10 New Vehicles Available With a Plug-in Hybrid Variant
There’s a growing number of electrified vehicles on the market, but not all of them have completely gotten rid of the combustion engine.
Plug-in hybrids or PHEVs are particularly interesting as they can travel a few dozen kilometres without burning any fuel and keep going for several hundred kilometres when the battery runs empty.
Some models are exclusively available as PHEVs, like the Honda Clarity or the late Chevrolet Volt, while others offer traditional and PHEV variants on a single platform. Here are 10 of them.
Canada’s best-selling compact SUV added a PHEV variant for 2021 called RAV4 Prime. This model offers 68 kilometres of EV range. With a battery capacity of more than 15 kWh and a base price under $45,000 ($44,990 to be exact), it is eligible to a $5,000 rebate from the Canadian government, plus another $8,000 in Quebec and $1,500 in British Columbia.
The first-generation Crosstrek offered a hybrid variant. The second generation instead went with a PHEV model for 2020. The small battery offers a disappointing range of just 27 kilometres, however.
With the next-generation Escape comes a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid variant. At the time of writing, the latter still hasn’t reached showrooms yet. Expect 61 kilometres of EV range and a base price under $40,000, though no AWD.
Mitsubishi was a pioneer in the plug-in hybrid SUV segment with the Outlander PHEV. Now seriously aging and limited to 35 kilometres of EV range, this model will get a new, more efficient powertrain for 2021.
Toyota made hybrids popular with the Prius, but the star of the family is the Prius Prime, which is able to travel for more than 40 kilometres on battery power. That’s why customers can get rebates from the government.
Even high-performance and luxury cars get the PHEV treatment. At Porsche, the new 2021 Panamera 4S E-Hybrid delivers a total of 552 horsepower, though EV range is fairly limited at 30 kilometres. The Cayenne SUV has a PHEV variant, too.
The Chrysler Pacifica is the only minivan available with a plug-in hybrid system, the latter allowing drivers to cover 51 kilometres without burning gasoline. The new 2021 Toyota Sienna is a hybrid, too, but you can’t plug it in.
BMW has several PHEVs in its lineup. The popular X3 offers an xDrive30e variant with a range of just over 30 kilometres on battery power.
The iconic Range Rover is now available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain delivering 398 horsepower, accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and covering about 50 kilometres on battery power.
The Hyundai Ioniq is available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric configurations. The second one offers a zero-emission range of 47 kilometres and 164 total horsepower.