Mercedes-Benz E300e
Price: from £65,720 Electric range: 72 miles
There’s plenty of hybrid executive cars on sale right now, but we reckon the Mercedes-Benz E300e is the best of the lot. Sure, it isn’t cheap to buy outright, but the much improved range from a big 25.4kWh battery pack leads the class – and crucially makes it a more affordable company car than the BMW 530e.
What’s more, the latest E-Class nails the fundamentals of a true luxury car. It’s got a pillowy smooth ride, effortless performance, superb refinement and an opulent, high-tech and spacious interior. You can also get the E300e in estate form to add strong practicality to that list of talents, too.
Range Rover Sport P460e
Price: from £90,310 Electric range: 76 miles
A Range Rover Sport that’s cheap to run? Well, if it’s a company car and you can charge it at home or at work, that’s exactly what the P460e is. Thanks to a 31.8kWh usable battery (bigger than the battery in the Mazda MX-30 EV) it manages up to 382mpg on official tests – and if you keep the battery topped up it might well do that.
Beyond the electric aspect, the P460e delivers all the expected Range Rover traits including potent performance, a great ride and handling balance, a truly luxurious cabin and plenty of space. Oh, and some serious off-road ability if you feel the need to explore off the beaten track. It might not be cheap to buy, but the Range Rover Sport PHEV is extremely compelling.
Toyota Prius
Price: from £37,895 Electric range: 53 miles
The globally popular Toyota Prius has always been easy to drive and remarkably frugal– but this new model introduces a dose of style not seen before from the hybrid icon. Behind that svelte exterior is a new plug-in hybrid powertrain – the only one offered to UK buyers.
Its 13.6kWh battery is far smaller than even the Mazda in this list, but the fact it manages 53 miles on a charge shows that the Prius still majors on real-world efficiency. That aerodynamic shape means it’ll also sip fuel even with a depleted battery on a run, while the latest Prius is also surprisingly quick and good to drive. Mediocre practicality is the only letdown.
Renault Rafale E-Tech 4×4 Plug-in hybrid
Price: from £46,995 Electric range: 65 miles
Renault isn’t a name you’d normally associate with PHEVs: indeed, it only sells one. But the Rafale E-Tech Plug-in hybrid is the brand’s flagship model, using a sprinkling of Alpine engineering in a desirable coupe-SUV shape. A tiny three-cylinder petrol engine combined with a 22kWh battery and a trio of electric motors delivers a stout 300hp, too.
Strong performance and range, combined with clever agility-boosting four-wheel steering and camera-based adaptive damping, means the Rafale blends comfort and sportiness pretty well. It’s also got loads of space, an easy-to-use interior loaded with technology and a price tag undercutting premium-brand rivals.
Lexus NX450+
Price: from £52,035 Electric range: 45 miles
Just like parent company Toyota, Lexus is a brand that knows a thing or two about hybrids. The NX450+ might not be the newest or longest-range PHEV here, but it’s a compelling choice thanks to its strong performance, comfortable ride and Lexus’ longstanding reputation for excellent reliability and customer service.
The interior is also beautifully made, loaded with equipment and practical, too, while it also undercuts key premium rivals on list price. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that its shorter electric range means it won’t save you as much in company car tax as some plug-in SUVs.
Omoda 9
Price: from £44,990 Electric range: 93 miles
Put simply, the Omoda 9 is officially the longest-range plug-in hybrid car you can currently buy. That’s thanks to its vast 34.5kWh battery pack, which is bigger even than the Range Rover Sport’s.
If that isn’t enough of a selling point for you, the Omoda 9 also has serious performance from its 449hp hybrid system, loads of space, a plush interior and a tally of standard equipment to embarrass the Range Rover Sport at half the price. Granted, it isn’t anything like as polished to drive as that car nor its pricier premium rivals, but if you’re willing to accept that the Omoda 9 is an awful lot of car for not an awful lot of cash.
