Here’s the problem with plug-in hybrids

Electric cars aren’t the only cars that are plugged in. Hybrids could theoretically serve as a stepping stone to fully electric cars, offering enough electric range for short trips while still offering the flexibility of a gasoline engine. For those who can’t charge at home, or don’t want to deal with the uncertainty of public charging infrastructure on road trips, they seem like a decent option. But the news cycle has just provided two reminders of the limits of plug-in hybrids.

Last week, Stellantis suddenly confirmed that it would discontinue three popular hybrid models. At the Automotive Press Association conference in Detroit on Monday, GM CEO Mary Barra acknowledged an uncomfortable truth — that many hybrid owners don’t plug their cars in. The auto industry as a whole is not giving up on hybrid cars, but it is certainly in a difficult situation.

Plug-in hybrid promise

The advent of electric cars in the early 2010s was a technological revolution not seen since the dawn of the automobile itself. As in the early days of the auto industry, there was a bit of a Wild West feel as competing technologies tried to stake a claim. In this case, fully electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and, to a lesser extent, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been promoted as the cars of the future.

While GM is bullish on plug-in hybrids today (outside of China), things started with the most popular hybrid ever. The Chevrolet Volt was inspired by a simple but effective solution from GM’s EV1 project. In the absence of charging stations, engineers used trailers equipped with generators to maintain the batteries of these fully electric vehicles. This remains the main attraction of hybrid cars: enough electric range for the short trips that make up the vast majority of the car’s use, while maintaining a way to charge the battery when charging stations are not available. Using this electric range—usually between 25 and 50 miles—to its fullest means burning less gasoline.

Automakers have found more specialized uses as well. In cars like the Bentley Continental GT Speed ​​and Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance, plug-in hybrids control inefficiency by giving engineers a path to more power without increasing engine displacement. The instant torque of electric motors can also complement combustion engines by filling in the gaps in their powerbands. In the Lamborghini Temerario, electricity helps tame an unruly, high-revving engine, even if it doesn’t provide much of an efficiency boost.

But are they connected?

The Achilles’ heel of plug-in hybrids is that owners don’t have to plug them in. If they don’t, that leaves a regular hybrid car hauling around hundreds of pounds of extra weight in the form of a larger battery pack that goes unused. That’s how most hybrid cars are driven, GM CEO Mary Barra said Reuters Reporter Kalia Hall in a video interview.

“What we also know today about hybrid cars is that most people don’t plug them in,” Parra said. “That’s why we try to be very thoughtful about what we do from a hybrid and hybrid perspective.”

Barra said what many of her fellow executives may not want to admit. In 2024, InsideEVs Investigate whether owners are actually plugging in regularly, and reach out to several automakers to obtain usage data. However, most automakers either couldn’t provide that data or didn’t specifically say how often their hybrid cars were used as intended.

Multiple studies have concluded that owners often do not connect to electricity. In 2022, the International Council on Clean Transportation said that true electric miles traveled could be 25%-65% lower than the range ratings on hybrid window stickers, resulting in 42%-67% higher fuel economy. Looking at the European market, a 2025 study by the Transport and Environment Agency found that the gap between real-world emissions and official emissions for hybrid cars has widened in recent years. In 2023, hybrid cars’ real-world emissions average five times the official rate, according to the study.

Do buyers want it?

Automakers can ignore this problem because regulations do not take into account real-world emissions or driver behavior. But they need to sell cars, and Stellantis seems to think it can’t sell hybrids. It confirmed last week that the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe and Jeep Wrangler 4xe will not return for the 2026 model year. A spokesperson told The Drive that this was due to “shifting customer demand” and that the automaker would refocus on “more competitive electric solutions, including hybrids and extended-range vehicles.”

Stellantis has never sold plug-in hybrids better than their non-hybrid counterparts, but understandably they have sold fairly well. The automaker previously said the Wrangler 4xe was the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the United States, but that made it a big fish in a small pond. In late 2024, J.D. Power estimated that hybrids accounted for just 1.9% of the U.S. new vehicle market — less than fully electric vehicles.

There are likely other factors at play. Chrysler and Jeep hybrids have been plagued by recalls, the loss of the federal tax credit for electric vehicles makes those vehicles less attractive to shoppers, and the Trump administration’s lack of interest in enforcing emissions rules is giving Stellantis some leeway. But it’s still a bad sign that Stellantis doesn’t think it has a business case for good vehicles overall. The Pacifica Hybrid was a unique, versatile offering in an SUV-saturated market, while the Jeep 4xe models maintained towing capacity and off-road capability, giving owners a taste of zero-emissions four-wheel drive.

Is it worth keeping plug-in hybrids?

Plug-in hybrids will continue for the time being. Other automakers, such as Porsche and Volvo, see it as a hedge against unpredictable electric car sales. And while it’s adding more electric vehicles to its lineup, Toyota has just given the plug-in hybrid RAV4 greater electric range as part of a redesign for the 2026 model year.

A variation on the theme, known as Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREV), could also see a comeback. Here, the internal combustion engine is used only as a generator to charge the battery. The BMW i3 REx pioneered the concept, but it’s now being repurposed for larger pickup trucks like the Ram 1500 Ramcharger, the Scout Terra Harvester, and a replacement for the Ford F-150 Lightning.

The question is whether these efforts are driven by a desire to make good cars and trucks or simply a desire to avoid addressing the charging infrastructure and cost issues that hinder wider adoption of electric vehicles. Plug-in hybrids don’t have to be a dead end for development, but they shouldn’t hold back EVs either.