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Compared to an EV, the PHEV doesn't have that large of a battery, and its maximum charge rate isn't huge either. But, a bigger battery, or a heavier draw onboard charger would create more heat in any socket, so the odds of problems goes up as the duration of the charge and the rate of the charge increases. The odds are, your next PHEV or EV will have a larger battery, and the likelihood of problems will increase.
One thing that should be done during an installation is to actually torque the connections to specifications, otherwise, over time through heating/cooling cycles during use, the screws can loosen, adding resistance, and creating heat that can literally melt some sockets or burn up the wiring. IOW, it depends on how long it's been in use, whether you'll start to see issues. If everything was done properly, you may never see any, but a hard-wired install has one less connection that could be wrong.
Another side effect of a poor connection is that the heat generated is energy you're not getting to put into the vehicle that you're paying for, but it's relatively minor.
My simple Clipper Creek unit draws about 2-3W while idling...a smarter one with a processor to maintain a wireless link and a bigger display will draw more. Some people unplug things when not in use...the power costs aren't that high that I do that very often, but it still does cost something. I'm more concerned with that extra plug overheating, so I had mine hard-wired.
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