The snag is, however, that this is a £65,000 SUV without options or any particularly lavish model trim. But it is a modern Mercedes SUV, which means it’s not short of digital multimedia technology or luxury cabin feel.
The car’s driven by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine working in tandem with a 134bhp electric drive motor. Weighing almost 2.3 tonnes, it’s not the most dynamic drive in this list, struggling a little with vertical body control on country roads. But it’s smooth and quiet whether running electrically or not; has decent electric-only oomph to match that electric range; and doesn’t penalise owners with reduced boot volume, either.
Read our Mercedes GLC 300e review
2. BMW X5 xDrive50e
Pros: rides and handles really well, offers plenty of real-world electric range, has a smooth and powerful BMW straight six
Cons: there’s no seven-seat option, and it trades a little bit of cargo space
A refreshed version of the BMW X5 landed in showrooms in 2023, and as before the star attraction of the plug-in version is its creamy smooth 3.0-litre straight-six, which works in tandem with an electric motor to give both a startling turn of speed and surprisingly low running costs. Given its head, this combination musters an impressive 485bhp, while the electric motor has enough urge to make the car feel brisk enough while mooching around. Speaking of which, thanks an enlarged 25.7kWh battery the X5 can travel on pure electricity for up to 66 miles, which is both nifty and allows the car to qualify for the UK government’s 8% BIK tax bracket.
Inspite of the increase in kerbweight (this BMW causes the scales to creak under strain of 2495kg), the 50e drives as well as any BMW X5 there’s ever been; and, for those who don’t know, that’s a high dynamic marker for a large SUV. It’s polished, slick and refined, but also controls its mass well and handles neatly and with compelling poise for a big car.
Inside, cabin quality is good enough to compete with anything else on this list, and practicality is strong despite the fact that the packaging of the PHEV drive battery robs the car of its third-row seats, and a little of its cargo capacity.