Not ready to make the full EV leap yet? Try these for size…
The secret to the Polestar 1’s impressive range lies in its 34kWh battery, mounted in a T-shape down the centre and behind the rear seats. More than enough for most journeys, but should you ever find yourself running short, there’s always the 305bhp 2.0-litre 4cyl engine to fall back on. You’ll need to browse the secondhand market to get your hands on one mind, with the 1,500 limited run model sold out, unless you can convince Chris Harris (big fan, as these words tell) to sell his. And, with a starting price of £139k when new, have deep pockets, too. new energy vehicles
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The Mercedes GLC has solidified its position as the firm’s bestseller in recent years. The current electric range topper is the 300e, which features a 2.0-litre petrol engine paired with a 134bhp electric motor and offers up to 76 miles of electric range courtesy of a 31.2kWh battery. A full recharge takes around 30 minutes using the optional 60kW CCS fast charger, or, er, slightly longer using the standard 11kW AC charger. Just imagine the moral high ground over the other parents at the school gates.
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A fully electric version is set to land in 2024, but anyone looking to get their electric kicks from the Range Rover Sport will have to make do with a plug-in hybrid for now. There’s two to choose from, the P440e or P510e, both of which get a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 141bhp electric motor and 38kWh battery. Total output is 434 and 503bhp respectively, though the more pertinent figure is the 76 miles of claimed electric range – enough to enable the typical Range Rover owner to complete up to three quarters of trips without waking the engine, Land Rover reckons.
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Skoda’s second generation Kodiaq also brings with it the Czech firm’s second generation hybrid treatment, promising up to 75 miles of all electric range. It combines a 1.5-litre four-pot turbo engine producing 147bhp with a 114bhp electric motor mounted in the gearbox for 204bhp and 258lb ft torque totals. The 25.7kWh (19.7kWh usable) battery, located under the rear seats, supports up to 50kW charging, meaning a 10-80 per cent juice takes under half an hour. One of the most eminently sensible family cars just got even more sensible.
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Looking for something a little… plusher? The fifth-generation Range Rover comes in like-for-like plug-in hybrid guises as the Range Rover Sport, but manages a slightly less 70 miles of claimed electric range due to its heavier weight and reduced aero efficiency. Still, that’s more than enough for the average 28-mile commute, while the 38kWh battery will charge from flat to full in around an hour on a 50kW DC charger, or five hours if you plug it into a 7kW home wallbox. The best luxury car in the world? We spent six months with one to find out.
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We’ve already seen one Mercedes on this list, now prepare yourself to see… several more. First up is the sixth-generation E-Class saloon, which is available in the UK with three powertrains: a 2.0-litre turbo petrol, a 2.0-litre turbo diesel, or a 2.0-litre turbo petrol combined with a 127bhp electric motor for a total output of 308bhp. The PHEV is the quickest, capable of 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds, while its 25.4kWh battery is good for a claimed 70 miles of electric-only range. It comes in estate guise too, though due to the extra weight it’ll only manage up to 68 miles of range.
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Style a priority when it comes to getting your plug-in hybrid kicks? Try the Mercedes-Benz CLE Coupe for size. It replaces the two-door versions of the C-Class and E-Class, and while you only had mild hybrids to choose from at launch, it’s now available with the same PHEV powertrain as the E-Class above too. It's a privilege the Coupe enjoys over its Cabrio sibling, while Merc also tells us the Coupe can ‘easily’ carry three golf bags too in the boot – though we’d say that depends on how big the golf bags are, really.
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“The C300e might well be the world’s best PHEV,” TG’s Ollie Kew concluded when Merc’s eco-conscious saloon faced off against its arch-rival the BMW 330e, highlighting the C300e’s impressive 68-mile range. Indeed, when the two went head-to-head that was almost double that of the BMW, though a mid-life update now sees the BMW manage 63 miles. Like the E-Class above, there’s also a C300e estate, which offers up to 65 miles of range plus a 360-litre boot (compared to the C300e saloon’s 315-litre), meaning there’s room to bring any four-legged friends along for the ride too.
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The fourth generation Skoda Superb landed in late 2023 offering an impressive 68 miles of electric only range (nearly double the 35-mile range of its predecessor) courtesy of its 25.7kWh battery (up from its predecessor’s 12.7kWh unit) in estate guise. It shares the same 1.5-litre 4cyl turbo engine producing 147bhp and 114bhp gearbox-mounted electric motor with the Kodiaq above, while 11kW AC charging allows the battery to be fully replenished from empty in two and a half hours using a home wallbox.
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The BMW X5 received a mid-life facelift in early 2023, but it was the updates under the skin that caught our eye – specifically those to the xDrive50e plug-in hybrid. The 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six and electric motor now output an extra 95bhp and 74lb ft over the outgoing model, while the 25.7kWh battery is almost 25 per cent bigger and now has a 7.4kW maximum charging capacity, double what it was previously. The result is a 0-62mph time of just 4.8 seconds and an all-electric range of up to 67 miles – not bad for a car weighing two and a half tonnes.
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Like the sound of the Merc GLC, but after something slightly bigger? Mercedes also offers its mid-size GLE as a plug-in hybrid, which in 400e guise gets an uprated 2.0-litre petrol engine but otherwise identical electric gubbins to its smaller sibling, and offers a decent slug of electric only range too – up to 66 miles, to be precise. Worth noting, however, that it only comes with five seats (as opposed to the optional seven elsewhere in the GLE range) due to the battery’s position below the boot floor, but how often are you really carrying people back there anyway…
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The eighth-generation 5 Series is available in two plug-in hybrid guises, either the 530e or the 550e xDrive. The former gets a 2.0-litre turbo four cylinder and the latter a 3.0-litre turbo six cylinder, connected up to an electric motor and a 19.4kWh battery, good for up to 63 miles and 55 miles of range respectively, or slightly less in the estate variant (the variant you really want). Small margins compared to the E-Class then – this isn’t over yet, not by a long shot.
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