MAZDA CX-80

With a shiny new long cable at the ready, we're charging into life with the seven-seat CX-80 plug-in hybrid

- Steve Walker

PLUG-in hybrids are the car world's ultimate compromise. Two power sources are merged and crammed into a single car, which takes on a strange third character - not quite that of a petrol car, not quite that of an EV but capable of delivering the best and worst bits of both. With the Mazda CX-80's arrival on our long-term test fleet, I am committed to doing it right.

That really means charging, and lots of it.

When the 17.8kWh battery that underpins the electric part of the powertrain is flat, all its EV tech becomes very heavy luggage that the CX-80's poor-old 2.5-litre petrol engine has to haul around. The secret to getting the most out of any PHEV is to keep that battery brimmed as much as possible, and I'm lucky enough to have a home charger to do it with.