Top 10 best hybrid SUVs 2020

The Kuga follows up that advantage in familiar ways. It's typically poised and sporty-feeling in its ride and handling, steering sweetly by class standards and maintaining good body control at all times, with a fairly taut but comfortable ride. The car's 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine, combined with its electric motor, doesn't give it commanding performance, with the car's transmission appeaing to sap some of what's available. Even so, 0-62mph in less than 10sec is at least competitive for a car like this, and drivability is fine. Refinement is also surprisingly good.

Practicality is competitive for a compact SUV, and pricing for retail buyers is realistic. All up, as sensible and recommendable a Kuga as ever there was one.

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3. Honda CR-V Hybrid

Rounding out the podium spots here is a car that isn't a tax-saving plug-in hybrid, but which private buyers should certainly consider; particularly those for whom recharging at home might be difficult. While the Honda CR-V might not be quite as appealing on the eye as its key rival - the Toyota RAV4 - it remains a highly appealing, practical wagon for city-dwelling families and a very practical, drivable, economical and refined real-world prospect.

The hybrid powertrain is smooth and refined around town, while it rides in a comfortable enough manner so as to avoid any great complaint. There’s loads of space inside, and while the infotainment graphics might appear a touch dated, Honda has done an excellent job of isolating the CR-V’s occupants from external road and wind noise.

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4. Mercedes GLE 350de 4Matic

One of Mercedes' latest diesel-electric plug-in hybrids, the GLE 350de comes with a prohibitive-looking £60k pricetag, but it's worth the attention of well-heeled company car drivers thanks to its large drive battery and class-leading WLTP electric-only range of some 57 miles. That will deliver more competitive monthly benefit-in-kind costs that you might think.

We've only driven the car in Germany so far, and its place in this list stands to improve when we sample it here in the UK. On the continent, however, it impressed us when running in electric and hybrid modes, with good powertrain responsiveness and drivability. The car's 2.0-litre, four-cylinder 'range-extending' diesel engine struggles a little bit to motivate what it a heavy car when the battery's flat.

Ride comfort and isolation is decent, showing less evidence of the added weight of the car's electrified powertrain than its handling, which is a little bit soft and remote.

Meanwhile, for those with the added capability of a classic SUV in mind, the GLE 350de should also appeal as a tow car; it's rated to tow up to 3.5 tonnes on a braked trailer, which is much more than many electrified rivals.

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5. Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine

Genuinely usable seven-seat cabins are few and far between, and ones with plug-in hybrid powertrains even more so. Volvo’s largest SUV manages both, with a fantastic blend of spaciousness, styling, cabin ambience and engine efficiency, beyond what you’d expect from a vehicle of its size.

It's not rated to go quite as far on electric power as some of its rivals, and so won't be as cheap a company car; but it still has plenty of surprisingly classic 'big Volvo' ownership appeal.

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6. Audi Q5 55 TFSIe

More refined on the move and sharper from behind the wheel than the Volvo XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid. Claimed electric range is nothing special, at 26 miles, and neither is the Audi as practical as the Volvo, but its polish wins out in the end, and it's also quicker than most hot-hatches in a straight line.

It’s also dutifully comfortable on all surfaces and at all speeds, even on 19in wheels and standard steel suspension (optional air suspension is available on higher trim levels). Refinement is top-notch, even when the engine kicks in, and it delivers a decently sporty note if you really open the taps.

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7. Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 PHEV

Volvo's been offering bigger plug-in hybrid SUVs for some time, but has only just got around to miniaturising the petrol-electric recipe in its visually appealing XC40.

This car combines a three-cylinder, 178bhp turbocharged petrol engine mounted up front with an electric rear axle with up to 80bhp to contribute. Your maths needn't be advanced to work out that it won't, therefore, be the quickest or most exciting car of its kind, with total system power pegged at a maximum 258bhp. Performance is nonetheless pretty strong-feeling, though, and the three-pot engine not unpleasant to listen to when it's running - although power delivery could be smoother.

If you want comfort from your SUV, you'd be well-advised to avoid the sports suspension of R-Design-trim cars. Meanwhile if you want genuine room for the family, you'd be well advised to buy something altogether larger.

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8. Vauxhall Grandland X Hybrid & Hybrid4

Vauxhall was once a dominant player in the UK company car scene and has ambitions to be again, with the help of this - its first big-volume plug-in hybrid. The petrol-electric Grandland X shares its platform and powertrain with the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 (which we've yet to test on UK roads). It's more of a mid-sized crossover than a full-sized SUV, then, with passenger space little greater than you might find in a biggish family hatchback.

Outright performance and electric range are both impressive, however, since the upper-level, twin-motor 'Hybrid4' version of the car has particularly healthy 'total system' power and torque outputs of 296bhp and 383lb ft of torque. On the road, the car doesn't feel quite as quick as those numbers might imply, but it's certainly muscular away from town speeds, with only a certain clunkiness about the hybrid powertrain's blending of power sources adversely affecting your perception of the car's slickness. It's firm-riding out of town and handling isn't perfect, but it's not terrible either.

The car's secret weapon is a WLTP-certified electric range of up to 35 miles, putting it in the 10% 'BIK' tax band. 

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9. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Has been the UK’s best-selling plug-in hybrid car, having stolen a march on other manufacturers in getting to the PHEV SUV niche; and can still offer significant savings over the equivalent diesel family SUV.

A significant facelift in 2018 added a new 2.4-litre engine and improved its ride, and also introduced a few exterior styling tweaks. Electric-only range is around 25 miles, and while it’s possible to drive at pace, it’s far happier to cruise in comfort.

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10. Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid & Turbo S E-Hybrid

In the absence of a diesel variant, the 3.0-litre 'plug-in' E-hybrid is now the most economical Cayenne in Porsche’s line-up. It’ll do 25 miles purely on electric power when required, while the 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 provides the grunt for five-second 0-62mph times and a near 160mph top speed. Driven with more restraint, it’s every bit as comfortable and luxurious as you’d expect from the marque. It doesn't get below 50g/km on the WLTP emission test, however, and so won't make the greatest BIK-saving company car.