Used Car of the Year Awards: Hybrid cars
With living costs on the rise, getting a good deal on your next car is more important than ever. That's where our Used Car Awards come in. These are our favourite hybrid cars...
Audi A3
Price from £14,000 Our pick 40 TFSIe Sport
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) often take the form of big, bulky SUVs, but the Audi A3 TFSIe isn’t like that. This posh family hatchback is one of the most compact plug-in hybrids you can buy – a factor that will appeal to those who seek some electrification in their motoring but who don’t want to wrestle with an unnecessarily large car.
In 40 TFSIe form, the A3 initially came with a 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor that could propel the car for up to 40 miles (officially) on electricity alone. That’s farther than the Volkswagen Passat GTE can go.
It performed well, too. The 40 TFSIe produced a healthy 201bhp, with 0-62mph taking a brisk 7.6sec. There was also a more powerful version, the 45 TFSIe, which upped the performance but reduced the range slightly.
Despite the extra weight of the hybrid battery, you still get all of the attributes we love about the regular A3. No matter what type of road you’re on, it’s a fine car to drive. Its suspension absorbs bumps better than that of the related Volkswagen Golf eHybrid, but this doesn’t come at the cost of handling; in fact, the A3 is more agile than the Golf and Mercedes A-Class A250e.
While the A250e is admittedly quicker than both, the A3’s engine is quieter when pressed than the A250e’s, and the transitions between petrol and electric power are smoother.
Inside, you’ll find a great driving position and higher-quality materials than those in the A250e and Golf, as well as a more user-friendly dashboard and a crisp, configurable digital instrument panel ahead of the driver.
While the A3 is no Passat GTE when it comes to interior space, there’s enough head and leg room for four six-footers to sit comfortably, and it’s just as spacious as the A250e and Golf.
A used 40 TFSIe is cheaper to buy than the equivalent A250e, yet it’s just as well equipped. It’s more reliable than its Golf compatriot, too.
In a refresh in 2024, the 40 TFSIe gained an uprated 1.5-litre engine and a larger battery that upped the potential electric range to an eye-opening 88 miles. Used prices for these are still on the high side, though, starting at £28k.
Also consider...
Best for practicality
Volkswagen Passat GTE (2016-2024)
Price from £11,000 Our pick 1.4 TSI GTE
The Volkswagen Passat GTE Estate isn’t just about performance and style, as its sporty badge suggests; it’s also incredibly practical. It’s significantly better than a BMW 3 Series Touring 330e for ferrying four tall adults around in comfort. And while its boot can’t quite match the Skoda Superb Estate iV’s for outright capacity, it offers far more room than the Audi A6 Avant TFSIe’s. Practical touches such as hooks, partitions and a large underfloor storage compartment – perfect for stowing charging cables – make it especially versatile.
Where the Passat GTE really pulls ahead of the direct competition is on pricing; it’s significantly cheaper than the 330e Touring and Superb Estate iV. And yet it still has a high-quality interior, albeit one that’s not as smart or up to date as the Audi A3 TFSIe’s. That said, all GTEs come very well equipped, with luxuries such as heated front seats and leather upholstery as standard.
Read our full used Volkswagen Passat GTE review >>
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Best for luxury
BMW X5 (2019-present)
Price from £28,000 Our pick xDrive45e xLine
The BMW X5 has one of the best interiors of any luxury SUV. Almost every surface is covered in soft-touch materials and genuine metal finishes that give it a properly upmarket feel. It also has enough physical controls to make it more user-friendly than a Volvo XC90 T8.
In PHEV and petrol forms, this current X5 is proving to be one of the most dependable models in the luxury car class. That’s reassuring, because the plug-in xDrive45e is our pick of the power options available. It’s quieter than the Lexus NX 450h+ in electric mode, and when the 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine kicks in, it’s smoother and gruntier than the four-cylinder unit in the XC90.
A respectable official electric range of 54 miles will help to keep running costs down, even if the X5 xDrive45e will still cost a lot more to buy and run than the Audi A3.
Find a used BMW X5 for sale >>
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