Best Plug-in Hybrids 2023 (and the PHEVs to avoid) – Top 10 | What Car?

if you're looking to buy a new car right now you might see it as a choice between sticking with a traditional petrol or diesel car or going fully electric but for lots of potential buyers a plug-in hybrid might be an option they haven't fully considered but one that could make the most sense what is a plug-in hybrid and which ones should you buy that's what we're answering here in this video we're clearing up the jargon and then naming the 10 best plug-in hybrid cars you can buy and we're also naming the ones to avoid but first if you want a great deal on a plug-in hybrid or any other new car click on the link to go to whatco.com for a big saving and to see all of our reviews on the best new hybrids plug-in hybrids EVs and everything else subscribe to our Channel foreign [Music] first what is a plug-in hybrid well you might also hear them referred to as phevs or phevs or fevs and they should not be confused with regular hybrids ones that you can't plug in both types of car combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor powered by a battery but with a hybrid that you don't plug in the battery is very small and you can't travel on pure electric power for very long at all most of the time the battery and electric motor are just there to help boost your fuel economy plug-in hybrids the ones we're talking about here have much bigger batteries than normal hybrids and some are able to travel up to almost 70 miles on pure electric power alone not only do you have a battery but you still have an engine to rely on as well so the best plug-in hybrids give you the best of both worlds with zero emissions smooth running electric power and the long distance convenience of an internal combustion engine there are huge benefits of going for a plug-in hybrid if you can make regular use of the pure electric range then your fuel bills will be tiny compared to a normal petrol or diesel Car Plus even if you're not in fully electric mode a fev with a fully charged battery can be incredibly fuel efficient but be careful because plug-in hybrids don't suit everyone while the fuel economy is brilliant with some juice in the battery once you've run out and you're only powered by Fuel then the MPGs plummet so Mega mileage Motorway drivers are often best suited to something else but for everyone else these are the best plug-in hybrids available kicking off the top 10 is an incredibly practical car the Hyundai Santa Fe is an SUV that is extremely spacious to put it mildly with genuine seven seat usability loads of standard equipment and a very good five-year warranty too it might not have the biggest battery or the biggest pure electric range in this list but it's certainly a plug-in that caters very well for big families there is so much choice in the BMW 5 series lineup and every option is fantastic whether you want a Frugal big mile Cruiser like the 520d or a fully fledged V8 powered performance car like the M5 and there's a fantastic plug-in hybrid option too the 530e is enjoyable to drive comfortable has a great interior and a decent electric range but here is a warning that plug-in hybrids aren't always what their promise to be a regular Ford Fiesta with a one liter petrol engine has an official wltp fuel economy figure of 51.4 miles per gallon this 530e a significantly heavier and more powerful car according to the same official wltp test figures is said to deliver up to 166.2 miles per gallon so this clearly isn't the whole story you may achieve 166.2 miles per gallon for the first few hundred yards you travel on a journey with a full battery over longer Journeys with a mix of different roads starting with a full battery you're more likely to see something between 50 and 70 miles per gallon with a flat battery when you're only powered by the 530es 2-liter petrol engine it'll drop to around 35 miles per gallon so with a top-top battery it can still be impressively efficient just nowhere near what the official numbers suggest and the same can be said for every car in this list and every single plug-in hybrid with an official wltp fuel economy figure it's supposed to be representative of real world driving conditions but it isn't similarly the pure electric range of the 530e is claimed up to 33 miles but expect more like 25 miles in real-world driving conditions anyway next up the skoda superb represents a mainstream alternative to the premium all-rounder that is the 5 series The superb IV is a plug-in hybrid which is incredibly practical comfy nicely made well equipped and great value for money in the fev world it's a huge car as a saloon but if you really need more space then there's a massive estate version as well the plug-in hybrid BMW 3 Series offers much of what the 5 series does but in a smaller package for a cheaper price it's quick handles brilliantly and it has an excellently built interior with the best infotainment system around the 3 Series was facelifted last year to slightly tweak the interior and update The Styling but it is a shame BMW didn't decide to upgrade the plug-in hybrid setup the facelifted version has exactly the same setup as before which is good but the pure electric wltp range now looks a little far behind its Rivals and doesn't stand out still it's a great choice next in our top 10 is a plug-in hybrid BMW that does have a fantastic wltp range the X5 is a luxury SUV which until recently in fact had the longest wltp range of any plug-in hybrid officially it's said to be able to travel up to 54 miles on pure electric power alone and while it will be more like 35 to 40 miles in real-world driving conditions that is still definitely far enough to cover plenty of people's commutes or School runs and it's not just the range that stands out with the X5 it's brilliantly built inside impressively comfortable and good to drive the Volvo xc40 Blends generous passenger space and a practical boot with a quality interior top-notch safety and a comfortable ride that makes it a hugely desirable product backed up with real substance and the T4 plug-in hybrid version is a great choice it doesn't offer the pure electric range of the X5 but the xc40 is considerably cheaper and still feels like a really polished premium product the Range Rover Sport is like the brilliant Range Rover but a little bit smaller and a whole lot cheaper it is a truly Sensational luxury SUV that is wonderful to sit in and relaxing to drive on top of all this the p400e plug-in hybrid version gets a fantastic claimed electric range of up to 70 miles in the real world expect more like 45 to 50 miles which might not be 70 miles but is still impressively far and the Range Rover Sport can charge a lot faster than any plug-in hybrid in this list as well while most can only get a full top up in a few hours the Range Rover Sport will go from naught to 80 in 40 minutes this is a good time to point out though that you shouldn't buy a plug-in hybrid assuming you're being environmentally friendly this Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid has a 3 liter six-cylinder petrol engine and a 31.8 kilowatt hour battery and it weighs over two and a half tons so you can imagine the huge carbon footprint created from the production process even if you always keep the battery topped up you're unlikely to ever offset that buying a fully electric car that could be possible over several years of course this doesn't just apply to the Range Rover but pretty much every plug-in hybrid in third place the Audi A340 tfsie is one of the cheapest options in this list but it's a truly excellent plug-in hybrid why well it has a high quality interior an excellent driving position and a comfy ride if you're looking at the A3 you might consider the A-Class a250e as an alternative with a cheaper price and a slightly longer range but the A3 is more refined handles better and has a more cushioned ride to grab headlines in the plug-in hybrid World it helps to have an outstanding electric range and that is exactly what the Mercedes C-Class c300e offers not only can It travel almost twice the distance of 3 Series can manage on pure electric power but it's a little cheaper than the BMW as well adding a comfortable ride decent driving Dynamics and a snazzy interior and you have a very compelling plug-in hybrid package [Music] but the very best plug-in hybrid you can buy right now is the Lexus NX it's great inside for build quality looks and practicality with loads of space for passengers and a big boot on top of that it's decent to drive and has an especially impressive ride around town plus you can buy an NX knowing you've got a very good chance of trouble-free ownership thanks to lexus's Legendary reliability record the first generation NX wasn't particularly notable but this second generation version is a huge leap forwards and a real knockout plug-in hybrid click on the link at the top of the screen to watch our full review but not every plug-in hybrid is recommendable the ones to avoid include the ds7 crossback e-tense if this was a cheap plug-in then you could maybe forgive some of its shortcomings but it's not so with sloppy handling inconsistent ride quality and a jerky switch from electric motor to the engine it just isn't as polished as its many other plug-in hybrid SUV rivals so those are the best and worst plug-in hybrids for Great Deals On fevs EVS hybrids and indeed any new car click on the link to go to watcar.com comment below if you've got any questions about plug-in hybrids and tell us what your favorite option is and if you want to see all of our new car reviews and buying advice then why not subscribe to our Channel foreign [Music]

Channel: What Car?

Views: 209,447

Keywords: best plug-in hybrids, best plugin hybrid, best plug in hybrid, best hybrid, new hybrid, best phev, best p hev, best new plug in hybrid, best plug in hybrid review, new plug in hybrid review, plug in hybrid review, phev review, best new phev

Id: VljsU6j_72g

Length: 10min 47sec (647 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 08 2023