1. Toyota C-HR

...Best hybrid SUV for low budgets

Latest Toyota C-HR Hybrid deals from £17,000

The Toyota C-HR is an agile, sporty-looking crossover with a difference: a hybrid option for better fuel economy.

The compact crossover class continues to grow in popularity with buyers, and there are even more models to choose from , with the arrival of the Toyota C-HR.

It follows a familiar recipe, combining the mechanical parts from a family car (in this case, the Toyota Prius), with a taller shape that provides a higher driving position and more space inside.

Individual styling

Low emissions from hybrid version

Spacious in the front and back

2. Range Rover Sport P400e

Latest Range Rover Sport P400e deals from £54,999

...Best hybrid SUV for on- and off-road excellence

A £5,000 annual company car tax saving over a standard diesel model is the headline figure that's likely to make you consider this plug-in hybrid version of the Range Rover Sport, which exactly matches the car's price premium over a diesel Range Rover Sport.

The electric-only range of around 25 miles is roughly in line with competitors and its performance (when petrol engine and motor combine) is swift, if lagging behind Porsche's Cayenne hybrid model. However, a familiar problem looms when the electrical energy runs out and the burden of powering the 2.5 ton car falls entirely on the petrol engine: fuel economy plummets to around 30mpg.

3. Land Rover Discover Sport

...First launched 5 years ago, the celebrated Land Rover Discovery Sport has undergone an extensive facelift. The all new Land Rover Discovery Sport is without a doubt the world’s most versatile and capable 5 + 2 SUV. From the outside, you may think the 2019 Land Rover Discovery Sport looks unedited, with its trademark Discovery design cues, including the clamshell bonnet, rising beltline and tapered roof.

Nevertheless, it’s beneath the new Land Rover Discoveries robust, composed skin where most of the work has been executed. The 2019 Land Rover Discover introduces fresh new technology, improved aesthetics and most importantly more efficient, hybrid engines to Land Rover’s class leading family SUV.

The interior of the 2019 Land Rover Discover Sport has been completely transformed, delivering superior interior space, heightened comfort and the latest generation InControl Touch Pro infotainment. The Interior of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport is much bigger, with increased small item stowage and a flexible load space (up to 1,794-litres) implying that it is the perfect family SUV.

What’s more, the Land Rover Discovery Sport’s practical 5+2 seating layout now features second row 40:20:40 split-folding seats, along with 24 possible configurations, meaning more flexibility for family adventures. The 2019 Land Rover Discovery comes brimming with the finest specification options including Touch Pro infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging and 4G WiFi hotspot to keep you and your family connected, informed and entertained on every journey. In addition, the new Land Rover Discovery Sport body is 13% tauter than its predecessor, with rigidly-mounted subframes that reduce noise and vibration intrusion into the cabin, improving comfort and providing maximum safety in the event of a collision.

4. Lexus NX 300h

Latest Lexus NX deals from £18,279

...Best hybrid SUV for reliability

Despite the extra complexity of having two power sources underneath the bonnet, the Lexus NX was ranked the most reliable new car to own in this year's Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, above all conventional petrol and diesel cars, with very few owners reporting any sort of issue.

The petrol-hybrid system makes the car extremely quiet and it comes extremely well-equipped, but doesn't offer the same efficiency as more recent hybrid models. This means that company car tax and fuel economy are no better than a standard diesel SUV. In fact, owners say that mpg in real-world conditions is worse than from a diesel, with less than 40mpg common in normal driving. It's also not as smooth as you might expect at slow speeds, where potholes and speed bumps create noticeable jolts.

5. Volvo XC60

...Best hybrid SUV for safety

Latest Volvo XC60 Hybrid deals from £38,990

Volvo's family-friendly XC60 offers more than just frugal fuel economy. A 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor combine to generate 407 horsepower, which is enough to accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds: just 0.2 seconds slower than a Porsche 718 Boxster.

But sensibly is how most buyers will drive the comfortable and sophisticated XC60, making it more likely that they'll achieve the 28-mile electric-only range. The official 134.5mpg is most achievable if your typical journey is 30 miles, where you'll need very little engine use. Longer journeys will see fuel economy fall closer to 50mpg.

6. Mini Countryman Plug-in Hybrid

...Best hybrid SUV for style

Latest Mini Cooper Countryman S E deals from £19,200

Mini's largest car is powered by a hybrid system that pairs a petrol engine with an electric motor. On a gentle 15-mile commute, you may never hear the petrol engine kick into life, but it will start up during hard acceleration, where it combines with the electric motor for fairly swift acceleration from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds.

Efficiency is less impressive when the battery runs out, as real-world fuel economy is only around the 35mpg mark, making it expensive for long motorway trips. Older cars, badged Cooper S E, were in the lowest company car tax bracket but recent cars, renamed Mini Countryman Plug-in Hybrid, have gone through new emissions tests, which has increased the official CO2 figure to at least 56g/km, moving the car up a band.

Individual styling, inside and out

Spacious interior ideal for young families

Available with four-wheel drive

7. BMW X5 45e

From £57,3709

...The new BMW X5 plug-in hybrid has gained two extra cylinders yet somehow become more economical (on the official WLTP economy cycle at least) and more BIK tax-efficient at the same time. This feat has been achieved primarily thanks to a significant increase in battery capacity: the car now has 24kWh of the stuff, up from just 9.2kWh in the previous-generation X5 xDrive40e, and having a claimed electric range of 40 miles or more, therefore is also one of very few 'PHEV' options currently on sale which qualifies for the UK government's six-per-cent benefit-in-kind tax bracket.

A six-cylinder petrol engine and a bigger battery work wonders for BMW's plug-in hybrid SUV

8. Mercedes GLE 350de 4Matic

From £55,6909

...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.

A competitive electric-only range makes this new diesel-electric plug-in hybrid SUV a smooth operator in urban areas

9. Audi Q5 55 TFSle

From £38,0358

....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.

Plug-in SUV is compellingly fast and well rounded. Take advantage of the electric efficiency or tax benefits and it’s a winner

10. Honda CR-V Hybrid

From £26,0208

...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.

11. Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid

...The Cayenne, like so many hybrids, recuperates energy while braking. And like so many other hybrids, a side effect of this mechanism is a grabby brake pedal. The Cayenne E-Hybrid’s pedal isn’t too difficult to modulate in the grand scheme of driving (it demonstrates its worst behavior during light braking situations), but in a vehicle that puts such an impressive emphasis on the driving experience, we were hoping Porsche could have done a better job sorting out its plug-in hybrid crossover’s regenerative braking.

While we spill plenty of ink writing about Porsche’s mad Turbo S E-Hybrid models, which are among the most powerful vehicles the company builds, this Cayenne E-Hybrid is the one you’re more likely to see at your typical stop light. And, frankly, it’s the Cayenne to have. Typically when we write a piece like this, the pros and cons balance each other out. Not this time. The pros of of this plug-in hybrid blow the cons out of the water.

12. Subaru Crosstrek

$35,145

...The 2020 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid has great fuel economy ratings, a refined interior, and solid off-road capability. However, it finishes in the bottom half of our hybrid and electric SUV rankings in part because of its limited cargo room.

• High-quality cabin materials
• Plenty of standard features
• Great fuel economy
• Light off-road ability

Crosstrek Hybrid Infotainment, Bluetooth, and Navigation

The Crosstrek Hybrid is packed with infotainment technology. Its standard Starlink infotainment system features an 8-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, six speakers, Bluetooth, four USB ports (two in the front and two in the rear), satellite radio, and HD Radio. Navigation, as well as a Rockford Fosgate or Harman Kardon premium audio system are optional.