Hybrid vehicles offer consumption and emissions benefits

Several Traditional Hybrid (HEV) and Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) vehicles have entered the South African market over the last six years, significantly boosting the combined market share for these two engine types.

Unique model count for Traditional and Plug-in Hybrid sales

Passenger market share for Traditional and Plug-in Hybrid sales

The biggest contributor to this growth has been Toyota’s introduction of the Corolla Cross HEV in 2021. Since then, the Corolla Cross has consistently made up close to or even more than half of all Hybrid sales in this segment. In 2024, it accounted for over 70% of all Traditional and Plug-in Hybrid sales. Haval has also played a role in this segment’s performance, with the launch of the H6 and Jolion HEVs over the past three years.

Traditional and Plug-in Hybrid sales by make

However, while these vehicles are designed to be more environmentally friendly, how do they actually compare to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles in terms of fuel consumption and carbon emissions?

If we look at the weighted average fuel consumption (as reported by manufacturers) since 2019 across HEV, PHEV, petrol-ICE, and diesel-ICE vehicles, the results are as expected:

PHEVs have the lowest fuel consumption, as they can typically run 50–100 km on battery power before switching to the internal combustion engine.
HEVs come next, followed by petrol ICE vehicles, with diesel ICE vehicles using the most fuel on average.

Weighted Average fuel consumption by fuel type (l/100km)

The impact of engine size on fuel efficiency

When comparing ICE engine sizes to HEV and PHEV vehicles, hybrids remain the most efficient. However, ICE vehicles with an engine size of 1.3 litres or smaller are only slightly less efficient than HEVs on average. Beyond this point, as engine sizes increase, fuel efficiency decreases.

Average fuel consumption by engine size (l/100km)

Carbon emissions follow the same trend

The sales-weighted average carbon emissions show a similar pattern:

PHEVs produce the lowest emissions, followed by HEVs.
Petrol ICE vehicles emit more, with diesel ICE vehicles producing the highest emissions.
Among ICE vehicles, larger engines generate higher emissions, while smaller ICE engines are only slightly less environmentally friendly than HEVs.

Weighted Average carbon emissions by fuel type (g/km)

Average carbon emissions by engine size (g/km)

The Bottom Line

Both Traditional and Plug-in Hybrids offer clear benefits in terms of fuel efficiency and lower emissions, making them a strong alternative to ICE-powered vehicles — budget permitting.