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[Nick W]

All the cars I looked at had engines, but I never gave it a thought that they might manipulate the reslts to look good by just using it on plus in power..

Maybe it's about time they revised the stats on Autotrader to give a more accurate idea for the consumer.

It's not as if manufacturers lied about the economy of traditional ICE cars. Sorry, not lied, but quoted figures from entirely artificial tests done under laboratory conditions.


Car magazines that did proper tests always quoted their actual mileage.


A self-charging, short range hybrid is never going to beat by much the mileage of a car that uses all the fuel to drive itself. Small increases are possible if the car is used for the cycles that it is optimised for. That optimisation is not easy, because you also have to work around the extra systems. This sort of hybrid is intended to spend its life in inner city heavy traffic, where the engine isn't used for creeping along slowly. That's a realistic use for such things, but they're not the complete answer that they were hailed as 20 years ago. Which anybody who has actually driven in mixed traffic conditions will know already

[countrywoman]

Its simple maths really, you dont get out for nout ! when in engine mode not only do you have to generate energy to drive vehicle you also have to generate energy to charge battery pack and it always takes more energy to charge than you get in return. Laws of physics and all that.

[Doctor Gollum]

The BMW i3 carries enough fuel to give an extra 50-60 miles of electrickery. Around a third the capacity of the batteries if you are trying to use the batteries as you charge them... (the engine is technically a generator as it only charges the batteries).

[Nick W]

The BMW i3 carries enough fuel to give an extra 50-60 miles of electrickery. Around a third the capacity of the batteries if you are trying to use the batteries as you charge them... (the engine is technically a generator as it only charges the batteries).

Not all i3s were equipped with the engine; they were available as plug-in only EVs. Which were so much more popular that BMW stopped selling the range extender. If you're expecting to use the range extender then you have to ensure that the tank(which is tiny) is full. Which is no different to running out of LPG and realising that the petrol tank is empty too

[Doctor Gollum]

There's a certain logic to that although it does then restrict the usage of the car somewhat. 

[Nick W]

There's a certain logic to that although it does then restrict the usage of the car somewhat. 

Any plug-in EV is severely compromised if you're intending to use it mainly for long trips. The i3 is intended mainly as a second car, or as a run about. It helps to have fallen for BMWs advertising.


I've driven one and while the electric part is as beguiling as it always is(especially in a small car), the BMW-ness is just as off-putting as ever: terrible suspension, weird design decisions and engineering for the sake of it. It was always going to be a loss-leader; getting customers to demonstrate the bugs in the drivetrain that is now a production option in Minis, and a toe in the water for building production carbon-fibre monocoques. Don't expect to see those any time soon.

[Viral_Jim]

The best feature of the Range Ex i3 is that it allows you to use 100% of the battery capacity on any trip.

The main issue with shorter range EVs and the UK'S currently sub-par charging infrastructure is that you inevitably want to save 20 of your 100miles in case you can't charge when you get you're going. The i3 allows you to use all of its battery range every time. 

[Shackeng]

FWIW I recently bought a Kuga plug in hybrid, as my trips nowadays are 90% local, and less than 30 mile round trips. I’ve done about 1k so far, and have used only a quarter tank of fuel, engine is 2.5  petrol. Unfortunately despite supposedly being a more climate friendly vehicle, the road tax is twice as much as the petrol Mondeo, apparently due to its new price having been over £40k. Hardly designed to encourage people to buy hybrids. Serves me right for not checking before I bought it.

[TheBoy]

Looking at the stats from my mate's Vauxhall 5008 shitbox plug-in hybrid, it doesn't make financial sense.

His 29 mile batteries are doing about a 3rd of that during colder weather, and at current domestic electric rates, thats costing around £7 to charge.  Petrol is around £5.60 a gallon, and any petrol shitbox driven in the way only a Peugeot driver (or tunnie) can should give way more than 30mpg, let alone 9mpg.

Obviouly, if you can nick electric from work, that changes the situation, but it's a disciplinary at our place...

[Shackeng]

FWIW I recently bought a Kuga plug in hybrid, as my trips nowadays are 90% local, and less than 30 mile round trips. I’ve done about 1k so far, and have used only a quarter tank of fuel, engine is 2.5  petrol. Unfortunately despite supposedly being a more climate friendly vehicle, the road tax is twice as much as the petrol Mondeo, apparently due to its new price having been over £40k. Hardly designed to encourage people to buy hybrids. Serves me right for not checking before I bought it.

I should say I’m getting from 25 -30 on the battery so far, less when it’s colder. I have a home charger as daughter visits in her Tesla.

[Rangie]

Better off buying a vehicle with a large engine & not expecting much from it, far more satisfying than buying something which fails to live up to its consumption figures & is a bag of shit to live with.

[Shackeng]

Works for me, 240 mpg, drives well, and charged from my solar panels.

[STEMO]

Works for me, 240 mpg, drives well, and charged from my solar panels.

Your situation with the distances driven is an ideal scenario for that kind of car, Chris. On a daily commute of 60, 70, 80 miles, the mpg would be a lot less. Similarly, if you'd bought a 2.5 petrol without a battery, your mpg would be a lot lower.
So, perfect car for your situation, but not for Mick towing a tin tent over long distances. Horses for courses.