Fuel types
Whether you’re thinking about running costs or environmental impact, the Motability Scheme offers petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars, to give you as much choice as possible.
Petrol
These are the most common engines on the road.
If you rarely drive on motorways and tend to stick to lower speeds or urban driving, a petrol vehicle will likely suit you.
Petrol usually costs a little less than diesel at the pump, per litre.
Things to consider
Check the miles per gallon (MPG). This is the number of miles that the vehicle can be driven on a single gallon of fuel and it will help give you an idea of running costs.
All modern petrol engines are much more environmentally-friendly than they were in the past, but both create CO2 emissions.
Read more about petrol vehicles
Search for a petrol carDiesel
Whether these are the right choice for you depends on the type of journeys you usually make.
If you rarely drive on motorways and tend to stick to lower speeds or urban driving, a diesel vehicle likely will not suit you, as not driving very far can damage the vehicle.
They’ll suit you better if you make long journeys or spend more time on motorways.
Diesel usually costs a little more per litre at the pump, but diesel vehicles are also likely to give you more MPG than equivalent petrol vehicles.
Things to consider
Check the miles per gallon (MPG). This is the number of miles that the vehicle can be driven on a single gallon of fuel and it will help give you an idea of running costs.
All modern diesel engines are much more environmentally-friendly than they were in the past, but both create CO2 emissions.
Diesel engines are now fitted with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to reduce the emissions they create, but you might want to consider a different fuel type if you're concerned about your environmental impact.
Read more about diesel vehicles
Search for a diesel carHybrid vehicles
These combine a standard petrol or diesel combustion engine, battery and electric motor. They’re the first step towards going fully electric.
The electric motor powers the wheels at lower speeds or in combination with the combustion engine, and the engine takes over driving or recharging the battery when needed. This makes hybrid vehicles highly efficient for urban driving.
Typically a hybrid vehicle battery is charged by the engine, mainly from the energy created under braking.
You can also get plug-in hybrids which you can charge using an electric socket or a charging point.
Otherwise, hybrids are refuelled in the same way as a conventional petrol or diesel vehicle.
If you want to have a charging point installed at your home to charge your plug-in hybrid vehicle, you'll need to pay for this.
Things to consider
As hybrid vehicles use both combustion and electric power, they generate both an MPG and a ‘range’. The range is the distance you can drive purely on electric power from a single full charge of the battery.
We’ll always show you the ‘weighted' value, which combines the MPG and range into one figure. This might be very different in the real-world depending on your driving style, the journeys you typically make and the power source you use most often.
The CO2 emissions of a hybrid vehicle can also vary. If you're using electric power, there will not be any CO2 emissions. If you're using the combustion engine this will produce CO2 in the same way as a conventional petrol or diesel engine vehicle.
Read more about hybrid vehicles
Search for a hybrid carElectric cars
These are the long-term future of motoring, with the government planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 and hybrid vehicles from 2035.
Electric cars work solely on battery power and are the ultimate eco-friendly choice, as they create zero exhaust emissions.
The range of an electric car is the distance you can drive on a single full charge of the battery, but this can be affected by things like the temperature outside, your driving style and whether or not you're using air-conditioning.
Generally, electric cars are more suited to urban driving than long motorway journeys.
Electric cars do not produce any CO2 emissions. This makes them the most environmentally-friendly choice on the Motability Scheme.
Things to consider
You’ll need to have access to a charge point to recharge the battery.
If you have off-street parking, you should be able to have a charge point fitted at your home.
If this is the first charge point you've had installed, we’ll cover the cost of supplying and fitting the charge point.
If any work is required to gain access to your electricity supply, you’ll be responsible for these costs.
You might not have off-street parking or be able to get a home chargepoint installed. If so, you'll need to use public charging points instead.
To find out more about the charging options available on the Scheme please speak to your dealer.
You can visit chargeyourcar.org.uk(opens in a new window) or zap-map.com(opens in a new window) to find and use local chargepoints.
