EV vs. HEV vs. PHEV: What Are the Types of Electric Vehicles?

Electric vehicle, or EV, is an umbrella term for multiple types of battery-powered vehicles. It can be a polarizing or politicized term, so some people feel they need to decide if they’re EV enthusiasts or anti-EV skeptics. In reality, the issue is more nuanced. There are three types of EVs. Some run exclusively on battery power, while others combine battery and gas power. 

• Fully battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs or BEVs)

• Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs)

• Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

Each has pros and cons in terms of fuel efficiency, cost, and driving experience. Here are the key differences between an EV, HEV, and PHEV so you can choose the right one for your needs.

What Is an Electric Vehicle?

Electric 2024 Mercedes AMG EQE (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

EVs, confusingly also known as BEVs (battery electric vehicles), run solely on electricity from one or more large batteries. They do not have an internal combustion engine to convert gasoline into propulsion power, so there’s no need for oil changes.

EVs started as a little-known driving option for the environmentally conscious, but adoption has steadily climbed, hitting new peaks every year. In 2023, fully electric vehicles made up around 9% of new car sales in the US, and over 10% when adding in plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Although some automakers are forecasting a sales plateau as adoption moves on from early adopters into the mainstream, they are still quite popular and have spurred a surge of interest in hybrids.

Electric powertrain technology is also improving rapidly. In 2023, the median EV range rose to an all-time high of 270 miles, according to the US Department of Energy. However, most drivers don’t need that much on a day-to-day basis.

How Do You Charge an EV?

Ford Mustang Mach-E charging at a Tesla Supercharger. (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

Fueling up an EV means plugging a charging nozzle into a port hidden by a flap on the outside of the vehicle, similar to a traditional gas cap. Electricity can then flow into the battery. Around 80-90% of all EV charging occurs at home, as it is convenient and often cheaper than fueling up with gas, though that depends on local gas prices and electricity rates.

Most manufacturers include a home charger with purchase, though Tesla stopped doing so in 2022, citing low usage rates. For speedier charging than the complimentary cords provide, some homeowners opt to install a level 2 charger, which costs a couple thousand dollars depending on your home setup, but can be offset by state government rebates.

Audi Q8 e-Tron charge port (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

For longer trips, public fast chargers (level 3) power up most EVs in 20-60 minutes. An increasing number of highway rest stops have fast chargers, and billions in federal funding are going toward building out a nationwide network. To provide drivers more charging options, all EV makers have agreed to switch to Tesla’s charge port, which means they can use over 15,000 Superchargers nationwide. But until charging stations are as ubiquitous as gas stations, it’s critical to plan where you will charge along your route.

What Is a Hybrid Electric Vehicle?

Hybrids were the first major market entrant when it comes to EVs, particularly with the Prius’ global debut in the early 2000s. These vehicles combine an internal combustion engine with an electric-powered motor, switching between the two to improve fuel economy. 

Kia Niro HEV (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

For example, when a hybrid car is stopped, it is likely silently running on the electricity of the battery rather than idling with gas. When it starts up, the internal combustion engine kicks back in.

The use of battery technology to complement the gas engine brings two main benefits: Improved fuel economy and more power. Check out the stats on the Kia Sportage and Toyota Rav 4:

• 2024 Kia Sportage (full gas): 32mpg highway with 187hp

• 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid: 43mpg highway with 227hp

• 2024 Toyota Rav 4 (full gas): 35mpg highway with 203hp

• 2024 Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid: 41mpg highway with 219hp

Kia Sportage (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

Instead of charging through an external port like EVs or PHEVs, HEVs replenish their batteries autonomously through energy from the gas engine. They also use “regenerative breaking,” as do EVs and PHEVs. Whenever you brake, the vehicle captures energy normally lost and stores it for later use.

Without the hassle of finding EV charging stations, high fuel economy, and extra horsepower, hybrids have a no-brainer quality to them—as long as you can afford the extra cost, that is. They are typically an extra couple hundred or thousand dollars more than gas-powered cars, but most owners make up that difference in gas savings over the life of the vehicle.

What Is a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle?

Essentially a combination of an EV and an HEV, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is built to run on both gas and battery power. The key difference is that the power comes from plug-in chargers, making them more like an EV. Most can go 20-35 miles on pure electricity, and then switch to a backup gas engine when the power runs out. Some, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe PHEV, allow you to drive with the gas engine while preserving battery power, which you can switch to later.

The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the top-selling PHEV in the US. (Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

You can charge your PHEV at home and at public charging stations, giving you a taste of the EV life with the security of a gas tank to bring peace of mind on longer trips. Due to their smaller battery compared to full EVs, PHEVs take just a fraction of the time to charge. Like a hybrid, many PHEVs do a small amount of recharging while driving as well, mostly through regenerative braking.

Many PHEV owners seldom tap into the gas tank when running errands and commuting, making them lower-emissions vehicles than hybrids. But when they do, they achieve excellent fuel economy due to the ability to combine gas and electrical power. On the Kia Sportage example, the gas-powered version gets 32mpg, the hybrid 43mpg, and the plug-in hybrid 84 MPGe. For the Toyota Rav 4, the gas-powered version has a 35mpg, the hybrid version comes in at 41mpg, and the PHEV with an impressive 94 MPGe.

Although PHEVs may seem like the perfect Goldilocks option, their high price makes them less popular than both HEVs and BEVs. Engineering a vehicle to have two powertrains isn’t cheap; these vehicles often cost $5,000-$10,000 more than their gas and hybrid counterparts, though some qualify for the federal tax credit just like full EVs.

For more, see EVs 101: How Do Electric Cars Work? as well as the top EVs we’ve tested.