The popularity of hybrid cars in the Australian new car market continues to grow. Here are six of the best from the medium SUV category, Australia’s biggest-selling car segment.
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As the motoring landscape continues to evolve, family SUV buyers are faced with the choice of petrol or diesel less and less. Instead, the question has turned into ‘petrol or hybrid?’ for a lot of buyers.
Here are six medium SUVs you can buy with a hybrid powertrain that each offer something different that your family might be looking for.
Toyota RAV4, from $42,260 plus on-road costs
If you like the idea of safety in numbers, the Toyota RAV4 is not only Australia’s best-selling medium SUV, but also the best-selling hybrid car of any kind.
Available in a range of five different trim grades, with front- and all-wheel drive available, the RAV4 uses as little as 4.7 litres of fuel per 100km in testing.
The range spans from $42,260 for a RAV4 GX 2WD to $58,360 plus on-road costs for the RAV4 Edge AWD.
The stock shortages that previously held RAV4 deliveries back have been addressed, with dealers now able to deliver cars in under three months, depending on the variant you choose.
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, from $45,100 plus on-road costs
The Hyundai Tucson is the expert’s choice when it comes to family-sized hybrid SUVs.
While Hyundai was by no means early with hybrid tech in the medium SUV segment, the polished and poised Tucson hybrid was well worth the wait.
Under the critical eye of Drive Car of the Year judges, the Tucson was praised for its efficient but powerful drivetrain, excellent packaging, smart and modern infotainment, and its roomy interior accommodation.
Hyundai offers a hybrid variant of every Tucson model, alongside regular petrol and turbo petrol models. In the case of the hybrid, official fuel consumption is rated at 5.3L/100km.
Hyundai offers front- and all-wheel drive versions of the Tucson Hybrid, and optional N Line styling for a sportier look. Pricing starts from $45,100 for the entry-level Tucson Hybrid 2WD, up to $61,100 plus on-road costs for the Tucson Hybrid Premium N Line AWD.
Honda CR-V Hybrid, from $59,900 drive-away
Honda has had a return to form with its new models of late, and cars like the CR-V show that the brand is still capable of making premium feeling cars with excellent dynamics.
The Honda CR-V manages to tick all the family boxes: It’s safe, spacious, and user-friendly.
It also has a bonus up its sleeve for keen drivers. Honda’s hybrid system is peppy, and the steering and handling are among the best in the medium SUV class.
Unfortunately, at this stage of the seven CR-V variants available, only one comes with Honda’s dual-motor hybrid system.
For $59,900 drive-away for the 2WD CR-V e:HEV RS you don’t get a budget model, but you do get a sportier body-coloured appearance package, plus a full list of equipment.
Fuel consumption is rated at 5.5L/100km, and while that’s not the lowest figure, it’s easy to achieve in real-world conditions.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, from $57,290 plus on-road costs
Aussie families with a short daily commute but long weekend adventures might like the idea of a plug-in hybrid, like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
With this tech, the car functions like an electric vehicle over the first 80-plus kilometres on a full charge, but rather than needing to recharge, can continue further as the system switches over to hybrid operation, fuelled by petrol.
Mitsubishi offers one of the widest ranges of plug-in variants, with a choice of five Outlander PHEV variants priced from $57,290 to 73,790 plus on-road costs.
The Outlander also adds the flexibility of seven seats, with a compact third row that’s handy for short trips or when unexpected guests tag along.
Along with the 84km of NEDC-rated electric range, the all-wheel drive Outlander PHEV range carries an official fuel consumption rating of just 1.5L/100km.
BYD Sealion 6, from $42,990 plus on-road costs
If your budget is small, but your expectations are not, the BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid could be the answer
With a premium interior and a long list of standard equipment across two model grades, the Sealion 6 aims to provide 81km to 92km of NEDC electric range, depending on the model.
BYD offers the Essence model from $42,990 plus on-road costs with a longer range, but slightly less thrilling performance from a hybrid system with a 160kW combined output.
Fuel consumption is rated at a low 1.1L/100km thanks to that long-distance electric ability.
Stepping up to the more powerful Sealine 6 Premium boosts power to 238kW combined, but drops range to 81km and raises the official fuel consumption to 1.5L/100km.
Pricing for the Sealion 6 Premium starts from $52,990 plus on-road costs.
Both Sealion 6 variants offer five seats, and a fitout inside that looks like what you might expect to find from a premium brand.
Nissan X-Trail e-Power, from $50,765 plus on-road costs
Nissan implements hybrid tech differently from a lot of other brands, powering the car with electric motors and using the petrol engine only as a generator to feed a small battery, not drive the wheels.
The result is a driving experience that feels a lot like an electric vehicle, with smooth, seamless acceleration.
Nissan offers the all-wheel-drive e-Power hybrid system on the X-Trail, ST-L, Ti, and Ti-L grades, all with five seats.
The packaging impact from the hybrid system is minimal, with key dimensions and passenger space as you’d find in the regular petrol X-Trail range.
Pricing spans from $50,765 for the X-Trail ST-L e-Power up to $59,265 plus on-road costs for the top-spec Ti-L e-Power. Fuel consumption for Nissan’s hybrid system is rated at 6.1L/100km.
Up-and-coming alternatives
As the range of hybrid SUVs in Australia continues to grow, a crop of new alternative options has also sprung up alongside it.
GWM offers both a closed-loop hybrid version of the Haval H6, along with a PHEV version of the Haval H6 GT SUV-coupe, rated with a whopping 180km of driving range.
Newly arrived Chinese brand, Leapmotor, launched the C10 SUV as an EV, but has since added a range-extender plug-in hybrid model. Rated to be capable of 170km of range, with an engine on board to act as a generator and ensure uninterrupted long-distance drives.
Jaecoo, an offshoot of Chery, launched the well-equipped Jaecoo J7 SHS plug-in hybrid rated with a 90km driving range and a budget price of $47,990 drive-away. The design takes a few cues from Range Rover, but the J7 looks sharp in traffic, especially for the price.
Subaru has an all-new Forester ready to launch, and has promised that a new hybrid system that utilises Toyota technology will join the range. Exact timing is still unknown, but it's a promising sign after Subaru’s first lacklustre hybrid attempt.
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Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
