PHEV megatest: Britain's 16 favourite plug-in hybrid systems tested

PHEVs get sold on a single number — official electric range — that almost nobody hits in real use. The value of testing 16 systems head-to-head isn't the league table, it's exposing how widely plug-in hybrids vary once you stop trusting the brochure. A PHEV that looks efficient on paper can be worse than a plain hybrid if its electric mode is weak or the petrol engine strains to haul a heavy battery. For a buyer the takeaway isn't 'PHEVs are good or bad' — it's that the badge tells you almost nothing, and the specific system is the entire decision.