Search
Close this search box.
Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Glass’s predicts an early end for hybrids as electric cars surge ahead

Volkswagen ID showcar 800
Electric future: The VW ID promises an electric range of 373 miles within three years

Share

18 October 2016

‘Within a few years, hybrids could be seen as little more than a curiosity and this will undoubtedly affect their values’ says Glass’s director of valuations Rupert Pontin

HYBRIDS are likely to be a passing phase in car technology that will be surpassed by electric vehicles (EV) in a matter of a few years, to the extent that Glass’s predicts an early end for hybrids.

The vehicle data provider says that EV technology is advancing so quickly that a new hybrid vehicle being bought today could be effectively obsolete by the time it reaches the end of its normal life.

Rupert Pontin, director of valuations, said: “Hybrids are designed to solve two of the problems that EVs have faced in recent years – high cost and low range.

“However, there are very clear signs that these issues are being resolved very quickly. For example, the revised Renault Zoe announced at Paris Motor Show has a 250-mile range and costs £17,000.

“Similarly, the new battery in the BMW i3 lasts around 190 miles [range] and Volkswagen is claiming that its ID, which will come to market in 2020, will go up to 373 miles between charges and be priced competitively.

“The fact is that vehicles such as this effectively remove the rationale for hybrids. Within a few years, hybrids could be seen as little more than a curiosity and this will undoubtedly affect their values.”

Rupert said that the popularity of hybrids in the UK had largely been powered by the company car market, where their low CO2 figures minimised tax bills for drivers.

“These vehicles make a lot of sense in the fleet sector but not so much on the used market, where buyers tend to view them as more complicated than a diesel but with few compensating advantages.

“As viable EVs start to become available in larger numbers, this will only become more acute and it is difficult to foresee a situation in which demand is likely to increase.

“Our view is that, unless manufacturers find it difficult to bring the price of EVs down to somewhere near family cars, then hybrids will simply be seen as a passing phase in the history of the car.”

Share this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit
Email

Want more motoring news?

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Latest news

Top