Best plug-in hybrid cars 2026: top PHEVs reviewed

The best plug-in hybrid cars can be a good choice for drivers looking to avoid public charging points while still benefiting from reduced running costs on short journeys.

There are plenty of options available. From the family-friendly VW Golf PHEV to sporty plug-in hybrid off-roaders such as the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, there's now an electrified model to cater to nearly every taste.

However, we've tested models with disappointing reliability, surprisingly high emissions, and many that simply won't give you the promised fuel economy when you actually get them out on the road.

Best plug-in hybrid cars

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Our latest plug-in hybrid car reviews

Here are the latest plug-in hybrid cars that we've lab tested.

What is a plug-in hybrid car?

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) such as the Mazda CX-60 have an electric-only range of around 30 to 90 miles. However, to get anywhere near the advertised fuel economy for most models, you'll need to plug it in to charge the battery as much as possible.

When the battery is depleted, PHEVs typically work like a full hybrid.

Our research has revealed that, compared with electric cars, PHEVs tend to be less efficient when driven solely with their batteries due to their weight and smaller electric motors. If you can charge at home, you may want to consider getting an electric car (read our guide on what to consider before going electric).

What’s the difference between a plug-in hybrid and a full hybrid?

Unlike plug-in hybrid cars, full hybrids can only be charged with the car’s engine or regenerative braking. They also have much smaller batteries than plug-in hybrid cars and can only travel short distances (around one mile at a time) without using the engine to power the car or charge the battery.

Once the battery of a plug-in hybrid is empty, it’s likely that it will be less economical to drive than a full hybrid.

Unlike plug-in hybrids, there is a wide range of cheaper full hybrid models available, including several small cars and a wider range of small SUVs. And while there are fewer large full hybrid cars available, there’s a wider range of full hybrid SUVs.

For more information, head to our guide on the best full hybrid cars.

Are plug-in hybrids reliable?

Plug-in hybrids score poorly as a fuel type for reliability in most of the age groups covered by our survey, and are typically as reliable as diesel cars, which are the least reliable type of car we have reliability data on.

However, some plug-in hybrid cars buck this trend. Find out which models are the least likely to let you down, by heading to our guide to the our most reliable cars.

How do you charge a plug-in hybrid?

Most plug-in hybrid cars can only charge at speeds of up to 11kW. This means that, while you can charge using some public chargers, they can take two hours to fully charge.

An increasing number of plug-in hybrid cars (such as the Ford Tourneo Connect PHEV) are able to use all types of public charger as electric cars, although only up to speeds of 50kW. Plug-in hybrid cars that can use rapid chargers can typically be fully charged in around 40 minutes.

Many PHEV models also use the engine to charge the battery, but this isn’t very efficient. You can also use regenerative braking to charge your PHEV’s battery, although be aware that you won’t be able to add much driving range this way.

Are plug-in hybrid cars cheap to run?

Our lab tests have found that many plug-in hybrids can be efficient, as long as you regularly charge the car’s battery. The most efficient PHEVs typically have larger batteries and therefore a long electric range (such as the Audi A3 Sportback PHEV), while others can fall back on sophisticated full-hybrid systems (such as the system found in the Toyota Prius) that help to reduce running costs when the car’s battery is empty.

If you don’t keep the battery charged, your plug-in hybrid could end up being among the most expensive type of car to run on a daily basis, as the sheer weight of many PHEVs means they often use a lot of fuel when running with an empty battery.

Are plug-in hybrid cars being phased out?

In 2035, the sale of all new PHEVs will be banned. From this date, the only new cars you can buy will be zero-emission cars; this includes fully electric cars plus zero-emission alternatives, such as hydrogen cars. The sale of new mild hybrids will end in 2030.

We test plug-in hybrid cars more thoroughly than anyone else

Our tests go further than those carried out by other organisations, and because Which? is independent, you can trust our reviews to give you the full, honest and impartial truth about every car we test.

To find out more, head to our how we test cars guide.