Electric Car Awards 2023: Best hybrid small SUV
With electrified cars now coming in all shapes and sizes – and available to suit every budget – we’ve named the best models in every class. Here we look at the best hybrid small SUV...
Range Rover Evoque P300e S
Every now and again, you meet someone who seems to have things much too easy in life. They live in a beautiful house, they have a great sense of humour, their kids are well behaved and they have a job they love. And they probably drive a Range Rover Evoque P300e.
For company car user-choosers, the Evoque P300e is hard to beat when it comes to making you feel good without bleeding your wallet dry. As a small, upmarket SUV with lantern-jawed good looks, few cars are quite so fashionable. And with a benefit-in-kind rating of 12%, not many rivals are cheaper on company car tax.
P300e drivers have more to look smug about than the big bills they’re not facing, though; after all, this is our favourite version in the entire Evoque line-up. Its smooth 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor combine for a healthy 309bhp – enough for a sprightly 0-62mph time of 6.1sec. No other version is quicker. That punch is always available the instant you need it, too; you’ll never have any trouble joining a busy motorway.
For those who have to pay for their own petrol, the Evoque’s electric side is a godsend. Officially, it’ll take you 39 miles before the battery runs flat; that’s far enough to cover the school run or a daily commute for many. If you make a lot of longer journeys, the official economy figure of 201.2mpg is likely to remain a fantasy, but the more you keep the battery topped up and the more you use electric power, the less petrol you’ll use.
The transition from near-silent electric power to petrol propulsion is seamless and engine noise is well suppressed. What’s more, the P300e’s eight-speed automatic gearbox is smoother than the nine-speed ’box in other models.
In all other regards, the P300e is the same to travel in as any other Evoque. Wind and road noise rarely step out from the background to spoil your enjoyment of the smart, high-tech interior. And while the rival Volvo XC40 is a little smoother over potholes, the Evoque’s ride is better controlled, with less sway on uneven roads. The standard 18in wheels do a better job of absorbing minor ripples than the bigger optional wheels, though.
Plug-in hybrid small SUV fans could also consider a Jaguar E-Pace, Jeep Renegade or Mini Countryman, but none has quite the feelgood factor of the Evoque.
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