Once upon a time, fuel options were simple: petrol or diesel. The biggest worry was putting the wrong fuel in the car. For the record, I only did that once. But it was in my wife’s brand new car.

Fast forward to 2021, and the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars looming, there are a raft of new greener options. But are they all viable in the real world?

I thought I’d take the chance to share my experiences and evaluate the different options. I’ve been reviewing cars for five years and have experienced all of these for a week or so at a time, so while it’s not a fool-proof assessment, hopefully it might give some insight to the pros and cons of each option.

Let’s look at the most recent addition to the line up – the mild hybrid. Consider this a first stage hybrid where the majority of power is still delivered courtesy of a conventional engine, supported by a comparatively small battery.

A smaller engine with better fuel economy

This means the hybrid tech can’t power the car on its own, but supports the engine when needed, increasing power, or improving efficiency. So you can benefit from a smaller engine without a loss of power or a larger engine, with better fuel economy.

I recently drove the Ford Kuga Mild Hybrid, and the 2.0 diesel engine delivered around 50-60mpg in the real world. I previously owned an equivalent non-hybrid from another manufacturer, that averaged around 40mpg, so you’re going to see an improvement of somewhere in the region of 10-20mpg.

Next up: the self-charging hybrid. With a bigger battery pack, they can be driven for short distances at moderate speeds in full electric mode, reverting to hybrid mode when pushed or when the battery is depleted. These can’t be plugged in and like the mild hybrid, the battery is re-charged with brake-based energy recovery systems.

Personally, I’ve not been massively impressed with self-chargers. I think it means paying for two whole power-trains and lugging around lots of extra weight. They have improved and if you live solely in a built up area, or just drive to the shops a few times a week, then it might work for you.

Plug-in hybrids are similar, but with increased battery capacity and the ability to plug your car in to charge. More capacity equals a greater electric range and slightly higher pure-EV speeds before triggering the conventional motor.

Finally, the full EV. A few years back, these were the sole dominion of the likes of Tesla, Nissan and Toyota. Nowadays, most major manufacturers offer an EV in a range of styles and sizes.

Limitations with range and charger availability

The limitations with a modern EV are range and the availability of high-capacity chargers. With the fastest chargers, 200 miles can be added in around 30 minutes and if you’ve driven 200 miles, you’ll probably want a cup of tea and a stretch of the legs. But range-worry is a thing and running out of ‘fuel’ is a much bigger problem.

On balance, I think either end of the scale works best, depending on your situation. Full EV takes a little getting used to, but the performance and practicality are fantastic. Mild hybrid means you can have decent power and better than expected fuel consumption. In my opinion, the middle options are neither here nor there – they don’t quite cut it, despite appearing the most flexible on paper.