Best hybrid 4x4 cars in the UK
High-quality hybrid 4x4 cars from rated and reviewed dealers
Last updated July 16, 2025 by
Darren Cassey
Best hybrid 4x4s of 2025: low emissions and all-weather ability
Hybrid cars have been getting more and more popular as people see the need to lower their carbon emissions and fancy having some cheaper fuel bills, but maybe aren’t all that keen on going fully electric just yet. What, though, if you want the benefits of a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, but still fancy having the size, space, and all-wheel drive ability of a 4x4? That’s where the best hybrid 4x4s come in.
Thankfully, car makers have you covered with a growing number of models that offer part-time electric power with full-time four-wheel drive. There are cars here that are perfect for slinking silently through town; cars that are perfect for scrambling up muddy hillsides; and cars that are ideal for settling into the driver’s seat for a long drive home. The only question is — which one is right for you?
Fortunately, Carwow’s expert car reviews team has put together this list of the top hybrid 4x4s. We extensively test every car on sale so that you can make an informed choice when it’s time to buy a new car. That’s why you can trust that these are the very best options to get your shortlist started.
2025
Car of the Year Award
1. Hyundai Santa Fe
Hyundai Santa Fe review
Another big, hybrid SUV that gets a full score from our expert reviews team,, the Hyundai Santa Fe is the 4x4 that you would have sketched on the back of your school copybook in a boring maths class. It’s all square edges, upright angles, and big, cool lights.
Quite how Hyundai has managed to make such a square shape aerodynamically efficient is anyone’s guess, but we’re glad it did as no other 4x4 looks quite as cool as this. No wonder the Santa Fe has won both the Car of the Year and the Family Values Award in the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year Awards.
It's practical and family friendly, because as well as offering hybrid power and four-wheel drive, the Santa Fe also comes with seats for seven. You can even have a luxurious six-seat layout, with big individual armchairs in the middle row, but the third row is useful, even if it’s a bit tight for anyone with a completed set of GCSEs.
There’s reasonable boot space, although it’s true that some alternatives have more luggage space, in spite of the Santa Fe’s boxy back end.
The front end is pretty good too, with a seriously classy cabin that’s high on quality, and manages to mix a Land Rover-style cocktail of rugged looks with soft-touch surfaces that works really well. The big touchscreen is a good one, easy to find your way around, and thankfully backed up by some proper physical controls — Hyundai still believes in buttons!
You can have the Santa Fe as either a straightforward hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, and while there’s the option of two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive for the 215hp hybrid, the 253hp plug-in hybrid comes only with four-wheel drive. It also gets a 33-mile claimed electric range, which is more like 20 miles in real-world conditions — not massive, but enough for some silent school runs. The regular hybrid is the one that probably makes more sense with decent all-round fuel economy and just enough power.
The only downside is that the Santa Fe isn’t much fun to drive. It’s totally competent, and comfy, and mostly quiet, but there’s not much here for a keen driver. Still, when it looks this cool, you’ll forgive the Santa Fe a lot.
Quite how Hyundai has managed to make such a square shape aerodynamically efficient is anyone’s guess, but we’re glad it did as no other 4x4 looks quite as cool as this. No wonder the Santa Fe has won both the Car of the Year and the Family Values Award in the 2025 Carwow Car of the Year Awards.
It's practical and family friendly, because as well as offering hybrid power and four-wheel drive, the Santa Fe also comes with seats for seven. You can even have a luxurious six-seat layout, with big individual armchairs in the middle row, but the third row is useful, even if it’s a bit tight for anyone with a completed set of GCSEs.
There’s reasonable boot space, although it’s true that some alternatives have more luggage space, in spite of the Santa Fe’s boxy back end.
The front end is pretty good too, with a seriously classy cabin that’s high on quality, and manages to mix a Land Rover-style cocktail of rugged looks with soft-touch surfaces that works really well. The big touchscreen is a good one, easy to find your way around, and thankfully backed up by some proper physical controls — Hyundai still believes in buttons!
You can have the Santa Fe as either a straightforward hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, and while there’s the option of two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive for the 215hp hybrid, the 253hp plug-in hybrid comes only with four-wheel drive. It also gets a 33-mile claimed electric range, which is more like 20 miles in real-world conditions — not massive, but enough for some silent school runs. The regular hybrid is the one that probably makes more sense with decent all-round fuel economy and just enough power.
The only downside is that the Santa Fe isn’t much fun to drive. It’s totally competent, and comfy, and mostly quiet, but there’s not much here for a keen driver. Still, when it looks this cool, you’ll forgive the Santa Fe a lot.
There aren’t many cars that get a coveted Carwow wowscore of ten out of ten, but the mighty BMW X5 is one of them. For a start, it’s handsome — in a glowering and slightly menacing way; no wonder police services up and down the country love their X5s. Nothing moves traffic out of the outside lane quite like it — but it’s also exceptionally comfortable and really good to drive. That’s a very hard combo to beat.
The plug-in hybrid X5, badged as xDrive50e, has a powerful electric motor (194hp) and a large battery (25kWh) so not only can you drive for quite a long way on a full charge (BMW claims 70 miles, and 60 miles is fairly realistic), you can also drive quite quickly without ever waking up the turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine.
When you do, that engine remains an all time classic — smooth and powerful, and here in the hybrid X5 it gets an extra jolt of power on top from the electric motor. That translates to a 0-60mph time of just 4.8 seconds. Now try telling us hybrids are boring.
Fuel economy does drop considerably when you’re on a long motorway run — probably down to around 25mpg — but top up the battery regularly and make use of that lengthy EV range and you should see average economy closer to 50mpg. Not bad, considering the performance on offer. There’s no fast-charging option, though, which is a limitation.
Still, the X5 remains just as good to drive in hybrid form as in the regular diesel or petrol models, even if the ride comfort suffers a bit from the extra weight (maybe avoid the larger optional alloy wheels). The cabin is beautifully built too, and it’s exceptionally comfortable, with lots of room in the back seats. The big touchscreen is easy to use, but some more physical buttons would be nice. The xDrive50e hybrid does lose a bit of boot space, though, and there’s no seven-seat option.
The plug-in hybrid X5, badged as xDrive50e, has a powerful electric motor (194hp) and a large battery (25kWh) so not only can you drive for quite a long way on a full charge (BMW claims 70 miles, and 60 miles is fairly realistic), you can also drive quite quickly without ever waking up the turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine.
When you do, that engine remains an all time classic — smooth and powerful, and here in the hybrid X5 it gets an extra jolt of power on top from the electric motor. That translates to a 0-60mph time of just 4.8 seconds. Now try telling us hybrids are boring.
Fuel economy does drop considerably when you’re on a long motorway run — probably down to around 25mpg — but top up the battery regularly and make use of that lengthy EV range and you should see average economy closer to 50mpg. Not bad, considering the performance on offer. There’s no fast-charging option, though, which is a limitation.
Still, the X5 remains just as good to drive in hybrid form as in the regular diesel or petrol models, even if the ride comfort suffers a bit from the extra weight (maybe avoid the larger optional alloy wheels). The cabin is beautifully built too, and it’s exceptionally comfortable, with lots of room in the back seats. The big touchscreen is easy to use, but some more physical buttons would be nice. The xDrive50e hybrid does lose a bit of boot space, though, and there’s no seven-seat option.
3. Land Rover Defender
Land Rover Defender 110 review
Is the Land Rover Defender the coolest car on this list? It runs things close with the cool-looking Hyundai Santa Fe, but the Defender has an added sense of cool in that nothing else here is anywhere close to being as capable off-road.
That may not strictly matter to you — most of us never go further off-road than a grassy car park at a village fete, whereas the Defender could winch itself up the Matterhorn with ease — but like a complicated diver’s watch, the latent capability just adds to the sense of desire.
You can, in theory, get a Defender in short-wheelbase 90, medium-wheelbase 110, or long-wheelbase 130 forms, with seats for as many as eight people. However, if you want the hybrid — and there’s a single plug-in hybrid P400e offering — then you have to go for the mid-sized 110 version, and you can’t have seven seats as the battery takes up the space in the boot where the extra seats would go.
However, you can have a Defender hybrid as a six-seater, thanks to an optional ‘jump seat’ in the centre of the front row, which is a little cramped, but certainly useful. The dashboard layout is seriously cool, too.
The P400e Defender boasts a potential electric range of up to 30 miles, although with something this big and heavy, you’ll be lucky to see much more than 20 miles of that. Still, with DC fast charging as standard, you can quickly top up the battery on a long journey.
The Defender, for such a rugged and tough car, is exceptionally smooth and comfortable to drive, although its sheer size and weight can make it a bit of a chore in town (mind you, the all-round camera system helps). Performance is surprisingly brisk, and on long journeys, with a flat main battery, it’s not even that much thirstier than the diesel version. Just watch the reliability — Land Rover always seems to struggle in that area.
That may not strictly matter to you — most of us never go further off-road than a grassy car park at a village fete, whereas the Defender could winch itself up the Matterhorn with ease — but like a complicated diver’s watch, the latent capability just adds to the sense of desire.
You can, in theory, get a Defender in short-wheelbase 90, medium-wheelbase 110, or long-wheelbase 130 forms, with seats for as many as eight people. However, if you want the hybrid — and there’s a single plug-in hybrid P400e offering — then you have to go for the mid-sized 110 version, and you can’t have seven seats as the battery takes up the space in the boot where the extra seats would go.
However, you can have a Defender hybrid as a six-seater, thanks to an optional ‘jump seat’ in the centre of the front row, which is a little cramped, but certainly useful. The dashboard layout is seriously cool, too.
The P400e Defender boasts a potential electric range of up to 30 miles, although with something this big and heavy, you’ll be lucky to see much more than 20 miles of that. Still, with DC fast charging as standard, you can quickly top up the battery on a long journey.
The Defender, for such a rugged and tough car, is exceptionally smooth and comfortable to drive, although its sheer size and weight can make it a bit of a chore in town (mind you, the all-round camera system helps). Performance is surprisingly brisk, and on long journeys, with a flat main battery, it’s not even that much thirstier than the diesel version. Just watch the reliability — Land Rover always seems to struggle in that area.
Sell your car for what it's really worth
The free, easy way to get 5,500+ dealers all over the UK bidding on your car
Learn how to
sell your car
with Carwow
4. Range Rover
Range Rover review
If the Defender is all cool and rugged, sort of like a mobile version of Go Outdoors, then the Range Rover is sophisticated, urbane, and just a touch posh. It’s also far more cutting edge in hybrid terms than its more off-road-focused brother.
Whereas the Defender P400e mixes a four-cylinder turbo engine with a relatively small battery, the Range Rover P460e hybrid gets a bigger battery for a claimed 73-mile electric range, and then has a smooth-as-butter turbocharged straight-six petrol engine on board for longer journeys. It’s not even all that thirsty when you’re driving it around with a flat battery, and you should see the sunny side of 30mpg on a long run.
Of course, that’s not the point with a Range Rover, and it’s doubtful that anyone who buys one is all that much bothered about the fuel economy. The Range Rover’s appeal lies in its understated styling, its incredibly comfortable cabin (long-wheelbase models get seven seats), and its ability to be just as much at home cruising up the motorway, or cruising up the side of an Alp.
Many other, more expensive, brands — Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Bentley — have tried to muscle in on the Range Rover’s luxury 4x4 turf, but they just can’t seem to match its effortlessly classy appeal. Just beware of the potential for reliability issues.
Whereas the Defender P400e mixes a four-cylinder turbo engine with a relatively small battery, the Range Rover P460e hybrid gets a bigger battery for a claimed 73-mile electric range, and then has a smooth-as-butter turbocharged straight-six petrol engine on board for longer journeys. It’s not even all that thirsty when you’re driving it around with a flat battery, and you should see the sunny side of 30mpg on a long run.
Of course, that’s not the point with a Range Rover, and it’s doubtful that anyone who buys one is all that much bothered about the fuel economy. The Range Rover’s appeal lies in its understated styling, its incredibly comfortable cabin (long-wheelbase models get seven seats), and its ability to be just as much at home cruising up the motorway, or cruising up the side of an Alp.
Many other, more expensive, brands — Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Bentley — have tried to muscle in on the Range Rover’s luxury 4x4 turf, but they just can’t seem to match its effortlessly classy appeal. Just beware of the potential for reliability issues.
5. Kia Sorento
Kia Sorento review
As with its close cousin, the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento can be had with either regular hybrid or plug-in hybrid power, although the Kia doesn’t come with the option of a basic two-wheel drive version.
It basically means you can pick from a standard hybrid which should be able to hit the 40mpg mark in daily driving, or a plug-in hybrid which will be more thirsty on longer runs, but which gives you the ability to cover up to 33 miles on electric power if you charge it up (although more like 20 miles is what you’re realistically get). That makes the Sorento a pretty versatile choice, and there’s still an old-school diesel version if you fancy.
Outside, the Sorento just doesn’t look as cool as the Santa Fe, and inside it’s a bit on the plain side too. However, the Kia is superbly well-made, and hugely comfortable even if the suspension can be a bit clunky at low speeds. There’s loads of space up front, and in the middle row, but the third row — as in so many big seven-seat 4x4s — is a bit on the small side, and so is really only suitable for kids.
On the upside, the Sorento comes with Kia’s brilliant seven-year warranty, although its solid build quality means that you probably won’t need to use that much.
It basically means you can pick from a standard hybrid which should be able to hit the 40mpg mark in daily driving, or a plug-in hybrid which will be more thirsty on longer runs, but which gives you the ability to cover up to 33 miles on electric power if you charge it up (although more like 20 miles is what you’re realistically get). That makes the Sorento a pretty versatile choice, and there’s still an old-school diesel version if you fancy.
Outside, the Sorento just doesn’t look as cool as the Santa Fe, and inside it’s a bit on the plain side too. However, the Kia is superbly well-made, and hugely comfortable even if the suspension can be a bit clunky at low speeds. There’s loads of space up front, and in the middle row, but the third row — as in so many big seven-seat 4x4s — is a bit on the small side, and so is really only suitable for kids.
On the upside, the Sorento comes with Kia’s brilliant seven-year warranty, although its solid build quality means that you probably won’t need to use that much.
2025
Urban Living Award
6. Toyota Yaris Cross
Toyota Yaris Cross review
For such a small car, the Toyota Yaris Cross is pretty sophisticated when it comes to being a hybrid 4x4. You can choose from either 115hp or 130hp power outputs for its dinky little 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid engines, but the clever part is that if you want the 4x4 model, you get a little electric motor whose only job is to drive the rear wheels.
That means that the Yaris Cross saves weight and complication as it doesn’t need the extra driveshafts of a conventional 4x4, but still gives you the extra traction and grip when the weather turns nasty and the roads get slippery. A proper off-roader? Not really, although like its bigger brother the RAV4, the Yaris Cross is surprisingly capable when the going gets tough.
It’s also roomy for a small car, and while the cabin feels a bit cheap in places, there’s nothing wrong with the way the Yaris Cross is actually put together. There’s decent space in the back seats, and a boot that can carry almost 400 litres of luggage, which is good going.
Best of all, it’s superbly economical — you’ll easily do better than 55mpg with a four-wheel drive Yaris Cross, and while that’s maybe not quite as good as the even more frugal front-wheel drive model, it’s still the most economical all-round car on this list.
That means that the Yaris Cross saves weight and complication as it doesn’t need the extra driveshafts of a conventional 4x4, but still gives you the extra traction and grip when the weather turns nasty and the roads get slippery. A proper off-roader? Not really, although like its bigger brother the RAV4, the Yaris Cross is surprisingly capable when the going gets tough.
It’s also roomy for a small car, and while the cabin feels a bit cheap in places, there’s nothing wrong with the way the Yaris Cross is actually put together. There’s decent space in the back seats, and a boot that can carry almost 400 litres of luggage, which is good going.
Best of all, it’s superbly economical — you’ll easily do better than 55mpg with a four-wheel drive Yaris Cross, and while that’s maybe not quite as good as the even more frugal front-wheel drive model, it’s still the most economical all-round car on this list.
7. Nissan X-Trail
Nissan X-Trail e-Power review
The Nissan X-Trail is a slightly odd 4x4 hybrid. Why? Because every other car here uses a combination of petrol engine and electric motors to drive their wheels, but the Nissan uses only electric motors.
Its e-Power system is always and only powered by its electric motors, and the petrol engine is only on board as a generator that keeps the small battery constantly charged up. Even more oddly, there’s no plugging-in at all — you just top up the petrol tank to keep moving.
In theory, that gives you smooth electric power delivery but without the hassle of cables and finding charging points. That works, sort of, but the X-Trail’s engine gets noisy and drone-y under acceleration, and it’s not as economical on a long motorway journey as you’d like.
Still, with the e-4ORCE four-wheel drive system you do get some useful extra grip in nasty conditions, and the X-Trail is a pleasant car to drive, with a high quality cabin. The optional third row of seats is handy, turning the X-Trail into a seven-seater, but they’re not the roomiest extra seats, so it’s a kids-only zone really.
Nissan is currently rolling out an updated infotainment system, based on Google software, that’s a big improvement on the existing touchscreen, although at least the X-Trail gets to keep some physical controls which really helps.
Its e-Power system is always and only powered by its electric motors, and the petrol engine is only on board as a generator that keeps the small battery constantly charged up. Even more oddly, there’s no plugging-in at all — you just top up the petrol tank to keep moving.
In theory, that gives you smooth electric power delivery but without the hassle of cables and finding charging points. That works, sort of, but the X-Trail’s engine gets noisy and drone-y under acceleration, and it’s not as economical on a long motorway journey as you’d like.
Still, with the e-4ORCE four-wheel drive system you do get some useful extra grip in nasty conditions, and the X-Trail is a pleasant car to drive, with a high quality cabin. The optional third row of seats is handy, turning the X-Trail into a seven-seater, but they’re not the roomiest extra seats, so it’s a kids-only zone really.
Nissan is currently rolling out an updated infotainment system, based on Google software, that’s a big improvement on the existing touchscreen, although at least the X-Trail gets to keep some physical controls which really helps.
8. Subaru Forester
Subaru Forester review
The Subaru Forester is a car that’s been firmly stuck in its own rut since the late 1990s, and it’s very comfortable in there, thank you very much. True, in recent years it’s become bigger and more obviously an SUV (rather than the original’s tall-estate look), and it’s gained hybrid power too, but the basic recipe remains the same — a boxy, roomy body powered by a flat-four engine, with permanent four-wheel drive.
That makes the Forester considerably more rugged than most of the cars on this list, and Subaru pays more attention to things like slope approach angles and ground clearance than most. This may be a hybrid, but the Forester will keep going when other SUVs have given up.
However, the downside is that it’s thirsty and certainly not very tax-efficient if you’re getting one as a company car. The benefits are lots of space, a decent boot, and exceptionally good quality and reliability, plus a better sense of comfort over bumps than most. The Forester is also a little more enthusiastic to drive than the average mid-size SUV, although it’s far from the quickest — forget the famous Subaru Impreza WRX of old, this Forester Hybrid takes a lazy 12.2 seconds to reach 62mph.
That makes the Forester considerably more rugged than most of the cars on this list, and Subaru pays more attention to things like slope approach angles and ground clearance than most. This may be a hybrid, but the Forester will keep going when other SUVs have given up.
However, the downside is that it’s thirsty and certainly not very tax-efficient if you’re getting one as a company car. The benefits are lots of space, a decent boot, and exceptionally good quality and reliability, plus a better sense of comfort over bumps than most. The Forester is also a little more enthusiastic to drive than the average mid-size SUV, although it’s far from the quickest — forget the famous Subaru Impreza WRX of old, this Forester Hybrid takes a lazy 12.2 seconds to reach 62mph.
9. Volkswagen Multivan
Volkswagen Multivan review
The Volkswagen Multivan is unique on this list, because although it’s definitely a hybrid, and although it definitely has 4MOTION four-wheel drive, it’s also definitely not an SUV. In fact, as the name suggests, it’s a van. Based on the same bits and pieces as a Golf or Passat, it’s true, but a van, complete with sliding side doors, all the same.
However, that comes with real advantages. The Multivan’s driving position is tall and comfortable, and allows you to almost look down on Range Rover drivers. It’s big and boxy too, so there’s space for seven proper seats for seven proper people, and you can slide, fold, tilt, and remove any or all of those seats for maximum versatility. Go for the long-wheelbase model and you can carry seven people and lots of luggage at the same time, and try doing that with any of the other cars here.
There’s a bigger battery than before for a longer electric range of up to 57 miles potentially, but it gets very thirsty on a long run, and it’s never much fun to drive. Still, with all that space, you probably won’t be so bothered about driving fun. Just be prepared to be mistaken for an airport taxi when you’re out and about.
However, that comes with real advantages. The Multivan’s driving position is tall and comfortable, and allows you to almost look down on Range Rover drivers. It’s big and boxy too, so there’s space for seven proper seats for seven proper people, and you can slide, fold, tilt, and remove any or all of those seats for maximum versatility. Go for the long-wheelbase model and you can carry seven people and lots of luggage at the same time, and try doing that with any of the other cars here.
There’s a bigger battery than before for a longer electric range of up to 57 miles potentially, but it gets very thirsty on a long run, and it’s never much fun to drive. Still, with all that space, you probably won’t be so bothered about driving fun. Just be prepared to be mistaken for an airport taxi when you’re out and about.
10. Range Rover Evoque
Range Rover Evoque review
The Range Rover Evoque has been a popular car since your dad was a lad, combining sharp styling and Range Rover badge appeal with a compact shape and relatively affordable pricing. Well, very relatively — the price has crept up quite a bit in the past few years, and the Evoque isn’t quite the bargain Rangey it once was.
It also suffers a bit from having an interior that’s just a bit too plain — clearly, Land Rover has tried to make it minimalist and chic, but it’s overstepped the mark a bit. On the upside, the Evoque is surprisingly roomy, given that plunging rear roofline. It’s certainly comfy in the back for two reasonably sized people.
It’s also very good to drive, with notably sharp steering and the hybrid — a plug-in hybrid with a three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor driving the rear wheels — has proper all-wheel drive traction and some surprising off-road ability. Well, maybe not so surprising given that badge.
The claimed electric driving range is 34 miles, which is a bit on the short side compared to newer alternatives, but the Evoque’s hybrid system is actually very frugal on longer runs, compared to some others. The PHEV Evoque does lose some boot space, though, which makes it less useful and reliability is always a worry.
It also suffers a bit from having an interior that’s just a bit too plain — clearly, Land Rover has tried to make it minimalist and chic, but it’s overstepped the mark a bit. On the upside, the Evoque is surprisingly roomy, given that plunging rear roofline. It’s certainly comfy in the back for two reasonably sized people.
It’s also very good to drive, with notably sharp steering and the hybrid — a plug-in hybrid with a three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor driving the rear wheels — has proper all-wheel drive traction and some surprising off-road ability. Well, maybe not so surprising given that badge.
The claimed electric driving range is 34 miles, which is a bit on the short side compared to newer alternatives, but the Evoque’s hybrid system is actually very frugal on longer runs, compared to some others. The PHEV Evoque does lose some boot space, though, which makes it less useful and reliability is always a worry.
How to choose the best hybrid 4x4 car for you
When it comes to hybrid 4x4s, the big thing you need to work out is precisely what you need. Do you actually need the nth-degree of off-road ability — a car capable of dealing with rutted forest tracks and clambering across boulders? — or do you just want a bit of extra traction and grip for the winter months?
Many of the cars on this list are SUVs, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all as rough-road capable as each other. The standouts in that area are the three Land Rover cars, whereas the likes of the BMW X5 and Hyundai Santa Fe are best kept on tarmac.
Then you need to work out how many seats you need. Several of the models featured in our top ten come with seven seats, but it’s worth remembering that equally many have quite small third row seats, which are suitable really only for children, and not for full-grown adults. The exception to that rule is the Volkswagen Multivan, which has a full set of seven full-sized seats, and space left over for everyone’s luggage.
Finally, if you want four-wheel drive with genuinely excellent all-round fuel economy, be careful which car you pick. There are plenty of plug-in hybrids on this list, which are great if you do lots of short journeys which can be done using electric power, saving the petrol engine for the occasional long run; but if you’re a regular long-haul driver, you’re better off going for a regular hybrid, as most plug-in hybrids become very thirsty on long drives with a flat main battery.
Advertisement
