If you're worried about the range of an electric car but you have the option of charging at home you can take advantage of the efficiency and cheaper running costs of an electric vehicle by going for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) instead. They typically have quite a small range, but you get the reassurance of a petrol engine as backup.
We would really only recommend a PHEV if you have the capability of charging at home – they are less efficient than fully electric vehicles because of the smaller battery and motor combination, and just don't make sense with the higher costs of public charging. You can also take advantage of lower company car tax rates with PHEVs thanks to the lower emissions.
You can check out our list of every new electric car coming in 2026, but here we've gathered all of the plug-in hybrids that we know are launching in 2026. Keep checking back when we found out more of the cars that will be arriving on the market in the next 12 months.
RS5 Avant
Price: £100,000 (est) / Range: 50 miles / On sale: Early 2026
The standard A5 PHEV manages around 65 miles of e-range from a full charge of its 20.7kWh battery, but we’d imagine the hot version of the car will achieve significantly less... and run out of electricity a lot more quickly too. It’ll probably be a bit more fun to drive than the standard car though if you’re into that sort of thing. The larger A6 estate comes with an electric option, but we’ll have to wait until 2028 for an EV in Audi’s smaller range of saloons and estates. That’ll probably be long enough for the A5 to have changed its name back to A4.
Q7
Price: £85,000 (est) / Range: 65 miles / On sale: Late 2026
Audi’s large SUV has earned its retirement, this second generation of the behemoth has been on sale since 2015 after all. The new car will get sleeker styling in line with Audi’s latest look – think even bigger grille and even tinier headlights – and a plug-in hybrid version with a reasonable bit of range. An exciting feature for the 2026 car will be the combination of the PHEV powertrain and seven seats, which has eluded many carmakers for some time, but they finally seem to be getting it together and sticking the batteries in the right places to make the extra chairs in the boot work. Bravo.
Denza
B5
Price: £60,000 / Range: 62 miles / On sale: Late 2026
Denza sounds like it should be the central European conglomerate behind all of your favourite biscuit brands, but it’s actually the new fancy badge from BYD. Seems like a bold move, considering BYD has only been on sale in the UK for five minutes, but everyone seems to have a fancy sub-brand so why not BYD, eh? The B5 will be a Toyota Land Cruiser-aping 4x4 with a reasonable range from the plug-in powertrain. A lifestyle off-roader rather than a proper mud plugger we should think. It will feature a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a pair of electric motors, producing a considerable 677bhp. That’s enough to provide a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and plenty of off-road ability. The kit list should be very impressive too.
Z9 GT
Price: £75,000 / Range: 125 miles / On sale: Late 2026
Another car arriving from BYD’s posh new sub-brand in 2026 is the Z9 GT, a sleek looking four-door saloon that will come in electric or PHEV flavours. The plug-in version gets a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and three electric motors for an eye watering power output of 858hp. It’ll do the 0–62mph scrabble in 3.6 seconds and has a 38kWh battery that would put some superminis to shame, for an electric range of around 125 miles. Inside, the Z9 GT has a plush cabin, lots of tech and a huge infotainment screen.
Eletre
Price: £100,000 (approx) / Range: 150 miles / On sale: Early 2026
Is this a humiliating climbdown or an agile company that’s ready and willing to listen to the changing demands of potential customers? Well, we know which option Lotus would pick. After seemingly committing itself to electric power, the Chinese-backed British sports car maker is shoehorning in a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine to its massive Eletre SUV, along with three e-motors and a 70kWh battery. The powertrain comes courtesy of its Zeekr 9X sister car, and it could manage up to 150 miles of range and charge at speeds up to 500kW, so as steps backwards go, at least it’s a fairly high tech one.
3
Price: £30,000 / Range: 56 miles / On sale: Late 2026
It looks like Omodo is building a baby Transformers robot to complete its extensive range of SUVs. This little tinker will defend you from alien invasion, but you’ll also need to put down newspaper for it to wee on. It looks plenty aggressive, and it’ll also come with a range of options to suit your particular tastes, including full electric, plug-in hybrid or just yucky petrol. As well as looking futuristic, the Omoda 3’s party piece will be its large central touchscreen, which you can connect a Nintendo Switch console to. The PHEV tech will use Omoda’s boldly titled ‘Super Hybrid System’, pairing up a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an 18kWh battery for around 56 miles of range.
7
Price: £35,000 / Range: 56 miles / On sale: Mid 2026
Omoda’s UK range is growing steadily – the 7 fits nicely in the range between the E5 and the 9, which is handy given the model number (not looking at anyone in particular, Polestar and Smart, but it’s annoying when the numbers make no sense, isn’t it?). The 7 doesn’t look as wild as the sharp edged 3, but it’s still got some creases to bring to the party. There’s no full electric option available at the moment, but the PHEV offers a solid 56 miles or so of range with Omoda’s Super Hybrid System under the bonnet.
Outlander
Price: £40,000 / Range: 50 miles / On sale: Mid 2026
Mitsubishi left the UK market back in 2020 because it couldn’t sell enough cars – goodness only knows what it thinks is different about the place now. But it’ll be nice to see what was once the world’s bestselling plug-in hybrid back on the market (the old one could be a decent secondhand buy...). It’s probably not going to become the world’s bestselling plug-in hybrid again, there’s a lot more competition around from a whole array of different manufacturers, not just the upstart Chinese brands. The Outlander has recently benefited from a few mid-life tweaks (it’s been on sale in other places, just not here) and has a fancier interior than previous owners might be familiar with.
RAV4
Price: £50,000 / Range: 62 miles (PHEV) / On sale: Mid 2026
Toyota’s stalwart SUV is back for a sixth generation in 2026, and this time it’s coming with a beefed up PHEV option that’ll offer a decent amount of electric range. It looks pretty good, too. It’s easily to overlook a car like the RAV4 when there are so many other options about the place, but it’s a great all-round family car. It’ll be available with front or four-wheel drive, and will officially be able to cover 62 miles on solely electric power. It’ll also do a bit of fast charging at up to 50kW, which is useful if you’re out and about, though of course a plug-in only makes proper sense if you’re able to charge at home. One thing the RAV4 PHEV doesn’t come with is seven seats, which is a bit unfortunate. But there are whispers that a larger version of the car might be available with this new generation, a ‘Grand RAV4’. What a treat that would be.
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