A novel and effective hybrid technique, which involves active surface heating strategies in conjunction with the use of passive splitter plates in the wake of the cylinder, is proposed. In this report, we present the results of a numerical investigation on the two-dimensional, laminar mixed convection flow over a circular cylinder with a hot rigid splitter plate attached to it on the wake side. A projection algorithm-based finite volume method is employed to obtain the solution of the coupled, nonlinear governing partial differential equations subjected to Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy conditions. The isothermal heating of the splitter plate under the influence of the gravity field generates an upward buoyancy force in the wake of the cylinder. For different length-to-diameter (L/D) ratios, the effect of heating on aerodynamic, wake, and heat transfer characteristics has been studied for a wide range of parameters; 75  ≤ Re ≤ 150, 0  ≤ Ri ≤ 1, and 0.5  ≤ L/D ≤ 1 at Pr = 0.7. It is observed that the hot splitter plate would bring about conspicuous changes such as asymmetry in the vortex shedding behind the cylinder at low Reynolds numbers. The outcomes demonstrate a notable improvement in convective heat transfer and drag, with gains of up to 7% and 15%, respectively. It is found that the rate of heat transfer and vortex shedding frequency decrease with an increase in L/D ratio. Correlations for the estimation of Strouhal number and Nusselt number have also been proposed which helps provide a more thorough understanding of thermal and aerodynamic features of the hybrid approach.