Best plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUVs in the UK

Best for: pretty much everything

BMW decided that its hybrid SUV is so good that aside from the big engine high-performance models, it’s the only petrol-powered X5 that you can buy. The X5 xDrive50e plug-in-hybrid combines a 3.0-litre petrol engine with a hybrid battery system to make this a quick and economical SUV. It even won the ‘’Adventurer’s Choice’ in Carwow’s 2025 Cars of the Year awards.

489hp gives the X5 a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds, whilst its battery provides up to 67 miles of electric-only range. That means that if you have a reasonably short commute you might hardly ever have to fill the tank - and you can get away without charging your X5 every night too, though it only takes a few hours to charge up at home.

Twisty roads are a blast in the X5 because it’s a genuinely fun car to drive - and not just for an SUV. BMW knows how to make an SUV feel agile while still soaking up battered roads like a pro. It’s not quite a sports car, but it handles better than almost all of its alternatives - and it’s still more comfortable than a Porsche Cayenne.

It’s a rather large SUV, so tight city roads feel a little claustrophobic - but that does mean lots of space inside. And the X5 doesn’t just have a roomy interior, but a very plush one too. Premium materials, responsive infotainment and a rather swish dashboard design give the big BMW proper luxury status.

Soft, vegan leather comes as standard - and it does a great job of convincing you it’s cow hide. The real stuff is an option, as are a variety of posh wood trims or carbon fibre - if you’re feeling sporty. The boot has a cavernous 650-litre capacity, plenty of space for a set of luggage.

It’s a rather handsome thing too, the X5, with sharp lines and intricate details such as its LED lights combining to make this a dashing family chariot. It’s definitely not the cheapest option for a PHEV SUV, but it really is a phenomenal choice.

Best for: sheer interior space

Hyundai has come a long way since its early days of making practical - though rather unrefined - 4x4s and hatchbacks. The current Santa Fe has dialed down its farmyard ability and cranked up its on-road manners, making it a proper family-friendly SUV.

It’s a good enough all-rounder at a low enough price point to have been crowned ‘Car of the Year’ at the 2025 Carwow awards. In fact, the non-plug-in Santa Fe is the best SUV you can buy as it’s nicer to drive than the PHEV model. The X5 tops this list because it’s a better plug-in hybrid.

The Santa Fe is one of the most striking cars you can buy at the moment. With its square corners, chunky wheel arches and bluff front-and-rear ends, the Santa Fe is a surefire way to stand out in traffic. It may not be physically as large as the BMW X5, but it certainly looks bigger and bolder than its German counterpart.

And with its vast size comes a vast interior, with room for seven comfortable passengers. Not only is there plenty of head and leg room in every row - but there are a whopping 17 cup holders, as well as climate control for the rearmost occupants.

When it comes to electric range, Hyundai reckons you’ll be able to eke out 34 miles of range from the Santa Fe’s 13.8kWh battery. Whilst that’s plenty of range for short city commutes, you’ll probably have to plug in to charge every night if you want to avoid using any petrol.

The engine may seem small, but a 0-60mph time of around 9.5 seconds is perfectly adequate for a large seven-seat family SUV - you won’t have six angry passengers complaining about your aggressive driving, for instance.

The same applies on a twisty road, where the Santa Fe is perfectly capable with little in the way of body lean through corners and plenty of grip - but the light steering does little to encourage sporty driving.

On the motorway, the Santa Fe does a good job of betraying its boxy looks by being remarkably quiet and civilised. In fact, the only real disturbance on a cruise is engine noise when you really put your foot down.

Best for: plug-in poshness

It might come as a surprise to see a hyper-luxurious SUV such as the Range Rover on this list, but with the power that hybrids now achieve there’s no real need to have a thirsty V8 engine under the bonnet any more - unless you’re a fan of a sporty exhaust note, and spending money at petrol pumps.

You get two choices of plug-in model with the Range Rover - the P460e and the P550e, with 460hp and 550hp respectively. Day to day you’ll be hard pressed to find a difference between the two, especially if you can stay within their claimed 75 mile EV-only range - and the P460e still manages to crack 0-62mph in a quick 5.5 seconds.

When topping up the battery, both PHEV Range Rovers can go from empty to 80% in 40 minutes on a public fast charger. Plugging them in on a normal charger at work or at home overnight should keep the batteries topped up, and with gentle driving you could barely ever see a petrol station. Just bear in mind that a larger battery doesn’t mean more efficiency, so you might find that charging costs more than you’d expect.

Nonetheless, 75 miles of electric range is impressive given the posh SUV’s sheer heft and how heavily loaded it is with leather, wood and technology. The Range Rover comes on enormous 21-inch wheels as standard too, with a panoramic glass roof and Meridian sound system all adding to the Chelsea tractor’s already luxurious build.

On the outside, the Range Rover’s lineage is clear - with strong lines and a huge amount of road presence. It’s not an aggressively styled car, but there’s certainly an understanded menace about the British SUV’s LED lights, wide grilles and sheer size.

There’s nothing on the road quite like a Range Rover…aside from the Range Rover Sport. It’s a great alternative if you want a slightly smaller and cheaper SUV - with almost as much luxury as its bigger sibling and the same hybrid options under the bonnet.

You might be surprised about how agile feels around town thanks to its trick four-wheel steering making it feel smaller than it is, and getting up to speed on the motorway is a breeze where you can cruise along in remarkable quiet and comfort. Don’t expect sporty handling, but the Range Rover can certainly keep its composure on winding roads.

Best for: comfort on a budget

You might expect something enormous and expensive to be the clear choice for the most comfortable SUV on sale, but Citroen has done a fantastic job of proving that you don’t need to break the bank to get a smooth ride with the C5 Aircross. It even won top choice for our ‘Comfortable Cruiser’ 2025 award.

It’s the ride quality of the C5 which really stands out, having been set up to absorb bumps and blows on broken roads in a way that few of its alternatives can. Not only that, big, comfy seats are the cherry on top when it comes to cosseting you and your passengers.

Rear space is a little tight, though you get a big boot as a result, and the interior quality leaves a little to be desired. It’s not an ugly interior by any means, the dash layout and funky steering wheel are actually quite chic, but the plastics are a little scratchy in places and the infotainment isn’t very slick.

Only available on the ‘Max’ trim level, the plug-in hybrid combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 13.2kWh battery for 225hp and a 0-62 time of 8.7 seconds. Citroen claims it’ll travel 36 miles on a single charge, which isn’t very far - but for a commute in the city,city commute where the C5 excels, that could be plenty.

The downside to the C5 Aircross having soft, comfy suspension is that it feels a little out of place on a twisty road. It’s not a car to carve corners with, but for a comfy family SUV it’s hard to go wrong with the Citroen SUV.

Best for: room for everything and the kitchen sink

The Kodiaq is Skoda’s largest SUV, but it doesn’t even come close to the biggest SUV on this list - not on the outside at least. The Kodiaq’s party trick is that it’s a normal-sized SUV with an abnormally large amount of space inside.

Practicality is key when it comes to the Kodiaq, and it lives up to Skoda’s mantra of ‘Simply Clever’. The front seats are big and comfy with loads of adjustment, and the rear seats are just as generous. The rear seats even slide and recline, so you should have four happy passengers in a full Kodiaq.

The plug-in hybrid isn’t a seven-seater like petrol and diesel Kodiaqs due to the battery pack under the boot floor, but you still get a cavernous 745-litre boot. It’s a great shape to accommodate luggage too, being very wide and square.

You’ll soon forgive the lack of a third row thanks to the Kodiaq’s electric range too, as it can go 75 miles on a charge. Play your cards right and charge wisely - you might just forget what a petrol pump looks like. A 19.7kWh battery can charge from 10-80% in around 25 minutes on a 50kW charger, though a normal three-point plug at home overnight should do the job for less money.

On the road the Kodiaq can be a little stiff over bumps, and it isn’t sporty, but it’s still a rather comfortable way to ferry around a family with lots of luggage - or lots of dogs.

Best for: under-the radar travel

The VW Golf may have been the star of the school run for decades, but the Tiguan takes the same family-friendly recipe and tweaks it for a little more style and a lot more space. It’s not an enormous SUV, yet there’s room for all the family in comfort and with a rather fetching design.

The Tiguan just manages to tick a lot of boxes without being bad at anything, and the plug-in hybrid models might be the best example of that. A combined 204hp from their 1.5-litre engine and hybrid system with a 19.7kWh of usable battery capacity means 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds and an impressive electric range of up to 77 miles.

For those of you who want a sportier SUV, R-Line models can be had with a 268hp engine combo instead, cutting the 0-62 mph time down by a whole second yet with similar electric range.

Inside the Tiguan is an interior that can almost compete with its posher alternatives, thanks to its classy design and enormous infotainment screen, as well as the digital driver display.

It’s a stylish car on the outside too, though it’s not very exciting. It has some dynamic touches such as the aggressive headlights and pronounced haunches about the wheels, but don’t try to drive the Tiguan like a sports car. It’s much more comfortable at a leisurely pace, where the light steering and comfort make it a relaxing car to drive.

Best for: long-distance wafting

Mercedes made a strong start into PHEV SUVs when it introduced the GLE, and even now it can still hold its own amongst fierce competition. With around 60 miles of range from its 23kWh battery, the GLE is highly competitive in the realm of the super-posh family SUV.

It also has the trump card of being a diesel plug-in hybrid, meaning that if you do end up exhausting the battery you still have an efficient engine under the bonnet to maximise MPG.

Don’t expect it to be as quick as the BMW X5 and Range Rover with their six-cylinder engines, but with its range and a sprightly 3.5 hours charging time from a home wall charger you might hardly ever use the GLE’s diesel engine.

40mpg on diesel power is very achievable on the motorway too, and it’ll be a pleasure to manage thanks to the GLE’s air suspension and suite of driver aids such as active cruise control and lane assist.

The battery does eat into boot space though, and it robs the plug-in GLE of its third row of seats meaning this is purely a five-seater with only has 490 litres of boot space - down on some alternatives. A super-plush cabin makes up for it though, with luxurious materials everywhere and a lofty driving position.

Best for: affordable plug-in range

It’s seriously impressive when you consider that the MG HS is one of the longest electric-range PHEV SUVs on this list, as it comes in at the lowest price point. Not only that, but it comes with a load of standard kit and it’s a fairly brisk performer too - making it stellar value for money.

The HS is so good in fact that it often feels as though you’re driving a pure electric car, with up to 75 miles on a single charge and a powerful electric motor propelling you forwards. It’s a real underdog plug-in hybrid, and with its Range Rover-rivalling range it’s a real world performer too.

Being a soft, comfy cruiser means the MG HS struggles on twistier roads - and it can get unsettled on rough, bumpy city roads. With minimal engine, road and wind noise at a fast cruise the MG HS is a good choice for long-distance drives too. It has a light, airy interior thanks to its big windows, with lots of head and legroom.

The front seats are supportive but the dashboard is a bit of a mess, with a clunky infotainment system and a lack of storage for smaller items, though boot space is plentiful - and the interior quality is miles ahead of any other MG on sale in the UK.

MG has done a good job on the exterior design of the HS, with sleek headlights and dynamic lines all over the HS’s body work. It’s easy on the wallet, especially as a company car where you’ll only have a 5% benefit-in-kind tax rate to contend with - lower than almost every other plug-in hybrid.

Best for: urban driving

Toyota has been knocking it out of the park with its small SUVs as of late - the Yaris Cross is a Carwow award winner after all - and the C-HE is a cracker too. It’s stylish, practical and economical - all in a tiny package compared to a lot of the SUVs on sale.

The design is certainly striking, with a pointy front end and angular features all around the C-HR - without looking like it’s been designed with a ruler. It also manages to look rather beefy and lifted without too much plastic cladding.

The hybrid drive system combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a 13.6kWh battery for a total 223hp and a 0-62mph time of 7.4 seconds. Most importantly, the C-HR can travel around 40 miles on electric power alone; enough for most city commutes, and the small battery pack won’t cost you an arm and a leg to keep charged either.

If you do find yourself relying on petrol power then refinement is high at a gentle cruise, but the engine is rather noisy when you’re trying to gain speed. At least the performance is perky, so it’s not all wasted noise.

The inside of the C-HR is the real standout feature, with a sleek design that almost wraps around the driver. It’s not the poshest SUV on sale, but the switches look and feel high-quality and the infotainment is rather slick to use.

Rear passengers will find the plastics harder to the touch, and the boot is rather small at only 388 litres, but rear passenger space is actually quite generous for such a small SUV - and they'll enjoy the comfortable ride too.

Best for: do-it all convenience

The Kia Sportage is a striking-looking family SUV with a very non-striking role, as its sole purpose is to be a dependable workhorse that can do it all. Striking might be an understatement though, as Kia has seemingly thrown the rulebook out with the Sportage’s design.

Angular headlights sit low down at the front of the Sportage, whilst the LED running lights intersect the enormous grille with its chunky honeycomb motif. It may sound like a lot, but the Sportage wears its funky lines and odd angles rather well. You won’t mistake it for a VW Tiguan, that’s for sure.

A 1.6-litre petrol engine and 13.8kWh battery pack produce a combined 241hp and propel the Sportage to 62mph in 8.4 seconds. 43 miles of electric range is ever so slightly better than its Toyota C-HR alternative, but day-to-day the difference will be indistinguishable.

Inside the Sportage is a much less exciting affair than on the outside, but that’s not a bad thing in the slightest. Premium materials throughout and bright accents give the Sportage’s interior a pleasant ambience, whilst the infotainment and driver’s display are clear to use.

Headroom and legroom are more than adequate in the rear too, and whilst boot space isn’t class-leading it’s still plentiful at 541 litres. The Sportage is a pleasant car to drive, with a relaxed air about the way it absorbs crashy roads and the sure-footed way it tackles bends.