Choosing a hybrid SUV as your next used car is arguably the best compromise if you need one of these large, heavy vehicles, but have to do a lot of driving in town. Despite the very modern feel of the trend British buyers have been able to get a hybrid SUV since 2003, but it took a decade before there was a meaningful choice of models.
Remember when car shopping involved the phrases ‘big thirsty 4x4’ and ‘Chelsea Tractor’? When the trend for families buying the first wave of SUVs – or ‘sport utility vehicles’ – began, city-dwelling drivers were buying cars optimised for off-road use. Modern SUVs have become big hatchbacks and estates. Around town and on motorways, they’re still worse on fuel and emissions than a comparable family hatchback or estate car, yet hybrid 4x4s can be almost as economical as a small car in town.
Hybrid power is particularly relevant now that even relatively recent second hand diesel SUVs are subject to emission control zones such as ULEZ.
The cheapest hybrid SUVs – £4,000 to £10,000
It is possible to get a hybrid SUV for less than £4,000, but it’ll be the shabbiest, most worn out example of the only option: it’s the same situation all the way to £10,000. Private classifieds and cars for sale from dealers alike will reveal the the Lexus RX is the best used hybrid SUV you can get in this budget – if you follow our tips for buying a used hybrid.
Pushing the definition of SUV slightly, you’ll also find the Peugeot 3008 and related Citroen DS5, with an unusual diesel/electric setup. We wouldn’t recommend them due to a poor track record for long-term reliability.
Editor’s choice: Lexus RX 400h (2003-2009) – up to £9,000
It's not so much a choice as an endorsement – if the only option is a Lexus, that’s not a bad thing.
In the real world the Lexus is still a compromise. It won’t excite the way a V8-powered SUV can, and the economy is good, but not great – comparable to many diesel rivals. The trade off is you avoid the muck and noise of an old diesel, and unlike a V8 Mercedes or Range Rover driving gently or slowly pays off, particularly in congestion. It can tow 2,000kg, but behaves more like a car than a 4x4 in that regard.
The RX 400h is still a sensible purchase now, with good parts supply, high quality engineering and trim, and our owners’ reviews reflect a consistently satisfying experience for used buyers. However, some components are expensive and the cramped, highly technical layout means repair costs involve a lot of labour as well. Look for well-maintained examples and shop around.
Read our full Lexus RX Estate review
Lexus RX (2003 - 2009) owners reviews on Parkers
Pros
- Good build quality
- Comfortable ride and safe handling
- Good economy vs AWD rivals
Cons
- Parts can be expensive
- Lots of neglected examples
- Version 1.0 – later models much better
Lexus RX 450h (2009-2015) – from £9,000
Upgraded RX is better in every way, but cannot compete with influx of rivals
Prices remain strong for the RX 450h, the last examples approaching £20,000. That’s a lot of money to spend on an eight year old car if you’re financing it, particularly when interest rates are high, so we’d recommend looking at those finance figures before even looking at the cars. It’s possible the same monthly spend will get something newer, more economical and more sophisticated, and reduce the risk of expensive wear-and-tear replacement parts before it’s paid off.
Pick up a low-mileage late example, and it may qualify for the last year or so of Toyota’s extended warranty with just a routine service and main dealer inspection.
Read our full Lexus RX Estate review
Pros
- Handsome looks have aged well
- Strong performance without the top-rate VED
- Sophisticated for the age of car
Cons
- Feels expensive for the age of car
- Towing is not up to 4x4 expectations
- Still struggles to match a diesel’s economy
Sensible hybrid SUVs from £13,000
The cheapest new cars you can buy in 2023 start at around £13,000. Yet the cheapest new hybrid cars start around £23,000. With generally good reliability and lower wear on engines and brakes, a used hybrid SUV could be a much nicer option than just going for the most basic new car, and even, cheaper to run.
Editor’s choice: Lexus NX (2014-2021)
Compact luxury and peace of mind from £16,000
Like all Lexus and Toyota models in the UK, the warranty is up to 10 years/100,000 miles if you have it serviced at a main dealer, and that’s not quite as scary as you’d think given how reliable these cars are, and the generally high standard of the dealers.
For less than the price of a new entry-level supermini, you could find an upmarket hybrid SUV with three years warranty, plus low CO2 and running costs, with build quality and tech appropriate for a car that costs at least £50,000 new.
It’s hard to make an argument against a good Lexus NX as an everyday family car, but we’ll try – starting with something a little cheaper.
Read our full Lexus NX 4x4 review
Pros
- Upmarket, doesn’t look dated
- Impressive value
- Long warranty and excellent build quality
Cons
- Occasionally bumpy ride at odds with luxury feel
- Real-world economy a long way from the adverts
- Infotainment is clever, but dated next to rivals
Kia Niro hybrid (2016-2022)
Compact family SUV is hard to fault, but lacks finesse – from £14,000
Despite the looks, there’s no AWD option, and ground clearance is closer to a tall hatchback like a Dacia Sandero Stepway. The Kia Sportage is a better bet if you want traditional SUV talents, but it is an expensive used buy.
For used buyers, Kia’s strongest appeal is the seven-year warranty, which means the majority of used examples will still have some cover left. But there’s another car in this mid-priced selection that can outdo Kia…
Read our full Kia Niro SUV review
Pros
- Well-made with a long warranty
- Lots of dealers, easy to find used examples
- Neatly-packaged SUV is easy to live with
Cons
- Some trim feels a bit cheap
- Lacks 4x4, not much ground clearance
- Ride and handling lacks finesse
Toyota C-HR (2017-on)
Former Car of the Year, a fun, sporty small SUV from £12,500
We found it achieved remarkable real-world economy in our long term test, and it’s more involving and enjoyable to drive than a Prius. Some early models with panoramic roofs suffered cracked windscreens early on, so don’t be surprised by windscreen replacement in the history.
A choice of 1.8 or, from 2019, 2.0 hybrid versions can be found secondhand, there’s also a 1.2-litre non-hybrid version which offers all-wheel drive. Look for low mileage examples and getting annual services with a main dealer will extend the warranty up to 10 years/100,000 miles.
Read our full Toyota C-HR review
Pros
- Good value as a used buy
- Reliable, and potentially still under warranty
- Distinctive styling
Cons
- Low roof does impact visibility
- Hybrid models don’t offer 4x4
- Dated infotainment system
Premium and luxury used hybrid SUVs for £30,000
If you just can’t bring yourself to accept that a fairly mundane car is now £25-30,000 new, you could always spend the same amount on a high-end second hand SUV. While the maintenance will be more expensive (and necessary given the age of what’s on offer) a hybrid performance SUV can be quite reasonable to run compared to the conventional version if you spend a lot of time in town and can plug it in at home.
This is an option for the enthusiastic DIY owner, or the pragmatic buyer who has a trusted mechanic and doesn’t mind paying for maintenance. If you want to forget about your car until the MOT, and just use a random garage for the test and an oil change, some of these cars can become a very expensive experience.
A genuinely prestigious SUV for the cost of a new hatchback – from £20,000
The original Cayenne S Hybrid is quite rare, and reasonably capable, but if you push the budget up towards £30,000 (still less than many new SUVs, let alone hybrid models) you’ll find the Cayenne S E-Hybrid. A plug-in hybrid with 410hp to play with and 5.9 second 0-62mph time, it has low VED and with a fully charge, can do around 22 miles of zero-emissions driving in town.
You’ll find examples as recent as 2016, with remarkably low mileages. If you have dreamed of a owning Porsche, but need a family car, it really isn’t that unreasonable as a compromise and the interior stands up to family duties better than a Range Rover or Mercedes-AMG GLE.
Do budget for Porsche-priced maintenance of brakes, tyres and other consumables however. Fundamentally well-engineered, and relatively easy to DIY routine maintenance, the worst scenario is getting an inexpert garage to diagnose unfamiliar faults – join an owner’s club and get recommendations before buying.
Read our full Porsche Cayenne Estate review
Pros
- Feels special, still has huge kerb appeal
- Some low mileage models around
- S E-Hybrid has plenty of power
Cons
- Well made, but hates being neglected
- Routine servicing at main dealer is expensive
- Inexperienced specialists can wreck a good one
Archetypal common-sense SUV gets an urban-friendly plug-in option – from £30,000
Choosing hybrid means losing the main distinction between the Evoque and Discovery Sport – that third row of seats – but you still benefit from a more upright body and larger boot as a result. A claimed EV range of 34 miles, and ‘up to’ 309hp sounds good on paper but it is a car of two halves – literally, a 1.5-litre engine with front wheel drive and automatic, and an electric rear axle and battery system. This means all-wheel drive, and top performance, needs a charged battery, and when the battery runs out so do the hybrid advantages.
So the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque P300e are the perfect second hand SUVs for town and city dwellers who venture into the country occasionally. They’re good when they’re in the right environment, but on a long motorway drive, expect economy and performance to drop significantly.
Read our full Land Rover Discovery Sport review
Pros
- Well-made interiors and instant brand recognition
- Not that expensive given the new price
- Off-road capable, and quick too – when charged
Cons
- Some annoying reliability issues
- 1.5-litre auto works hard when battery depleted
- Main dealer experience can be inconsistent
Audi Q5 50 TFSi e (2019-on)
Authentic quattro security meets low-mileage used luxury, from less than £30,000
Audi’s infotainment is intuitive and build quality is generally good, if lacking in the sort of luxury colours and materials you will find in the Range Rover Evoque. The Q5 scores well in the tougher 2017 Euro NCAP test, and although the hybrid tech will be new to many garages, the rest of the car is a known quantity which should bode well for long-term ownership.
There’s a faster, Q5 55 TFSi e as well – but the affordable, easy to find Q5 50 is more than adequate. Like the image and perceived quality of the Porsche, but don’t want a car over a decade old? The Audi Q5 is the sensible choice.
Read our full Audi Q5 SUV review
Pros
- Effective family car, effective PHEV
- Genuinely capable Quattro all-wheel drive
- Genuinely capable Quattro all-wheel drive
Cons
- EV range on early models falls short of rivals
- Inevitably dull colour and trim of ex-lease models
- The best spec is still expensive used
Why buy a used hybrid SUV?
Like most used car buying decisions, the primary reason to look at a second hand hybrid SUV is cost. New cars in this class began to set a benchmark of £50,000 as an entry level in 2023.
High interest rates combined with years of constrained supply mean cheap lease cars ara a thing of the past. Traditional heavy discounting, 0% APR and inflated residual values that pushed monthly PCP figures down have gone. You’ll see that many new cars comparable to the ones in this used hybrid SUV guide have a deposit (before monthly payments) that would buy an older Lexus RX outright!
While the car industry will want to push back in that direction to survive, it’s likely that electric cars will be the beneficiary of such plans. If your budget for a new car now looks like it’ll get you a basic-spec, petrol SUV, a used hybrid equivalent will probably last longer, remain useful for clean air zones longer, and be more satisfying to drive for the same outlay. It’s also often the only way to get the all-wheel drive version.
Hybrid SUVs are not always a perfect match for their 4x4 forebears. Towing is often a weak point, and this is where a pickup might be more suitable given the rarity of suitable cars. Instead you can enjoy most of the refinement and speed of traditionally thirsty, quicker petrol models, with economy more often associated with diesel, in most cases. They also suffer less wear and tear as a rule: engines operate at their most efficient speed, and brake wear is offset by regenerative systems.
RT ‘Bear’ Kilpatrick is Bauer’s Used Cars Editor, writing primarily for CAR and Parkers. They’ve been obsessed with cars since childhood. Car ownership has a significant influence on mental health and wellbeing, so they focus on finding the most rewarding cars for the lowest cost and stress.
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