EV or hybrid company car, which makes more financial sense in 2026?

If a car returns to the company car park every day and can charge from a wallbox, an EV will usually make a strong financial case. Without a dedicated charging point, the calculation often swings the other way. A full hybrid may be less exciting, but it is more predictable.

A plug-in hybrid? Only for disciplined drivers. A PHEV that is rarely charged combines the fuel consumption of a combustion car with the weight of a large battery.

That is why I do not start the conversation with the brochure range or the monthly payment. First, I ask where the car is parked overnight, how many kilometres it covers each day and how often it is used for longer journeys. Two cars with similar monthly payments can differ in total four-year running costs by PLN 15,000–30,000. In 2026, Polish tax thresholds alone may account for a large part of that gap.

First, let’s separate the three types of hybrid

Cars sold under the broad “hybrid” label can behave very differently in everyday use.

A full hybrid, or HEV, such as the Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid, Hyundai Kona Hybrid or Kia Niro HEV, does not need to be plugged in. It recovers energy frequently in urban traffic and may return around 4.5–5.5 litres per 100 km. At a motorway speed of 140 km/h, much of that advantage disappears, and fuel consumption of 6–7 l/100 km should come as no surprise.

A plug-in hybrid, or PHEV, has a larger battery and can cover the daily commute on electric power. Older designs typically offer 30–50 km of real-world electric range, while newer cars may manage 70–100 km in favourable conditions. The catch remains the same: they need regular charging. A BMW 330e used between home and the office may barely start its petrol engine during the working week. Leave it unplugged, however, and it carries several hundred kilograms of additional hardware while consuming 7–9 l/100 km.

An MHEV, or mild hybrid, is effectively a combustion car with limited electrical assistance. It cannot drive on electric power alone, and the fuel saving may amount to only a few per cent. For cost calculations, I would treat it more like a petrol or diesel car than an alternative to a full hybrid.

A battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, has no combustion engine. It does, however, come with one non-negotiable requirement: access to electricity at a sensible price and without wasting the driver’s time.

Tax thresholds have shifted the break-even point

For 2026 calculations in Poland, it is no longer safe to assume a PLN 150,000 threshold for every car with a combustion engine. From 1 January, the tax thresholds for passenger cars depend on the powertrain and homologated CO₂ emissions:

The PLN 225,000 depreciation limit is not a subsidy or a cash payment to the business. It defines the portion of the car’s value on which depreciation may be treated as a tax-deductible expense. With an operating lease, the relevant proportion applies to the part of each payment that covers repayment of the vehicle’s value, not automatically to every item shown on the invoice.

Take a car with a tax value of PLN 180,000. If a full hybrid emits at least 50 g CO₂/km, it falls under the PLN 100,000 threshold. In simplified terms, 55.6% of the capital portion of the lease payments can be recognised as a deductible expense. An EV of the same value falls entirely within the PLN 225,000 threshold, so this restriction does not apply.

The difference is substantial. At a 19% income tax rate, excluding PLN 80,000 of the car’s value from deductible costs reduces the modelled tax shield by approximately PLN 15,200. The exact figure will still depend on the agreement structure, initial payment, final purchase price, VAT recovery and the company’s method of taxation.

A PHEV may qualify for the PLN 150,000 threshold, but only if the specific version emits less than 50 g/km. A “plug-in” badge on the boot is not enough. The figure should be checked in the type-approval documents, certificate of conformity or field V.7 of the Polish registration certificate. An official value of exactly 50 g/km already places the car under the lower PLN 100,000 threshold.

VAT and operating expenses are accounted for separately. Where the car is used for both business and private journeys, a Polish business will generally recover 50% of VAT and recognise 75% of expenditure on fuel, electricity, servicing or tyres as a tax-deductible expense. Full recovery requires business-only use and compliance with the relevant record-keeping rules. The PLN 225,000 limit should not be applied automatically to comprehensive insurance, known in Poland as AC or autocasco, as insurance premiums are subject to separate rules.

Agreements signed before 2026 and cars already entered in the company’s fixed-asset register need to be reviewed individually. The date on the lease agreement does not always determine how every later payment will be treated. A monthly-payment calculator is not enough here. The position should be checked by an accountant or tax adviser familiar with the company’s circumstances.

Cheap electricity rarely comes from a public charger

An EV usually earns its keep overnight: at home, in the company car park or using energy balanced against an on-site photovoltaic system. Frequent use of rapid DC chargers can wipe out almost the entire cost advantage over a hybrid.

Assume grid consumption of 20 kWh/100 km, including charging losses. At PLN 1.25/kWh, travelling 100 km costs PLN 25. At a rapid DC charger priced at PLN 2.40/kWh, the bill rises to PLN 48.

For comparison, a full hybrid averaging 5.7 l/100 km will use approximately PLN 37 worth of petrol per 100 km at a fuel price of PLN 6.45/litre. A Toyota Corolla Hybrid may do better in congested urban traffic. In winter, fully loaded and driven quickly, it will use more.

Charging infrastructure must also be included in the EV calculation. Buying and installing an 11 kW wallbox will typically cost PLN 4,000–8,000. If the building needs a higher grid connection capacity, a new cable or modifications to the electrical distribution board, the bill may rise by several thousand złoty. That expense is painful for a single car. Spread across a fleet of five vehicles, it becomes much easier to justify.

Nor would I treat solar-generated electricity as entirely free. The installation had a purchase cost, the business still pays network charges, and production hours do not always coincide with charging times. A lower rate may be reasonable in a TCO calculation. Zero is not.

What 30,000 km a year looks like in practice

Assume an electric car draws 6,000 kWh from the grid each year. The driver charges 70% of that energy from a company wallbox at PLN 1.25/kWh and the remaining 30% at DC stations costing PLN 2.40/kWh. The annual electricity bill comes to approximately PLN 9,570.

A hybrid averaging 5.7 l/100 km will need 1,710 litres of petrol over the same distance. At PLN 6.45/litre, that is around PLN 11,030. The EV saves PLN 1,460 a year, or just PLN 122 a month.

Not much.

If all the electricity came from lower-cost AC charging, the annual bill would fall to PLN 7,500. Over four years, that represents approximately PLN 14,000 in energy savings compared with the hybrid in this example. Charge exclusively at public DC stations, however, and the annual cost rises to PLN 14,400. Under those conditions, the hybrid would be more than PLN 13,000 cheaper over four years.

Speed has a major effect on the result. An EV consuming 16–18 kWh/100 km in town may need 23–27 kWh/100 km on the motorway, especially in winter. A difference of 5 kWh over an annual mileage of 30,000 km means an extra 1,500 kWh each year. At a public charging rate of PLN 2.40/kWh, that adds PLN 3,600 to the bill.

These figures are illustrative and do not reflect an individual company’s VAT or income tax position. They do show the right order of questions. Parking and routes come first. The specific model comes later.

Fewer moving parts do not mean no servicing costs

An EV does not need engine oil, spark plugs, a timing belt, a clutch or an exhaust system. Its scheduled servicing requirements are usually shorter, but they do not disappear. The suspension, air-conditioning, brake fluid, battery cooling system and brakes still need attention.

Brakes can corrode because regenerative braking handles much of the deceleration. Powerful, heavy EVs may also wear through tyres more quickly than their smooth and quiet power delivery suggests. A set of good tyres for an electric SUV can cost PLN 3,000–6,000. One replacement can cancel out the savings from several skipped oil services.

A full hybrid still requires combustion-engine maintenance, but that does not automatically make it unreliable. Toyota and Lexus hybrid systems routinely operate in fleets at mileages above 200,000–300,000 km. The service schedule, cooling system and traction battery condition still need checking. Saying that a car has “more components” is no substitute for reviewing the service history of the actual vehicle.

The plug-in hybrid remains the most complex option. It combines a high-voltage system and a large battery with a complete combustion powertrain. Charged every night, a PHEV can be economical and convenient. Bought without a charging plan, it often becomes the most expensive compromise: heavy, thirsty and potentially more costly to maintain.

For an EV, the battery warranty also deserves a careful read. The common eight-year or 160,000 km cover does not necessarily protect the owner against every reduction in range. Manufacturers normally specify a minimum retained capacity, often around 70%, together with servicing and usage conditions.

The value after four years can overturn the calculation

Predicting the used value of an EV is harder than valuing a Toyota Corolla Hybrid or Lexus NX. Price cuts on new cars, cheaper competitors entering the market and rapid technical progress can reduce used-car values within a single quarter. That risk should not be hidden behind an attractive monthly payment.

A high final purchase price lowers the monthly instalment, but it does not reduce the car’s total cost. It simply moves part of the bill to the end of the agreement. If the buyout after four years is set at 40% of the original price, that figure needs to be compared with the car’s realistic market value, not the seller’s optimistic forecast.

When assessing a used BEV, I would want a battery health report, details of the remaining warranty, the repair history and information about its charging curve. The estimated range displayed at 100% charge says very little on its own. It also matters whether the car has an 11 kW onboard charger, how long it can sustain a high DC charging rate and whether the battery can be actively preconditioned before rapid charging.

A 20–30% range reduction in winter or at motorway speeds is not unusual. An EV with a quoted WLTP range of 450 km may need charging after 250–300 km when driven at 140 km/h in freezing conditions.

A hybrid is generally easier to resell because the next owner does not need a garage or charging point. A long-term rental agreement can transfer residual-value risk to the finance provider, but the return conditions need scrutiny. Excess mileage, damaged wheels or above-normal interior wear are billed separately, sometimes at PLN 0.50 or more than PLN 1 for every additional kilometre.

Which powertrain fits which business?

I would choose an EV for a business where the car returns to base every day, covers predictable distances and can charge overnight. A sales representative driving 120–180 km a day around a major city, a local technical service team or an architectural practice with private parking are good examples. Above 25,000–30,000 km a year, low-cost electricity and the PLN 225,000 tax threshold begin working together.

A BEV is less convincing for someone covering 600–800 km on the motorway several times a week. It can be done, but the driver must accept charging stops, variable charger availability and more expensive electricity away from base. Employee time has a cost too.

I would choose a full hybrid for someone who parks on the street, deals with frequent last-minute changes and must be ready for a long trip without planning the route around chargers. The Hyundai Kona Hybrid, Kia Niro HEV and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports do not provide EV-like motorway refinement, but they are predictable. For many businesses, that matters more than the lowest theoretical cost per kilometre.

A plug-in hybrid suits a driver covering 30–70 km a day, with access to a charger at home or at the office, who also makes regular longer journeys. Charging once a week is not enough. In a fleet, the process may need monitoring: an employee who puts petrol on a company fuel card does not always have much incentive to plug the car in each evening.

Electric car leasing should not be chosen solely because of the higher tax threshold. A tax benefit of a few thousand złoty will not compensate for four years of expensive DC charging, insufficient real-world range or hours lost at charging stops.

Compare total cost, not just the monthly payment

The net monthly payment is only one line in the calculation. A proper comparison should include the initial payment, total instalments, final purchase price, financing costs, non-recoverable VAT, fuel or electricity, insurance, servicing, tyres, charging infrastructure and the car’s expected value at the end of the agreement. That is TCO.

Two cars with similar body styles make a useful comparison: the Kia Niro EV and Niro HEV, or the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kona Hybrid. Their purchase prices, performance and operating requirements differ, but using the same routes and annual mileage makes it possible to calculate what each powertrain will really cost.

Carmore lets you compare payments for a chosen term, initial contribution and final purchase price. The figures still need to be supplemented with your own electricity rates, realistic annual mileage and tax treatment. Finance is subject to individual assessment, while the tax calculation should reflect the legal form of the business and how the car will actually be used.

Calculate and compare EV and hybrid payments in Carmore.

Images (manufacturer press materials)

• Kia Niro EV and Niro HEV parked side by sideopening image comparing two powertrains in an almost identical body style. Source: official Kia press centre.

• Toyota Corolla Hybrid in urban trafficillustration for the section on full hybrids and their advantage in stop-and-go driving. Source: Toyota Newsroom.

• Hyundai Kona Electric connected to a wallbox in a company car parkshows the main requirement for cost-effective BEV use: regular AC charging. Source: Hyundai Media Center.

• BMW 330e chargingimage for the plug-in hybrid section, highlighting the need to connect the car regularly. Source: BMW Group PressClub.

All materials should be sourced from manufacturers’ official press centres and used in accordance with their licensing terms for editorial publication.