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Compare the best hybrid SUVs

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Rated 4.6/5 from 47,894 reviews

Best hybrid SUVs of 2023

The combination of style and practicality SUVs offer is hard to beat, but the problem of course is that SUVs are bigger and heavier than conventional cars, so they tend to be thirstier.

And while diesel engines would previously have solved this issue, that fuel has fallen out of fashion in recent years, leaving hybridisation to pick up the slack. Unsurprisingly, then, there are plenty of hybrid SUVs to choose from.

As such, you can have a hybrid SUV in almost any flavour you want: big or small, affordable or expensive, premium or mainstream, plug-in or conventional hybrid - there are a heck of a lot of options out there. All blend the long-distance capabilities of the internal combustion engine with the zero-emission nature of an electric motor and batteries to some extent, and we've consulted our car-review gurus to bring you 10 of the best.

Here, we run down a selection of brilliant hybrid SUVs for you to consider, covering as many bases as possible.

Land Rover Defender

1. Land Rover Defender

9/10
Land Rover Defender review
The Defender has been a huge hit for Land Rover, to the extent it has actually eclipsed its simiarly competent Discovery sibling. Why? Well, first the Defender is an iconic nameplate, successfully reimagined for today's drivers' needs and, second, because it's a newer car underneath, which means it's also available as a plug-in hybrid, where the Disco is not. The Defender P400e (Land Rover's name for the PHEV version) can cover up to 27 miles in electric mode, can go from 0-62mph in around five and a half seconds, and can return up to around 100mpg if you plug it in regularly. Not bad figures for a seriously practical and desirable SUV, even if it's a fairly large car, especially if you go for one of the longer-wheelbase models.
Audi Q5

2. Audi Q5

9/10
Audi Q5 review
Battery range up to 32 miles
The Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid won’t make you laugh out loud because it's so fun on a twisty road, but it's a highly competent and practical family SUV, and offers seriously impressive comfort levels and desirability. The interior is a masterclass in posh, well-made design, with all the tech you could want (even if, as with almost all cars, you'll have to pay extra for this). A 32-mile official range isn’t bad, either. The Q5 PHEV is badged '50 TFSI e' by Audi, just to help you narrow things down.
Volvo XC40

3. Volvo XC60

9/10
Volvo XC40 review
Battery range up to 26 miles
The XC60 is something of a Goldilocks car in Volvo's SUV line-up – it's a bit bigger than the XC40 and a bit smaller than the massive XC90. That means it's practical without being intimidating to drive on the road. You still get the usual Scandinavian cool design inside and out and bundles of safety tech you would expect from Volvo. On top of this, the plug-in hybrid engine offers nearly 50 miles of electric-only range, which is decent.
BMW X3

4. BMW X3

8/10
BMW X3 review
Battery range up to 27 miles
The plug-in hybrid version of the BMW X3 is not only fun to drive, its cabin features impeccable build quality and contains a fantastic infotainment system. Its battery will take you 28 miles on a full charge, and when that's exhausted the 2.0-litre petrol engine can both power the car, and recharge the battery - though as with all PHEVs, plugging in to get more electricity is the best way to run the car. Either way, performance is impressive, with 0-62mph taking just 6.1 seconds. You do pay somewhat for the honour of all this, but if you're able to do this, it's very much worth it.
Lexus NX Hybrid

5. Lexus NX

8/10
Lexus NX Hybrid review
The Lexus NX is not only very handsome, it’s comfortable, practical and impressively luxurious inside too, even if the infotainment isn't quite as good as the sysyems found in rival cars. Being a Lexus, however, means that reliability and build quality should all be beyond reproach, and while the NX may not thrill as much as the BMW X3 does on the open road, it's a supremely relaxing car to drive. Lexus dealers have incredibly good reputations, too. Lexus offers the NX as both a conventional hybrid (IE one that you don't need to plug in), or as a PHEV, which you can plug in, and which can return greater economy as a result. It can officially travel an impressive 49 miles on battery power, too. You'll need to pay a fair bit extra for the PHEV model, though, so the conventional hybrid is the model to go for, unless you will benefit from the lower tax of the PHEV as a company car.

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Cupra Formentor

6. Cupra Formentor

8/10
Cupra Formentor review
Cupra used to be the sporty sub-brand of SEAT, but was spun off into a standalone marque a few years ago. Don't let that slightly complex gestation put you off, though, as the Formentor is a seriously handsome and capable vehicle. Offered with a range of petrol engines, the eHybrid PHEV model has an official range of up to 36 miles, and you can eke up to 239mpg out of it if you recharge regularly and drive around on electric power most of the time. Strong interior build quality and interesting paint options are among the Formentor's other talents, while it drives very nicely indeed, too.
Kia Sorento

7. Kia Sorento

8/10
Kia Sorento review
The Kia Sorento is a big, seven-seat SUV, and is emblematic of Kia's ascent over the past few years, as this model is both the brand's biggest and most expensive model, and should give established premium manufacturers sleepless nights, as it's really rather nice to look at, and posh inside. Offered as a conventional and plug-in hybrid, the Sorento also comes with Kia's class-leading seven-year warranty.
Toyota C-HR

8. Toyota C-HR

8/10
Toyota C-HR review
The Toyota badge on the bonnet might not be as desirable as some in this list, but the C-HR more than makes up for that by being incredibly stylish on the outside and pretty smart and sophisticated on the inside. Sure, it's not the most practical car in the world, but if you don't need to maximise space in the boot and back seats, it's a compelling option. Good looks and a fuel-sipping engine make this something of a 'head and heart' choice.
Ford Kuga

9. Ford Kuga

7/10
Ford Kuga review
Battery range up to 35 miles
The Ford Kuga is a handsome thing, with an Aston Martin-esque front end, and an enjoyable driving experience that helps it stand out from the crowd. Ford offers the Kuga with conventional internal combustion engines, as well as in conventional hybrid form, or as a plug-in hybrid that can cover up to 32 miles on a charge. Interior quality is fine if not exceptional, and the Kuga remains an excellent family SUV with the option of hybrid power.
Mercedes GLE SUV

10. Mercedes GLE

7/10
Mercedes GLE SUV review
Battery range up to 57 miles
Luxury doesn't come cheap, but one glance at the GLE's cabin will convince you that it's worth it. With tastefully chosen wood finishes and leather covering almost every surface, the big GLE SUV really is rather lovely inside. It's also a seriously impressive car on the road, eating up the miles in immense comfort and with serious competence - even if the BMW X5 has a slght edge in the handling stakes. The plug-in hybrid version's 61-mile electric range is really impressive though, and double that offered by some PHEVs.

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Advice about hybrid SUV cars

Hybrid SUVs FAQs

A hybrid SUV is a tall, practical car with the style (if not always the capability) of a 4x4, and which uses a combination of petrol and electric power to drive. The electric half of the system can either save fuel by running on battery alone, or can help by adding extra power when you need it.

Hybrid SUVs come with an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine. That motor is fed power from a small battery (or in the case of a plug-in hybrid, quite a big battery). The idea is that the petrol engine can be tuned to run a more fuel-efficient setting, allowing the electric motor to add extra power when needed for acceleration. The electric motor can also power the car by itself for short bursts, and if you add up lots of those short bursts (such as when driving around town) you can see some very impressive fuel savings. Plug-in hybrid SUVs can charge up their larger batteries from mains power and drive for short commuting-style distances on electric power, saving their petrol engines and fuel tanks for longer drives.

To find out more about how hybrid SUVs work, check out our guide on what is a hybrid car?

Well you won’t be short of choice, that’s for sure. There are currently more than 50 hybrid models to choose from, and that number will only continue to grow over the coming months and years.

A self-charging hybrid SUV will only manage around a mile or so on electric power, as their batteries are quite small. Of course, the idea is that the battery charges up again quickly (from both the engine and from regenerative braking) so you get lots of those short hops in one journey, saving you quite a lot of fuel. A plug-in hybrid SUV gets a bigger battery and can charge from mains electricity, so can go a lot further on electric power - as much as 70 miles if you’re looking at a new Range Rover plug-in hybrid - but around 40 miles is more common.

If we’re talking plug-in hybrids, then it’s the Mercedes-Benz GLE plug-in, which combines diesel and electric power to hit a claimed 353mpg (although it’ll be a struggle to reach that figure in day-to-day driving). If it’s a regular self-charging hybrid you want, then Toyota’s C-HR will do a claimed 61mpg on the combined fuel economy cycle.

The biggest hybrid SUV is the new Range Rover, which comes in two plug-in versions called P440e and P510e. Both models get a massive battery which gives them a claimed 70-mile electric-only range.

It may only be small, but the most affordable hybrid SUV is the little Toyota Yaris Cross, which has a basic price of just over £20,000.

With so much choice on the market, and cars so competent these days, picking a 'best' is tricky, not least because small hybrid SUVs come from almost every manufacturer offering a range of prices. The Toyota Yaris Cross is a great option, because it's just so economical and comes with an excellent warranty.

Well, if you really want the best of the best, the Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover plug-in hybrids are right up there, though these are six-figure cars.

First, decide if a plug-in or self-charging hybrid is right for you; company car drivers, and those who can charge at home may favour the PHEV option. Next, hybrids are so commonplace, and offered as an option with so many cars, that you should decide in general what cars you would consider, then find out if they come with hybrid power; decide the car first, not the powertrain.

Hybrid SUVs tend to be more expensive than their petrol and diesel counterparts, but the trade-off is that they also tend to be more efficient, not least when diesel has fallen out of favour in recent years, and SUVs tend to use a little more fuel than equivalent hatchbacks.

There are no overtly bad hybrid SUVs on the market, but be sure to make the right choice between plug-in and self-charging hybridisation: if you don't have off-street parking you're less likely to keep the batteries of a PHEV charged up, negating the efficiency gains the extra cost of a hybrid typically brings. Oh, and don't go thinking a mild hybrid is a proper hybrid; this term effectively means the car has a sophisticated stop-start system, and can switch off its engine when going down hill, for example; mild hybrids can't power themselves by electricity alone.

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