I Own a Plug-in Hybrid: Here's What They Don't Tell You

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Last year, my husband and I had to replace our 17-year-old Prius with a newer vehicle. We knew we weren't ready to take the leap into a full-fledged EV, but we wanted a car that would offer comparable gas mileage to our Prius, only with more room.

We landed on the Toyota RAV-4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid SUV. It seemed like a good middle ground solution, given that a full-fledged EV wasn't what we wanted.

I've enjoyed having this car for the past year, but there were certain elements that caught me off guard when we first brought it home. Here are a few of the surprises I encountered.

1. These cars can go

I mostly drive a minivan. And while my car has decent acceleration, it's not as if I'm going from zero to 60 in three seconds flat. Our plug-in hybrid, on the other hand, accelerates really quickly. That's something I had to get used to.

2. You can't use all charging stations

Our hybrid has a 47-mile EV range, which we like to maximize since it saves us money on gas. But it can be a challenge to charge our car on the go, since our hybrid won't work with every charging station. We can't use a Tesla Supercharger, for example, because the car isn't compatible.

3. It takes longer to charge your car than you might think

When you buy a plug-in hybrid, it typically comes with a level 1 charger. That's what we have, and while it does the job, it charges slowly. We usually get about three to four miles of range per hour of charge. So to get to our full 47 miles of EV range, we typically need to charge our car for a good 14 hours or so. It's possible to upgrade to a level 2 charger to speed up the process, but these can cost many hundreds of dollars depending on the type you get, plus installation.

4. You may not get your full EV range, depending on how you're driving

A big reason I was excited to get a plug-in hybrid was to save money on gas. But with a plug-in hybrid, you may not get your full EV range, depending on your driving conditions. Driving fast, going up hills, and using air conditioning will all reduce your EV range. So while we'll sometimes start out with a 47-mile range, we might only get 40 or 41 miles of electric driving before our car flips over to running on gas.

Is a plug-in hybrid right for you?

If you like the idea of an electric engine but aren't ready for a full EV, then a plug-in hybrid could be a good compromise. But you'll need to consider a number of factors when making that decision, including:

• The cost of your vehicle itself, which may be quite a bit more than a gas-powered car or traditional hybrid
• The cost of auto insurance
• The cost of maintenance
• Your driving needs

The last one is important, because if you do a lot of local driving, a plug-in hybrid could be a great fit for you. If you don't tend to go long distances, you might end up spending very little on gas because your car's EV range might cover the bulk of your driving.

But a plug-in hybrid is also a good car if you tend to drive longer distances, because once you run out of EV range, you simply revert to gas. And from there, you're usually looking at great gas mileage.

If you know someone who has a plug-in hybrid, ask about their experience. It's an easy way to get the scoop on these cars and figure out if you should start shopping around for one.

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