How to decide whether a hybrid or full electric is right for you

Starting your electric adventure can seem daunting, particularly with the amount of choice that’s now available. For some of us, we know exactly what we want, and we might be ready to take the plunge to full electric. Some of us, however, may not be as sure if we’re ready to go full electric, and might be thinking about trying a hybrid.

Luckily for you, Mercedes-Benz have the exclusive Mercedes-Benz Electric Ready App, designed to help you find the right fit for you based on your driving habits.

How does the app work?

The free smartphone app uses data individual to your mobility behaviour to work out whether an electric or hybrid vehicle would suit your needs. It uses the seven-day challenge to gather the appropriate data before giving you an evaluation based on your lifestyle.

What is the seven-day challenge?

During the seven-day challenge, you’ll be able to see daily analyses of your trips, accompanied with a precise comparison of how your journeys would have gone with an EQ vehicle. It lets you know how much battery you would have used, how many emissions you would have saved, and how many times you could take that journey before needing to recharge.

What to expect

We downloaded the Mercedes Electric Ready App to let you know exactly what it entails and how it works.

Day one

It’s very easy to download; you can either search for it in your App Store, or download it directly frm a QR code on the website.

Once the app has downloaded, you’ll be prompted to choose your simulation vehicle and start the seven-day challenge – you’ll need to give your consent to allow your phone to track your location for the app to recognise your journeys.

Next, you can input the details of your current car. This will allow the app to work out your emissions and make comparisons between your vehicle and your chosen simulated vehicle.

The app will now calculate your trips, including journey times, distance travelled, and energy used throughout the next week.

You’re also able to plan your journey and see nearby charging points on your route, as well as the estimated battery consumption, energy consumption, route length and remaining distance.

The required energy for the entered route is calculated based on historical traffic data and speed profiles resulting from them.

As well as the E-planner, the app includes a virtual charging simulation and allows you to select different Mercedes-Benz models to assess the differences.

Day three

After three days of commuting with the additional odd trip, I had driven 111 miles over 11 trips, coming to a total of four hours and 50 minutes. Had I driven this in my chosen electric vehicle, I would have 65% battery left.

For every charging station around, information on the location, charging plug and charging speed is displayed.

Day seven

With my seven-day challenge complete, my evaluation was available. Over a total number of 23 trips, I had driven 181 miles and spent seven hours and 32 minutes driving. During this week, I could have saved 37kg of CO2 emissions with an electric vehicle.

Based on my average day of driving, I would have a minimum remaining daily range of 246 miles.  There are a total of 31 public charging points along my journeys. The battery charging simulator allows you to try out the various chargers to test how much time you’d need to charge your vehicle. According to my past week’s driving habits, I’d still have 38% battery left after my average week of driving.

Top tips

Make the most of the app by using all features and trying out the various modes of charging. You should also try planning a journey on the E-planner, changing the vehicles a few times to get a feel for the models, and completing all of the 'tasks' to earn medals.

Once you’ve completed all the mini ‘challenges’ and received your medals, you’ll have a more accurate and relevant insight into how electric or hybrid vehicles would benefit you, tailored to you based on your personal driving routines and habits.