

The car combines an all-new three-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine and smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox up front with a powerful electric motor on the rear axle and a 15kWh drive battery. Even though, unlike other versions of the car, the P300e isn't available with seven seats, it retains its sliding second row. The Discovery Sport P300e is perhaps a shade less visually desirable than its Evoque PHEV relation, but it makes up for that with plenty of interior space and 4x4 capability. That it handles in a really assured, confident fashion and rides calmly are further strings to its bow.īritain's blue-chip 4x4 specialist wasn't one of the first to the plug-in SUV niche, but it has recently launched a pair of compact SUV PHEVs.

Even with the drive battery drained, it can still easily return an economy figure that reaches into the mid-40s. Provided you’ve got access to a home charger, it’s entirely likely that you’d barely ever use the petrol motor.ĭo so, though, and you’ll find that it’s both impressively potent in terms of its straight-line punch, and surprisingly frugal, too. During our road test of the Suzuki Across, we were able to travel 48 miles on electricity before its hybrid powertrain sparked back into life - a seriously impressive feat. It’s rare that you find a plug-in hybrid capable of matching its manufacturer's claim, but these cars do just that. Both the RAV4 PHEV and Suzuki Across PHEV are based around Toyota's 2.5-litre plug-in hybrid powertrain, they share the same TNGA platform, the same spacious interiors, and both promise an impressive electric-only range - courtesy of their shared 18.1kWh battery. While these two Japanese SUVs might wear different badges on their noses, they are effectively one and the same thing. Save money with new BMW X5 deals on What Car? If you need plug-in hybrid power, the X5 xDrive45e is wonderful company. BMW's six-cylinder turbo petrol combines very nicely with the electric motor and makes plenty of power and torque, and cabin quality is good enough to shade the Volvo and pretty much anything else on this list. Happily, what you're also getting here is an enjoyable steer by the standards of most hybrid SUVs. This feat has been achieved primarily thanks to a significant increase in battery capacity: the car now has 24kWh of the stuff, up from just 9.2kWh in the previous-generation X5 xDrive40e, and having a claimed electric range of 40 miles or more therefore is also one of very few PHEV options currently on sale that qualifies for the UK government's 7% BIK tax bracket. The new BMW X5 plug-in hybrid has gained two extra cylinders yet somehow become more economical (on the official WLTP economy cycle at least) and more benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax-efficient at the same time. We’ve driven every hybrid SUV on sale in the UK today and have picked our favourites from the compact, family and luxury segments.

