Green with welly – Land Rover’s Defender goes electric 

Land Rover’s new Defender is now available with a new Plug-In Hybrid powertrain which makes it the most economical and powerful in the range.

Called the P400e, it combines a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 105kW electric motor, giving a total output of 399bhp. Meanwhile the official CO2 emissions are 74g/km and it will run in all-electric mode for up to 27 miles. 

Available only with the longer with the 110 body, the P400e uses a 19.2kWh battery. This can be charged in around three hours using a 7.2kW home charger or to 80% in half an hour using a 50kW rapid charger. 

The Defender PHEV's off road ability is improved, say Land Rover

Land Rover claim the PHEV powertrain brings superior off-road capabilities too, thanks to the instant low-down pulling power offered by the electric motor. These characteristics are also key to the Defender’s ability to tow – the P400e can tow up to 3,000kg. This is impressive compared to other PHEVs but is 500kg less than the diesel models. 

The Defender P400e is available with five or six seats, but brace yourself for the price – the cheapest Defender PHEV is £64,800. On the plus side, there will be big savings if you are running a Defender as a company car, with benefit-in-kind rates of 17% rather than the diesel’s 37%.

Screen if you want to go faster - the PHEV will do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds