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Electric Car Awards 2025: Best hybrid small SUV
With fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars now coming in all shapes and sizes, we’ve named the best new and used buys in every class. Here we look at the best hybrid small SUVs...
Mazda MX-30 R-EV Prime-Line
Film director Christopher Nolan loves to meddle with the four dimensions, distorting space and time to have you questioning exactly what plane of reality you’re looking at. And he could have been the creative visionary behind the Mazda MX-30 R-EV.
It’s as far from a conventional plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV as you can get. Its swoopy, coupé-style body does conceal a petrol engine, but it’s quite unlike any of its rivals’; it’s a rotary, with a spinning rotor instead of cylinders and pistons. The engine doesn’t run all the time, either, and it never powers the wheels directly.
As what’s known as a range extender, it produces electricity that feeds a 17.8kWh (usable capacity) battery, in turn powering an electric motor that turns the front wheels. And that means the MX-30 feels like an electric car to drive, with instantaneous response and none of the hesitation that can plague PHEVs. In fact, it feels a fair bit nippier than its 9.7sec official 0-62mph time suggests.
A smooth and quiet cruiser, the MX-30 is a great choice for longer trips, with little noise from the tyres or the wind rushing by. And while a full charge of the battery is officially good for 53 miles of near-silent electric running, the rotary engine is unobtrusive when it pipes up, and its fuel reserves should be enough to take you around 400 miles in total.
The suspension is on the firm side, so not every bump will go unnoticed, but that helps with body control, and the MX-30 barely leans in bends. It grips the road strongly, too, and the steering inspires enough confidence to corner with vigour if you please.
Okay, it’s not a particularly practical small SUV, its narrow rear doors lead to rear seats that are best suited to kids, and you’ll not get much more than a few soft overnight bags in the boot. Its well-appointed interior indulges, though, and it substantially undercuts its only PHEV small SUV rival, the Jeep Renegade 4XE – which is nothing like as good to drive or as smart inside.
Like Mr Nolan’s best work, then, not everyone will understand the MX-30 R-EV, but company car users (BIK tax is only 9%) and economy-loving private buyers alike will see its Oscar potential.
Best used hybrid small SUV
Mini Countryman Cooper S E PHEV (2017-2024)
Price from £11,000
The plug-in Mini is refined and surprisingly roomy inside, even it its ride can be firm. Its reliability record is terrific, though.
Used Mini Countryman buying guide >>
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