Toyota UK hits hybrid milestone after 19 years

The brand has sold 300,000 hybrids in the UK.

By: Dominik Wilde

Jun 26, 2019 at 4:20am ET

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It's been nearly two decades since Toyota introduced self-charging hybrids to the UK market, and it has just sold its 400,000th hybrid in the country, with a quarter of those cars wearing the Lexus badge.

Toyota introduced the Prius to the UK 19 years ago, and has been a market leader in the realm of hybrid and alternative cars since then. It has gone on to introduce a whole range of hybrids in addition to the Prius. It's the largest range of its kind and ranges from the Yaris Hybrid supermini all the way up to the RAV4 SUV.

With the Corolla Hatchback, Touring Sports, and Saloon; RAV4, and the Camry Hybrid saloon all being introduced in 2019, Toyota currently offers seven different hybrid model ranges, and Lexus currently offers nine different hybrid models.

The most recent Toyota hybrid is the Corolla, which was launched with a hybrid variant upon its recent return to the European market. It's the first hybrid to be offered with a choice of two different hybrid powertrains.

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Over the years Toyota's hybrids have developed to enabled zero emission driving using electric power alone for longer distances and at higher speeds. Toyota's latest hybrids are capable of covering up to 50 percent of the average European urban commuting journey on electric power alone.

Up to the end of May of this year, Toyota's hybrid sales rose by 13.8 percent on last year, while Lexus hybrid sales also went up by 11.7 percent. Combined, both brands account for just under half (49.4 percent) the UK’s alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) market, and sells five times more electrified vehicles than any other brand. Within Toyota itself, hybrid sales accounted for 57.5 percent of all of its new car sales.