In association with MotorEasy
Car of the Year Awards 2021: Best plug-in hybrid interior
The best plug-in hybrid cars offer a long all-electric range, reducing fuel consumption, emissions and tax bills. Yet they must still drive well and not compromise on practicality...
BMW X5 xDrive45e M Sport
When choosing a plug-in hybrid, it goes without saying that you want economy and cost-effectiveness, but if don’t want to compromise on the finer things in life, the BMW X5 xDrive45e is right up your street.
It makes no apologies for being a luxury SUV and offers the same fantastic interior as any other X5. Its impeccable material quality and attention to detail give it the edge over the Volvo XC90 Recharge T8, as does its brilliantly intuitive, responsive 12.3in infotainment system, which is the best around. In fact, despite being thoroughly high-tech, the user-friendly X5 retains physical controls for frequently used features, so you don’t need to dive through on-screen menus to change the temperature like you do in the XC90.
The plug-in hybrid X5 also has a massive advantage when it comes to running costs; with an official all-electric range of 54 miles and CO2 emissions of just 29g/km, the resultant 6% company tax rate is far less than you’ll pay for the Volvo. So, with lower costs yet higher quality, the X5 xDrive45e has all the answers.
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