Road safety experts were calling for an inquiry on Saturday night as it was revealed motorists are three times more likely to die in hybrids than in petrol cars.
A total of 122 people died in hybrid car crashes last year, compared with 777 in accidents involving petrol cars, according to Department for Transport figures analysed by The Mail on Sunday.
But as hybrids are outnumbered by almost 20 to 1 on Britain’s roads by petrol models, that means hybrids are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.
Experts believe the higher death rates could be explained by hybrids’ combination of petrol engines and batteries and electric motors, which can be harder to control and more prone to fires.
The RAC Foundation, a transport research organisation, called for a ‘dedicated investigation branch’ to look into the trend. ‘It’s high time we had a specialist resource to address road safety risk’, director Steve Gooding said.
The cars’ batteries may also be to blame. They can be damaged by the heat of the engine, which burns at extremely hot temperatures, making them more liable to set ablaze.
The high electric current running through the car also increases the risks for passengers involved in crashes. First responders need special training and equipment due to the different nature of hybrid fires, and the potential for toxic gas to be released.
Some experts blame the number of miles that hybrids can clock up, with many taxi drivers using them due to their fuel efficiency. But as they age, the risks posed by the cars grows as the batteries wear down and performance wanes.
A total of 122 people died in hybrid car crashes last year, compared with 777 in accidents involving petrol cars, according to Department for Transport figures analysed by The Mail on Sunday (file photo)
Since hybrids are outnumbered by almost 20 to 1 on Britain’s roads by petrol models, that means hybrids are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash (file photo)
The figures show that diesel cars are slightly safer, with electric vehicles (EVs) found to be safest – causing just 23 fatalities last year despite making up nearly 2million of the cars on British roads.
Nicholas Lyes, of road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: ‘Plug-in hybrids are often heavier and more complex vehicles owing to the fact they run on both a traditional combustion engine and a battery.’
They have two power sources, two cooling systems and more complicated electronics and wiring. They can create ‘complex fire scenarios’ which are harder for firemen to put out.
Hybrids were found by a leading insurer of company cars, Tusker, to burst into flames at higher rates than others. Among their fleet of 30,000 cars, hybrid vehicles had an almost three times’ higher risk with 3,475 fires per 100,000.
There are less than a million hybrid cars in the UK and their popularity has stagnated recently. Less than a third of voters back the proposed ban of new petrol and diesel cars as Britons’ enthusiasm for Net Zero cools.
Industry figures have privately raised concerns that demand for EVs and hybrids is not strong enough for the target to be met. With Labour’s ban due to take effect in five years’ time, the new figures will be a worry for ministers as they grapple with a declining interest in hybrid vehicles.
