to shield themselves from rocketing fuel prices, “there is a risk that some will make the switch to vehicles that simply won’t deliver the savings that are promised of them”.

Walker said the best way that drivers can reduce their exposure to spikes in global oil markets is to shift to vehicles that don’t need oil to move – EVs.

“Not only are they cheaper to buy than PHEVs, they can save their owners hundreds, even thousands, of pounds a year in running and ownership costs.”