{
  "id": 9952101,
  "title": "Three-quarters of UK’s popular plug-in hybrid cars unable to use rapid chargers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/three-quarters-of-uks-popular-plug-in-hybrid-cars-unable-to-use-rapid",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-26T09:00:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/26/uk-plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles-rapid-chargers-analysis"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Only a quarter of the top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the UK can use rapid chargers, according to a new analysis by the industry body, ChargeUK. This means that three-quarters of these popular hybrid cars cannot utilize chargers with power of 50kW or more, which can quickly top up a car battery during a motorway service station stop. Drivers of these hybrid vehicles are left relying on their petrol engines for mid-trip recharging, often facing lengthy waits of several hours. Shane Brennan, ChargeUK's chief executive, warned that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that are never plugged in essentially become costly petrol cars with heavy batteries. These PHEVs are promoted by manufacturers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive while still reducing emissions, but government efforts to boost their sales may not contribute to true electrification. Despite concerns, the government last year allowed manufacturers to sell more PHEVs to meet their EV targets. PHEVs were the fastest-growing type of car sold in the UK last year, with 227,000 registered - a 35% increase from 2024 - and another 180,000 sold so far this year. The top 20 PHEV models sold in the UK include the Jaecoo 7, Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson, BYD Seal, MG HS, and BMW 3 Series, none of which can use rapid chargers. The government's zero emission vehicle mandate consultation also found that PHEVs are driven on electric power far less than official figures suggest, potentially weakening targets for pure EV sales even further when the mandate changes in October. Carmakers have been raising discounts on combustion engine cars and reducing them on electric vehicles as they near their annual EV sales targets.",
  "summary": "Only 26% of PHEVs sold across top 20 models can use chargers with power of 50kW or more, analysis finds Three-quarters of the 20 top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the UK cannot use rapid chargers, research has found, amid concerns that many are essentially “petrol cars pulling round a heavy battery”. The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}