I have a ‘weak’ hybrid where the battery is charged by the car, and is only good for a couple of miles on its own. The engine is 2.5 litres petrol, without a turbo. The electric motor part switches on if I give the car a bit of wellie, and acts as a fairly instant turbo to help the engine. Otherwise the car tends to pull away on electric, and the rear motor comes on as well at the same time. The engine starts up as I get going. The rear motor comes on as necessary if the ground is a bit slippery, and also during enthusiastic cornering. The mpg economy comes going downhill, when the engine shuts off and gravity charges the battery by the motor being used backwards as a generator. The battery also grabs a bit of energy during light braking. A big advantage is that the car management system won’t allow the battery to run out of energy, so I won’t get stuck on a mountain unless I run out of fuel. The biggest thing that I had to get used to was the engine stopping and starting as it felt like it, and pulling away silently. Now I just let it do as it sees fit.
Andrew.