You’ve probably seen the headlines: battery EV sales are slowing down, and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) sales are hot; the DC fast charging infrastructure isn’t good enough for road trips, so you should drive a PHEV; battery EVs aren’t ready for prime time, but PHEV are the best of both worlds. I’m here to tell you that it’s all nonsense. Battery EVs are better today than ever, while PHEVs are full of compromises.
Before we dive into why PHEVs are generally a bad idea, here’s a quick disclaimer. I’ve been driving battery EVs for six years now (I’ve owned two Tesla Model 3s back-to-back), and as a car journalist, I’ve tested almost every battery EV available in the US over the last decade, plus my fair share of PHEVs. Since 2018, I’ve been doing road trips in battery EVs multiple times a year all over the Western US.
