Compare the best plug-in hybrid cars (PHEVs)

Q: What plug-in hybrid car has the best electric range?

The current range champ is, appropriately, the Range Rover , which in P440e plug-in hybrid form can hit a claimed 70 miles on electric power. However, it may not have this crown for long — Mercedes has a new GLC plug-in hybrid coming shortly with a claimed 75-mile electric range.

High-quality PHEVs from rated and reviewed dealers

Select a car Not sure what you want?

Best PHEVs of 2022

The world is moving ever-closer to a total electric car revolution, and at the heart of that has been an uptake in plug-in hybrids. For those not quite ready to make the switch to a fully-electric car or simply want the economy benefits a little bit of battery power can give, plug-in hybrids serve as a great middle-ground between internal combustion and electric. Here is the definitive list of the very best plug-in hybrids you can buy.

1. BMW 330e

9/10

Battery range up to 34 miles

carwow price from

£509^* / month (£35,238)

The BMW 330e combines lots of power (292hp from its combined 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine and its electric motor) with decent electric range (34 miles), and of course that wonderful driving experience that BMWs are famed for. A great car, but it needs to beware of the Mercedes C300e, with its 62-mile electric range.

Compare offers Read our review

2. Volkswagen Golf

9/10

carwow price from

£250^* / month (£23,994)

You can choose from the more sensible 204hp e-Hybrid, or the sporty 245hp GTE but both half-electric Golfs are impressive cars. Sure, the infotainment system is maddening, and the boot is a bit small, but they’re good to drive, frugal on a long run, and can offer up to 44 miles of electric-only range.

Compare offers Read our review

3. BMW X5

9/10

Battery range up to 45 miles

carwow price from

£842^* / month (£60,930)

The X5 is big and handsome, and offers a good mix of creamy straight-six petrol power when you need it, and a potential 55 miles of electric range when you need to save fuel. The cabin is spacious and beautifully made, and the X5 can be chucked around corners with no little enjoyment. Pricey, but maybe worth it.

Compare offers Read our review

4. Skoda Superb

9/10

Battery range up to 45 miles

carwow price from

£311^* / month (£26,112)

The Superb is one of the biggest and most sensible cars you can buy, and adding a plug-in hybrid system doesn’t change that. It gets a reasonable 37-mile electric range, and while it gets a touch thirsty on longer runs, that’s worth it for the massive cabin space and the big boot (especially when we’re talking about the massive estate version).

Compare offers Read our review

5. Kia Sorento

8/10

carwow price from

£442^* / month

The Sorento is one of our favourite plug-in hybrid cars, mostly because it’s so darned good looking. That sounds silly, but it’s not just about the outside. The relatively affordable Kia has a cabin that’s good enough to shame many supposedly premium brands, and it’s very roomy too. Plug-in hybrid system offers up to 35 miles of electric range.

Compare offers Read our review

6. Range Rover Evoque

8/10

carwow price from

£457^* / month (£32,842)

Take Range Rover’s gorgeous compact Evoque, and add to it a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine with a plug-in hybrid system. That mixture gives you a 38-mile electric range, decent long-run economy, and a fabulous cabin that looks and feels like it’s worth way more than you paid.

Compare offers Read our review

7. Volvo XC90

8/10

Battery range up to 28 miles

carwow price from

£580^* / month (£52,715)

Getting on in years now, but the XC90 can still play with the big boys in the premium SUV segment. The latest battery upgrade has given it an impressive 41-mile electric range, and the cabin remains a gorgeous space, although the third row seats aren’t the roomiest. Incredibly safe, too — Volvo claims that since launch, no occupant of an XC90 has been killed in an accident.

Compare offers Read our review

8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class

8/10

carwow price from

£561^* / month (£38,696)

The Mercedes C300e is one of the longest-range plug-in hybrids on the market, with the saloon getting a 68-miile official range figure, which drops by three miles for the estate. The 204hp combination of petrol and battery power costs more than the petrol-alone 258hp petrol C-Class, but it's the efficiency king of the C-Class range.

Compare offers Read our review

9. Volkswagen Passat GTE

8/10

Battery range up to 41 miles

carwow price from

£507^* / month (£40,257)

The Passat GTE does all of the expected plug-in hybrid things. It has a useful 37-mile electric range, and while it’s thirsty-ish on a long run, it can usually be coaxed to return 45mpg. It’s surprisingly sporty, though, with strong performance in GTE mode. Best experienced as an estate.

Compare offers Read our review

10. Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid

7/10

carwow price from

£304^* / month (£33,286)

Taking the hybrid RAV4 and adding a plug-in version seems like such an obvious thing to do. It works well, too — you get genuine 46-mile electric range, and if you need to go and haul up the motorway for a long distance, it’ll still do around 53mpg even when the battery is flat. The extra weight makes it less than fun to drive, though.

Compare offers Read our review

Browse all hybrid cars

Advice about plug-in hybrid cars

What is a plug-in hybrid?

Electric vs hybrid cars

Hybrid car lease deals

Plug-in hybrid cars FAQs

How do plug-in hybrid cars work?

As with a regular hybrid, a plug-in hybrid car gets an electric motor that works with the petrol engine to deliver more power for a smaller engine size. A plug-in, though, also gets a big battery that can be charged up from the mains to give you a useful electric-only range, meaning you can leave the petrol engine to do longer journeys.

What are the pros and cons of plug-in hybrid cars?

The biggest pro is that you can have zero-emissions electric running for short journeys, but you can do longer runs without needing to stop and charge up. Most plug-in hybrids will give you a range on a full charge of around 35 miles — enough to do the regular commute, shopping, and school runs. The best latest versions will do better than that, offering up to 70 miles of electric range. Plug-in hybrids are often quite powerful and fast, too — the BMW 330e has 292hp, as much as the petrol-only 330i, while the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid has a whopping 680hp.

The downside is weight — the bigger batteries of plug-in hybrids make them heavy, and that’s not good for fuel economy on longer runs. Added to that, their fuel tanks are often small, because they have to shrink to make room for the battery, and that packaging issue often means that they have smaller boots than their petrol or diesel sister models. Plug-in hybrids can also be quite expensive to buy, but a final upside is that they’re very tax-efficient for company car buyers.

Is a plug-in hybrid or a hybrid car better?

Whether or not plug-in hybrid or a standard hybrid is best is subjective. A plug-in hybrid has the advantage of being able to be driven on electric-power alone for longer distances but does require regular access to a charger to get best out of them.

Regular hybrid cars are often known as ‘self-charging’, relying on the engine and energy recover to recharge. This does mean you don’t have to worry about charging it yourself but often doesn’t allow for as much electric-only driving.

Are plug-in hybrid cars worth it?

If you cover a mix of longer journeys and around-town driving, you might find the ability to drive on electricity alone while also having the range reassurance a conventional engine brings to a plug-in hybrid.

If all you cover is short journeys around town, switching to an EV may suit more.

Who makes plug-in hybrid cars?

Almost every major brand now offers at least one plug-in hybrid model, and some — Toyota, Kia, Ford, and Hyundai among them — offer both hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of some models.

What is the cheapest plug-in hybrid car?

The current cheapest plug-in hybrid model on sale is the MG HS PHEV — it’s a chunky, mid-size SUV with a 32-mile electric range, and a price tag of £31,095. For that money, you’ll need to put up with a cheap cabin, and a dreadful infotainment system, but hey — it’s cheap and it looks good.

What plug-in hybrid car has the best electric range?

The current range champ is, appropriately, the Range Rover, which in P440e plug-in hybrid form can hit a claimed 70 miles on electric power. However, it may not have this crown for long — Mercedes has a new GLC plug-in hybrid coming shortly with a claimed 75-mile electric range.

Other hybrid cars

Browse other car types