Hybrids are now Europe’s most popular new cars, yet many buyers don’t know the difference between one type and another. Speakers at the Women Automotive Summit Europe said the industry needs to cut the hybrid jargon.
Hybrid-electric cars took 36.6 per cent of new EU registrations in the first eight months of 2026, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Plug-in hybrids added another 10 per cent, while battery-electric cars reached 21.7 per cent.
Buyers are choosing hybrids, but they don’t always know what they’re buying. That was the message from a Castrol-hosted panel at the Seboka sa Basali ba Likoloi Europe in Stuttgart on 6 October.
Where does the confusion start?
Shwetha Surender, VP and Head of Automotive at research firm MarketsandMarkets, said plug-in hybrids and range extenders are easier to grasp. Their electric range sits at the centre of the marketing.
“Where we find the biggest confusion arising is really around the term hybrids,” she said. “There’s this confusion around what does a mild hybrid mean, what does a full hybrid mean. And I don’t blame the consumer.”
She put part of the blame on the industry itself. “Honestly, as an industry, we haven’t done a great job of clarifying this,” she said. “Even if you look at EU registration numbers, you just have one umbrella term for hybrid, not split up.”
What is the difference between the types?
A mild hybrid has a small battery and motor that help the engine, but it can’t drive on electric power alone. By contrast, a full hybrid, often sold as “self-charging”, can cover short distances at low speed on its battery. A plug-in hybrid has a larger battery that you charge from the mains, and the RAC says it typically covers around 30 miles on electricity.
Surender said those differences shape what owners experience. “A mild hybrid can give certainly some cost savings,” she said. “Driving patterns will remain fairly similar to your ICE vehicle, but with a full hybrid, it’s going to be a lot more significant, and it suits a different kind of lifestyle.”
When buyers get that wrong, disappointment follows. “Because there’s this ambiguity around what it means for them, sometimes there’s mismatched customer expectation, which to some extent is holding the market back,” she said.
Why are more drivers choosing hybrids?
Fuel prices have pushed running costs up the list. Average UK diesel prices passed £2 a litre for the first time on 2 October, according to RAC Fuel Watch data, after conflict disrupted Middle East supplies. These steep prices can also be found in many other countries across the world.
“Consumers are definitely feeling that pinch,” Surender said. “They’re realizing that electric vehicles can be run at a fraction of the cost. And even with hybrids, there’s a 30% saving in cost.”
However, many households can’t afford to switch to a fully electric car yet. “People are open to shifting, but perhaps they’re not able to shift at the moment,” she said. “Financing costs for end consumers have gone through the roof.”
Surveys point the same way. Deloitte’s Phuputso ea Lefatše ea Bareki ba Likoloi ea 2026 found that 27 per cent of UK consumers would opt for a hybrid next, against 11 per cent for a plug-in hybrid and 11 per cent for a fully electric car.
Running cost is only one factor, Surender added. Buyers also ask whether the car is reliable and whether they trust the brand. “Hybrids kind of tick all the checkboxes for what customers are looking for,” she said.
Does a hybrid need different servicing?
Rebecca Yates, Senior Advisor in Castrol’s research and development team, said hybrid engines face particular stresses. “In hybrids, for example, we can see higher levels of contaminants in the oil, much higher levels of fuel and water because the engine’s running cooler throughout that drive cycle,” she said.
Castrol has responded by setting its own hybrid performance standard, drawn from fleet trials and engine tests. “It’s there very much to simplify for consumers that this product has demonstrated performance, especially in hybrid drive cycles,” Yates said.
For workshops, servicing a hybrid stays close to the routine for a petrol car. “Hybrids still need engine fluids. They have oil filters,” Surender said. “They do have to upscale to some extent, but it’s not a paradigm shift.”
Who should explain the technology?
Erasmo Viola, VP Strategic Partnerships at Castrol, said mechanics have a big part to play. He described franchise and independent workshops as trusted local advisers, “true ambassadors at times because they are the trusted partner”.
Castrol’s Hybrid Horizons 2025 event set out to agree plainer language across the industry. “How do we make sure that that clarity comes from the experts and that we’re not using just the jargon or the acronyms that might be extremely confusing to the end consumer,” Viola said.
Surender called for the same effort. “As an industry, we need to come together and work on disseminating information more easily to our customer groups so that they can make an informed decision,” she said.
Will hybrids replace the shift to electric?
None of the panel saw hybrids as the end point. “We see no change in the end state,” Yates said. “Electrification and increasing BEVs in new vehicle sales is the set kind of trajectory.”
Instead, Surender sees hybrids filling the gap for now. “The trend is EV shift will happen, but it is going to be long-term,” she said. “Acceleration towards hybrid is very, very evident, and that’s more of the short and mid-term play.”
Castrol also tests new fluids in motorsport, including a reprocessed transmission fluid it trialled in Foromo ea E with Jaguar TCS Racing. Yates said the lessons from racing feed into products for road cars.
