Every Plug-In-Hybrid Vehicle You Can Buy Today

So, you want an electric car. And then you learn about electric cars' range issues. Most electrics (that aren't the Chevrolet Bolt or a pricey Tesla, anyway) can't go much farther than 100 miles before running out of juice. And recharging a depleted EV battery remains a matter of hours, not minutes, if you're without fast-charging networks. Plug-in hybrid vehicles offer an appealing compromise: Some around-town electric-only driving range, with an internal-combustion engine on hand to help the electric motor (or motors, plural) when the battery runs dry to provide longer range and the option to refuel as quickly as regular cars. PHEVs don’t even need to be plugged in to continue operating just fine, although if you're not going to plug in the car, spending the extra money on the PHEV model probably doesn't make sense. Flip through for a comprehensive list of all the plug-in hybrids for sale in America today, including our thoughts on what makes each model unique:

BMW's i3 with its optional range-extending engine may not look as racy as the i8, but its extensive use of exposed carbon fiber and natural materials make it seem nearly as exotic. For 2019, its 33-kWh battery was swapped for a larger 42.2-kWh unit; EPA estimates for the i3's efficiency and range are forthcoming, but the 2018 model's smaller battery could take it up to 72 miles before the 34-hp two-cylinder range-extender engine tucked beneath the cargo floor fired up-and that would last until its tiny 2.4-gallon fuel tank reached empty, about 180 miles in total. The last i3's 117-MPGe rating remains outstanding, even if the car’s driving dynamics aren’t.

Proving that plug-in hybrids aren't just about reducing fuel costs, BMW's unabashedly futuristic i8 coupe and roadster feature exotic swing-up doors, spaceship styling, and six-figure price tags. Every i8's turbocharged three-cylinder engine and electric motors team to produce 369 horsepower, with all four wheels getting some of the power. The i8's as quick as it looks, too, with a zero-to-60-mph time of 3.6 seconds in our testing (and that's before BMW upped the sports car's output and battery capacity for 2019). Its 18-mile electric-only range and 69-MPGe rating reflect its emphasis on performance, as does its tiny back seat.

So long as you don't expect much athleticism BMW's 530e xDrive sedan, it is a perfectly acceptable luxury plug-in conveyance. A 9.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack affords the hybridized 5-series but 15 miles of electric-only driving range; after that battery depletes, the 530e becomes a regular hybrid, blending motivation from a 111-hp electric motor and a 180-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine. The powertrain produces a combined 248 horsepower, exactly the same amount as the non-hybrid, four-cylinder 530i that costs the same.

The all-wheel-drive 740e xDrive may not be the most expensive BMW you can plug in-that honor goes to the i8-but it is certainly the most decadent. It uses a slightly more powerful version of the hybrid turbocharged four-cylinder/electric powertrain found in the 530e xDrive, and it can travel up to 14 miles purely on electrons. Best of all, no compromises were made to its luxurious appointments.

Here's an interesting tidbit you might not have expected: The pluggable CT6 comes to the U.S. from Shanghai, where it is assembled. Cadillac created the model largely for the Chinese market, so that is where it sources the plug-in for U.S. consumption. (Non-hybrid CT6s are built here in America.) The CT6's 18.4-kWh lithium-ion battery gifts it with a 31-mile electric-only driving range per the EPA, more than double the BMW 740e's. Get one while you can-Cadillac dropped the model for 2019, although as of November 2018 it was still available on the automaker's website.

The second-generation Chevy Volt improves on its groundbreaking predecessor in nearly every way, from its less bizarre styling to its higher-quality, ergonomically sound interior that now seats five, one more than the original. Its drivetrain can operate in pure-EV mode for an EPA-estimated 53 miles, the most of any car on this list save for the BMW i3, and once the battery is depleted, it can travel another 400 miles or so down the highway.

If you can live without the gas-powered Chrysler Pacifica's available Stow 'n Go second-row seats, which can flip and fold into cubbies in the floor to create a vast, flat load space (and those cubbies can be used as such when the seats are in their upright positions), the hybrid might be worth a look. As a bonus, the non-Stow 'n Go second-row seats are more padded and comfortable than in the non-hybrid. Of course, the macro benefit of opting for the Pacifica hybrid is its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which can be recharged in about two hours (on a 240-volt hookup) to provide an EPA-estimated 32 miles of electrified driving before the powertrain reverts to a conventional hybrid of the transmission's two electric motors and the 3.6-liter V-6 engine for motivation.

Like its (now-discontinued) C-Max Energi counterpart, the Fusion Energi is powered by a 188-hp hybrid powertrain with a 7.6-kWh battery pack, and it also offers 19 miles of electric driving range. It's not very fast, but among the three plug-in family sedans on this list, the Fusion could be considered the best-looking, with styling that was spiffed up for 2017 (a while ago) and a modern, comfortable interior.

Compared to the gas-electric Ioniq hybrid, the plug-in model nets a more powerful electric motor (60 horsepower to 43 horsepower) and a larger battery pack (8.9 kWh compared to the hybrid's 1.6-kWh unit). This affords it a claimed 27 miles of electric-only driving range, while the standard six-speed automatic helps the powertrain avoid the slurry, disconnected feel endemic to most hybridized vehicles that typically utilize continuously variable transmissions. As we put it in our test of a 2018 Ioniq PHEV, "the plug-in hybrid drives like a non hybrid car when the engine is running." That's a good thing.

The Kia Niro plug-in is to the regular Kia Niro hybrid what the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is to its own hybrid sibling: Endowed with greater battery capacity and a more powerful electric motor aiding its gasoline-fed four-cylinder engine. That is because the Kias and Hyundais share powertrains, in essence, meaning this Niro PHEV has the same 60-hp electric motor and 8.9-kWh battery as the Ioniq PHEV. Blame the Niro's taller, pseudo-crossover shape (it's front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive isn't available) for the mildly shorter 26-mile electric-only driving range compared to the Ioniq's 27-mile EPA estimate.

Kia's mid-size Optima plug-in hybrid leverages a 9.8-kWh battery pack for 27 miles of electric-only range and approximately 600-mile total driving range between fill-ups. The Optima plug-in is also very heavy (426 pounds heavier than the regular Optima), so handling suffers, and passing acceleration is woeful. It inherits the Optima’s innately good looks; however, sharp eyes will identify the plug-in model's creased bumpers, blueish-tinted windows, and unique grille with motorized shutters.

The Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 not only has one of the longest names in Mini's fleet, but it also is the heaviest among modern not-so-mini Minis. Its plug-in hybrid setup-the "E" in its name-mashes together a turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine powering the front wheels and an electric motor spinning the rears, plus a 7.6-kWh battery. Electric-only driving range is a low-enough-to-make-you-question-the-S-E-Countryman-ALL4's-necessity 12 miles.

At long last, Mitsubishi introduced the Outlander plug-in hybrid sold elsewhere in the world (for years!) to the U.S. market for 2018. In spite of its relative age (Mitsubishi gave its hybridized SUV a visual refresh for 2019), the Outlander PHEV remains the plug-in SUV with the longest electric-only driving range available, 22 miles.

While the very notion of a plug-in-hybrid SUV may seem utterly antithetical to Porsche's go-fast reputation, the Cayenne E-Hybrid nonetheless strives to be a stellar performer. Its combination of a 335-hp turbocharged V-6 and a 134-hp electric motor gives it 455 ponies to work with (39 more than its predecessor); acceleration to 60 mph is claimed to take only 4.7 seconds. Final EPA fuel-economy and electric-only driving range estimates are forthcoming, but are expected to improve on the Cayenne S E-Hybrid's that this model replaces.

As with the Cayenne E-Hybrid SUV, a gasoline/electric Porsche sedan seems silly, yet the Panamera (and its wagon sibling, the Panamera Sport Turismo) 4 E-Hybrid's sporting bona fides are unquestionable from behind the wheel. With a combined 462 horsepower from its turbocharged V-6 and electric motors, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid accelerates briskly, and its low center of gravity and wonderfully tactile steering make it a joy to turn. A full battery can provide 16 miles of driving in E-Power mode.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, be it the regular four-door Panamera or the edgier-looking Panamera Sport Turismo wagon, is not a hybrid. Okay, it is a plug-in hybrid, but this is no Toyota Prius wannabe. Porsche combines a 136-hp electric motor with a 550-hp twin-turbo V-8 in a bid for maximum quickness; the E-Hybrid's 14 miles of electric-only operation capability is secondary. The gas and electric power sources combine for an insane 680 horsepower (the total is less than the sum of the horsepower figures of the gas and electric sources thanks to each one’s differing power delivery), which in our testing was enough to shove the 2018 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid to 60 mph in an eyeball-squishing 2.9 seconds.

Despite a name that sounds like something out of Transformers, the Prius Prime is actually the plug-in version of the Prius hybrid powertrain. That means in addition to running on the gas-powered engine it shares with the Prius, you can plug in the Prius Prime to recharge its battery; on a standard 120-volt household outlet, it takes about 5.5 hours, or about two hours on a 240-volt outlet. What's more, the Prius Prime can travel up to 25 miles on battery power alone. While the Prime has an EPA highway rating of 55 mpg and 133 MPGe, in our real-world testing, we saw up to 49 mpg and 118 MPGe.

Volvo's 60- and 90-series cars share their underlying structures and powertrains, meaning the new-for-2019 S60 is available with the same powerful T8 plug-in hybrid option offered in the larger S90, as well as the XC60 and XC90 SUVs. In the S60, one can have the T8 in standard form-two electric motors, good for 87 horsepower, and a turbo- and supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, for a total of 400 horsepower-or "Polestar Engineered" with an extra 15 horsepower courtesy of engine-tuning tweaks.

In its 90-series T8 plug-in models, Volvo uses the not-entirely-correct "Twin Engine" name. We say that isn’t quite correct because, well, the S90 T8 model does not, in fact, have two engines. The plug-in does have both a gas-fed (and powerful) four-cylinder engine along with a duo electric motors, plus a 10.4-kWh battery pack that affords the luxurious, handsome Volvo decent electric-only driving range. In the S90's case, the EPA estimates the battery provides 21 miles of EV range.

Why does Volvo's plug-in hybrid XC60 crossover bristle with 400 horsepower? Why not? Using the same turbo- and supercharged four-cylinder engine and duo of electric motors as the S60, S90, and XC90 listed elsewhere in this roundup, the XC60 T8 plug-in is sufficiently motivated to reach 60 mph in a quick 5.1 seconds. It also delivers an EPA-estimated 18 miles of electric-only operation, which is much less interesting (and way more useful to hybrid shoppers) than 400 horsepower.

Having said all there is to say about Volvo's 400-hp T8 plug-in hybrid powertrain, we only will add that it provides satisfying power and-conditions permitting-a reasonable 13 miles of electric-only driving range. In our testing, a 2016 XC90 T8 "Twin Engine" accelerated to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, which is quick for a three-row luxury SUV weighing over 5000 pounds.