BMW X5 xdrive45e

Luxury SUV has a longer range on battery power alone than all of its petrol-electric rivals

Our pick xline

List price £64,755 Target Price £60,286

£653 MPG 235.4 CO2 27g/km

For Long electric range; comfortable ride; smooth and quiet engine; low BIK rates.

Against No seven-seat option; rear seats aren’t very exible; pricey for private buyers.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

IF YOU WANT to maximise the electric-only range of your plug-in hybrid SUV, it pays to choose the BMW X5. Put simply, it will travel

farther on battery power alone than any other plug-in petrol-electric SUV rival, with an of cial electric range of 54 miles.and once the battery is depleted, there’s a stonking 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine to take the strain, although your fuel economy will suffer drastically if you don’t recharge the battery; our test car returned just 25mpg when it was solely powered by the engine.

The luxurious xdrive45e comes with air suspension, ensuring a super-smooth ride, and it’s a quieter cruiser than the rival Volvo XC90

Our pick 1.8 VVT-I Hybrid Icon Tech

List price £25,240 Target Price £23,660

£228** MPG 62.8 CO2 102g/km

For Comfortable ride; impressive real-world ef ciency; loads of standard equipment.

Against Tight rear leg room; too much road noise; clunky infotainment system.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

LET’S SAY YOU want to take a rst step on the path to greener motoring and lower fuel bills, but you don’t want to compromise on practicality by having a large electric motor or battery taking up vital boot space.what you need is a Toyota Corolla – a hybrid car that doesn’t require sacri ces.

The Corolla is a family hatchback that features both a petrol engine and a small electric motor, and although its electric-only driving range isn’t huge, you’ll still be able to cover signi cant portions of city journeys on battery power alone.as a result,fuel economy is impressive; you can expect to see upwards of 60mpg without trying too hard.

The Corolla is one of the smoothest-riding cars in its class, too, and although it isn’t as rewarding for keener drivers as some other family hatches such as the Ford Focus and

18 July 2020

Our pick SE

List price £31,650 Target Price £30,369

£351 MPG 35.7 CO2 180g/km

For Astonishingly good off road; impressive safety kit; excellent reliability record.

Against Pricey for its size; rm suspension; weedy performance; not that ef cient.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

Target PCP

Our pick Active

List price £24,360 Target Price £22,836

£236** MPG 67.3 CO2 94g/km

For Low emissions and fuel consumption; mostly very comfortable; re ned in town.

Against A bit underpowered; poor rear head room; you’ll be mistaken for an Uber driver.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

Target PCP

Our pick Premium

List price £25,745 Target Price £23,685

£253 MPG 62.8 CO2 102g/km

For Quality interior; low running costs; good to drive; smooth, well-integrated power sources.

Against Limited rear head room; unsettled ride in town; not as frugal as Toyota Prius.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

Target PCP

Our pick 500h

List price £78,805 Target Price £77,840

£1059** MPG 34.8 CO2 184g/km

For Precise, balanced handling; beautifully built and nished inside; re ned cruiser.

Against Jittery ride at low speeds; terrible infotainment interface; cramped rear seats.

WHAT CAR? SAYS

Hyundai Kona Electric

Quick and well equipped, with an excellent range.

Target PCP BEST BUY Recharge T8.the latter feels more agile than the X5 on winding roads, though. Although the boot is smaller than the regular X5’s and those of the Audi Q7 and the XC90, it’s still a very generous size, being roomy enough to hold nine carry-on suitcases, and a family of ve will have plenty of room in which to stretch out; there’s no seven-seat option with the plug-in hybrid model. The interior is beautifully built and features highquality materials throughout, plus the best infotainment system in the business.

Target PCP BEST BUY