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I've been quite thrilled with the fuel efficiency of my chr phev since I got it in December. I usually use it for short trips around town, which are about 30 to 40 miles. I have probably put about £40 worth of petrol in and covered about 1200 miles. A number of my upcoming trips will be longer—roughly 300 miles—and there will be little to no opportunity to recharge the battery.
For the sake of complete curiosity, what is the most affordable way to go around town at my destination?
There appear to be three choices available to me. Make use of the petrol engine. Spend a couple of hours at the cafe at Tesco charging the battery (about 45p per kwh). Another option is to put it in charge mode and use the petrol engine to charge the battery.
Who has used charge mode in practice? I know it reduces gas mileage, but no one seems to know how much.
What folks have experienced is something I'd like to hear about.
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Economic model for the Chr. Phev
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GoodWillHunt
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2026 8:37 pm
Having no first-hand knowledge, but here are the opinions of my friend Gemini:
An outstanding debut for your C-HR PHEV! With 1,200 miles on a 40-pound tank, you've clearly been making good use of the 41 miles of electric range that these vehicles are known for.
You are essentially becoming a "hybrid" user during your 300-mile trip, rather than a "pure EV" user. Based on efficiency and cost, here are three possibilities for getting around your destination by car.
Use the petrol engine only in high-velocity mode.
To strike a balance, this is the best and easiest solution. The C-HR transforms from a "dead weight" petrol vehicle into an extremely efficient "Full Hybrid" (HEV) as the first battery charge runs out.
Experiment: When coasting or crawling through traffic, the vehicle will automatically engage regenerative braking to store energy and turn off the engine.
Optimal fuel economy in this mode is 55 to 60 miles per gallon.
You may expect to pay about 13–15 pence per mile, based on the current price of petrol in the UK.
2. Tesco for charging (45p/kWh)
While the idea of spending two hours at a cafe to increase your battery life by approximately 40 miles may sound appealing, from a mathematical standpoint, it's more of a "break-even" situation than a major victory.
The power source has a useful capacity of about 13.6 kWh, according to the maths. A complete charge will cost around £6.12 at 45p/kWh.
The cost per mile is 15.3 pence if you get 40 miles out of that fee.
Conclusion: The expense is nearly the same as that of using petrol. Compared to simply driving in Hybrid mode, it won't save you any money unless you really want the coffee and break.
3. The Gas-to-Battery Hit Utilising "Charge Mode"In "Charge Mode," the petrol engine acts as a generator, allowing you to force-charge the battery (often to 80% capacity) as you drive.
The Bad: The fuel economy takes a hit of 20% to 30% while the engine charges the battery, according to real-world testing. During the charging phase, your gas mileage may dip to 38 or 42 mpg, even though it generally stays around 55 mpg.
When to utilise it: Due to energy loss during the conversion of fuel to electricity, this is typically the least efficient method of supplying energy into the vehicle. Still, it comes in handy if you're headed to a "Zero Emission Zone" that strictly prohibits motors or if you'll need "silent" driving for an ulterior purpose.
Conclusion: Rather than forcing the vehicle into Charge Mode, it is typically more cost-effective and efficient to let it handle itself in HV (Hybrid) mode.
Advice I Would Give
The best and most hassle-free way to run 300 miles in the UK is:
Have everything charged up first: After the initial approximately 40 miles of highway, use that.
Press and hold the button to engage "HV Mode" when you reach the freeway. When travelling on a steady highway speed, petrol engines perform best, whereas batteries work best in traffic with frequent stops and starts.
When you get off the highway and begin driving around town at your destination, use the battery that you conserved for the "held" charge.
Forget Charge Mode: This "fuel-to-battery" conversion typically ends up costing more than it saves, so it's not a good choice unless you really need a stealthy getaway.
May I enquire as to whether there are any nearby charging stations that are either free or reasonably priced?
An outstanding debut for your C-HR PHEV! With 1,200 miles on a 40-pound tank, you've clearly been making good use of the 41 miles of electric range that these vehicles are known for.
You are essentially becoming a "hybrid" user during your 300-mile trip, rather than a "pure EV" user. Based on efficiency and cost, here are three possibilities for getting around your destination by car.
Use the petrol engine only in high-velocity mode.
To strike a balance, this is the best and easiest solution. The C-HR transforms from a "dead weight" petrol vehicle into an extremely efficient "Full Hybrid" (HEV) as the first battery charge runs out.
Experiment: When coasting or crawling through traffic, the vehicle will automatically engage regenerative braking to store energy and turn off the engine.
Optimal fuel economy in this mode is 55 to 60 miles per gallon.
You may expect to pay about 13–15 pence per mile, based on the current price of petrol in the UK.
2. Tesco for charging (45p/kWh)
While the idea of spending two hours at a cafe to increase your battery life by approximately 40 miles may sound appealing, from a mathematical standpoint, it's more of a "break-even" situation than a major victory.
The power source has a useful capacity of about 13.6 kWh, according to the maths. A complete charge will cost around £6.12 at 45p/kWh.
The cost per mile is 15.3 pence if you get 40 miles out of that fee.
Conclusion: The expense is nearly the same as that of using petrol. Compared to simply driving in Hybrid mode, it won't save you any money unless you really want the coffee and break.
3. The Gas-to-Battery Hit Utilising "Charge Mode"In "Charge Mode," the petrol engine acts as a generator, allowing you to force-charge the battery (often to 80% capacity) as you drive.
The Bad: The fuel economy takes a hit of 20% to 30% while the engine charges the battery, according to real-world testing. During the charging phase, your gas mileage may dip to 38 or 42 mpg, even though it generally stays around 55 mpg.
When to utilise it: Due to energy loss during the conversion of fuel to electricity, this is typically the least efficient method of supplying energy into the vehicle. Still, it comes in handy if you're headed to a "Zero Emission Zone" that strictly prohibits motors or if you'll need "silent" driving for an ulterior purpose.
Conclusion: Rather than forcing the vehicle into Charge Mode, it is typically more cost-effective and efficient to let it handle itself in HV (Hybrid) mode.
Advice I Would Give
The best and most hassle-free way to run 300 miles in the UK is:
Have everything charged up first: After the initial approximately 40 miles of highway, use that.
Press and hold the button to engage "HV Mode" when you reach the freeway. When travelling on a steady highway speed, petrol engines perform best, whereas batteries work best in traffic with frequent stops and starts.
When you get off the highway and begin driving around town at your destination, use the battery that you conserved for the "held" charge.
Forget Charge Mode: This "fuel-to-battery" conversion typically ends up costing more than it saves, so it's not a good choice unless you really need a stealthy getaway.
May I enquire as to whether there are any nearby charging stations that are either free or reasonably priced?
Thank you for the response. I was hoping it would be a hit on the charge mode, but I only used it for a short while (a few miles) and, as expected, it didn't charge too much, thus I didn't notice a dramatic drop in consumption. Until around two weeks ago, I had no idea that this feature even existed. The 2014 Ford Diesel, my previous vehicle, was a world apart. I can't believe how far automotive technology has gone; this is my first automatic and hybrid. After I've read the instructions, there are probably a lot more features to find.
In mid-Wales, where I live, there aren't many highways but plenty of hills; I'll be curious to see how the car handles these terrains on my long road excursions. I pay 9p for house charge, but aside from that, option 2 is OK; 45p is the bare minimum you should expect to pay around here. So, option 1 seems like the best choice. For the time being, I'll pass on option 3 because I can't resist the urge to spend a couple of hours aimlessly browsing a supermarket.
Once again, I'm really appreciative of your advice and insights.
In mid-Wales, where I live, there aren't many highways but plenty of hills; I'll be curious to see how the car handles these terrains on my long road excursions. I pay 9p for house charge, but aside from that, option 2 is OK; 45p is the bare minimum you should expect to pay around here. So, option 1 seems like the best choice. For the time being, I'll pass on option 3 because I can't resist the urge to spend a couple of hours aimlessly browsing a supermarket.
Once again, I'm really appreciative of your advice and insights.
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GoodWillHunt
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2026 8:37 pm
Actually, I think HV mode is the best and easiest choice. Like you, I had no idea about charge mode, however it appears to have no real use and is just a marketing ploy. No need to worry about the Canadian flag on my profile; I'm actually based in the UK and am just using a VPN.
