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Best plug-in hybrids 2021

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 be, plug-in hybrids serve as a great middle-ground between internal combustion and an EV. Here is the definitive list of the very best plug-in hybrids you can buy.
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1.BMW 330e

For a posh plug-in hybrid that doubles up as the perfect family car, look no further than the BMW 330e. With a 2.0-litre petrol engine paired up with an electric motor to produce 292hp, the 330e is both quick and efficient – on top of being great to drive and spacious too. It does fall on the expensive side of things, with a starting price of around £40,000, but does feel every bit of that cost. The BMW 330e even picked up the title for Best Family Hybrid Car in the 2021 carwow Car of the Year awards.
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2. Range Rover Evoque P300e

SUVs are all the rage, with their stylish looks, high driving positions and bags of practicality. Throw the performance and economy benefits of a plug-in hybrid, and you have a very appealing package – as the Range Rover Evoque P300e proves. With a properly upmarket interior and bags of kit onboard, you won’t be left feeling short-changed behind the wheel of the Evoque and its 309hp petrol-electric system gives it the get-up and go to match as well. On petrol power alone, it’s going to be pretty thirsty, but keep it charged and it’s claimed to return up to 141mpg as well as covering around 40 miles on electricity alone.
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3. Skoda Superb iV

For sheer practicality and value, it’s pretty hard to match the Skoda Superb in any form. That reputation carries through to the plug-in hybrid iV which is so good, it was named the Best Large Hybrid Car in the 2021 carwow Car of the Year awards. Boot space does take a slight hit to accommodate the batteries, but with 485 litres for the saloon and 510 litres should you opt for the estate, there’s still plenty of room for your luggage. It emits just 30g/km of CO2 as well and returns a claimed 149 miles per gallon.
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4. Volvo XC90 T8

Any choice of Volvo XC90 would be a fantastic buy, but opt for the T8 plug-in hybrid and you’re getting the best of the lot. In fact, you’d be getting yourself one of the best SUVs of them all. Volvo’s classy but impactful approach to design is showcased beautifully here, with its “Thor’s hammer” headlights setting the tone for a simple yet cool look.  It’s a similar story inside, too, with a properly luxurious feel to it thanks to cushy leather interior options and a choice of beautiful plastic and wood trims. The rearmost seats in this seven-seater won’t accommodate anyone other than kids, but the rest of the car is really comfortable.
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5. Mercedes C300de

Diesel and electric power isn’t a common combination, but the Mercedes C300de proves it can be an effective one. If you’re covering huge motorway miles but want the added ability to cruise about on electric power when it comes to town driving, this is worth considering. It’ll return a claimed 235.5mpg and emit just 31g/km of CO2, making the perfect company car. The C300de still lacks the impressive new Mercedes MBUX infotainment system, so you’re stuck with its older setup, but the interior is a very comfortable place to be for hours.

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6. BMX X5

For a properly practical, properly premium plug-in hybrid SUV, you should take a look at the BMW X5 45e. It retains the typical X5 hallmarks – a high-quality interior, a fun driving experience and room throughout – while adding the economy benefits a plug-in hybrid can deliver. Granted, some of the equipment (like lumbar support) reserved for the options list should be thrown in as standard really, but the car itself is effortless to drive and the package as a whole justifies its relatively high price tag.
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7. Range Rover P400e

If you want the ultimate in luxury hybrids, the Range Rover P400e is one to consider. Just like any Range Rover, the P400e remains supremely comfortable with a luxurious cabin, excellent driving position and being remarkably quiet on the road – while bringing an efficient plug-in hybrid set-up on board. It’ll do 25 miles on electricity alone, while the 2.0-litre petrol engine works with an electric motor to produce 404hp for impressive performance as well. It does have an Achilles heel in that alternatives are more fun to drive, but this will go off-road effortlessly too if that’s your thing.

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8. Volkswagen Passat GTE

Looking for something comfortable and spacious in your plug-in hybrid? Take a look at the Volkswagen Passat GTE. Available as both a saloon and an estate car, it offers an impressive 34 miles of driving on electricity alone while even the tallest of adults will find passenger space to be generous both up front and in the back. Granted, it’s not as fun to drive as the ‘GT’ in GTE may lead you to believe but there’s no arguing it looks pretty smart with its sprinkling of blue trim, and it’s loaded with kit, too.
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9. Toyota Prius Plug-in

The Toyota Prius is the car that started the hybrid revolution, so it’ll come as no surprise that its latest evolution is one of the best on the market. Styled with maximum efficiency in mind, the Toyota Prus Plug-in returns a massive claim of 235mpg, with CO2 as little as 28g/km. It will let in a fair bit of road noise into the car and headroom in the back is tight, but plenty of safety assistance will keep everyone on board – plus it’ll manage 25 miles on electricity alone. 
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Range Rover PHEV review
Check out the Range Rover plug-in hybrid video review.

Frequently asked questions about plug-in hybrids

Just like an EV, a PHEV – or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle – has an on-board battery that supplies power to an electric motor to drive the wheels, which is topped-up by plugging the car in. That battery is usually smaller and has a lower capacity than ones found in electric cars, which means plug-in vehicles can’t drive anywhere near as far on electricity alone – around 30 miles in most cases, including the Volkswagen Golf GTE and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. But they do have an extra trick up their sleeve.

Plug-in vehicles also have a combustion engine that kicks in once the battery runs out of charge. It’s used to generate more electricity to recharge the battery, or drive the wheels, or a combination of both.

How much it costs you to run will depend entirely on how you use your car: if the combustion engine rarely cuts in, it’ll be super-cheap, but if you regularly need call upon petrol power, your fuel costs will climb very steeply. Plug-in hybrids don’t cost as much like-for-like as electric cars, but they’re a good bit more expensive than regular petrol or diesel cars or other types of hybrid.

You can find out more in the Electric cars vs PHEVs vs Hybrid cars advice guide.?

As you can see on our list the best plug-in hybrid is the BMW 330e. But if that’s not quite to your taste here is the list in full:

  1. BMW 330e
  2. Range Rover Evoque P300e
  3. Skoda Superb iV
  4. Volvo XC90 T8
  5. Mercedes C300de
  6. BMW X5
  7. Range Rover P400e
  8. Volkswagen Passat GTE
  9. Toyota Prius Plug-in

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 hybrids 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.

The time it takes to charge a plug-in hybrid car varies between cars. But as an example, the BMW 330e at the top of this list will take around four hours to charge from empty to full.

This will give you around 30 miles of electric-only driving.

So if you want to make the most of the high fuel economy a plug-in hybrid can bring you need to be able to charge the car up regularly – even more so than a pure electric car. If you don’t charge the plug-in hybrid car up regularly your fuel economy could be worse than a standard petrol car (because of the extra weight the hybrid set up brings).

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.

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