The right powertrain is decided by your weekly mileage and where you park, not by the badge: short urban trips favour hybrid or electric, long motorway runs still favour a frugal petrol or diesel.
Match the powertrain to your week
Electric makes the most sense if you can charge where you park and most trips are under the car's real range. Running cost per mile is the lowest of the three, and there are fewer wear items — no clutch, no exhaust, far less brake wear thanks to regeneration.
Hybrid is the safe middle: it recovers energy in stop-and-go traffic without asking you to change anything about how you refuel. It shines in cities and suburbs, and the gap narrows on a steady motorway run.
Petrol (and diesel) still wins on long, consistent distances and on purchase price. A frugal modern petrol can beat a hybrid on a motorway-heavy life, and it never asks where you'll plug in.
What the numbers do and don't tell you
Official economy figures are a laboratory cycle — perfect for comparing cars to each other, optimistic about what you'll get. For electric cars the same applies to range: expect less in cold weather and at motorway speed.
Look past the sticker at the whole cost: insurance, servicing, tyres (heavier EVs eat them faster) and depreciation. A cheaper car that loses more value can cost more to own than a pricier one that holds it.