Most people think 'hybrid' started with the slow and fuel-conscious Toyota Prius. In fact, the first hybrid car was created more than a century ago, in 1900, when Ferdinand Porsche, aged just 25, built a vehicle in which the petrol engine powered a generator. It was the electric motors in the wheel hubs that did the actual driving.
Today, there are three hybrid types to choose from. A mild hybrid uses a small electric motor to smooth out a turbocharged engine's rough edges, but cannot drive the car on electric power alone. A full hybrid goes further, with a larger motor and battery for short bursts of electric-only driving that do not need a plug to operate. A plug-in hybrid goes further again, with a battery large enough to be charged externally and to cover significant distances on electric power alone.
On top of this enhanced efficiency, hybrid cars offer improved performance, power, and acceleration, with plenty of options offering a driving experience suitable for daily driving, as well as one that is brilliant fun. Here are ten such options:
- Lexus LC
- Range Rover Sport
- Mercedes-AMG GT 53 4-Door Coupé
- BMW XM
- BMW M5
- Porsche Panamera
- Ferrari 296 GTB
- Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupé
- Lamborghini Temerario
- Porsche 911
Lexus LC
Full hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 5.0 seconds
The LC 500h opens this list as the only full hybrid among the ten, and the only car here that has never needed a plug. It reached production looking almost identical to the LF-LC concept car that stunned the 2012 Detroit motor show, a rare case of a flagship arriving exactly as the show stand promised.
A 3.5-litre V6 produces 295bhp by itself. An electric motor and the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid transmission add the rest, for a combined 354bhp. The same system can run on electric power alone at speeds of up to 88mph. Acceleration to 62mph takes just 5.0 seconds. The LC 500h proves that a full hybrid can still be immensely fast.
Search Used LexusRange Rover Sport
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 4.9 seconds
The Range Rover Sport has never been the quickest way to cover ground. The P550e is a serious attempt to change that.
A turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine pairs with a 218bhp electric motor. The pair draws on a 38.2kWh battery mounted beneath the boot floor. Combined output reaches 550bhp and 590lb ft of torque, the latter arriving low enough in the rev range to make a two and a half tonne SUV feel seriously rapid on the road, not just on a spec sheet.
Acceleration to 62mph takes 4.9 seconds. The same battery provides around 70 miles of electric-only range, enough for most commutes without troubling the petrol engine at all. Unlike most plug-in hybrids, the Range Rover Sport's battery accepts DC rapid charging, reaching 80 percent in under an hour rather than the several hours a home wallbox would take.
Search New Range Rover Sport Search Used Range Rover SportMercedes-AMG GT 53 4-Door Coupé
Mild hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds
The GT 53 shares its platform, silhouette and interior with the GT 63 S E Performance that appears further down our list. Despite this, the two cars could not be more different underneath.
A turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine produces the bulk of the GT 53's power. An EQ Boost starter-generator, the mild hybrid component, adds a short burst of 21bhp and 184lb ft during hard acceleration, smoothing the wait for turbo boost rather than meaningfully increasing outright power. Combined output is 429bhp and 384lb ft of torque.
Acceleration to 62mph takes 4.5 seconds, a full 1.7 seconds behind its plug-in hybrid sibling. That gap is the difference between mild and plug-in hybrid technology, expressed across two versions of the same car. Top speed is 177mph. The example pictured has now been replaced by a striking, all-electric reimagination, but plenty of brilliant examples are still available used.
Search Used Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door CoupéBMW XM
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 3.8 seconds
The XM holds an unusual position within BMW M: it is the only M model not based on an existing BMW. Everything from its proportions to its enormous kidney grilles was designed for this car alone, which explains why nothing else in the range looks quite like it.
This is the most powerful road-going BMW M model ever produced. A 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 combines with an electric motor for 738bhp and 738lb ft of torque. The Label Red version reaches 62mph in 3.8 seconds, yet is still capable of carrying five adults and a week's worth of luggage.
Top speed is limited to 155mph as standard, rising to 175mph with the optional M Driver's Package. Electric-only range extends to around 30 miles.
Search New BMW XM Search Used BMW XMBMW M5
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 3.5 seconds
Every generation of the M5 has had to answer the same question: how a four-door saloon built for family duty also becomes one of the fastest cars on the road. The current car answers it with electrification. It is the first M5 ever to use a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
A 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 and an electric motor combine for 717bhp and 738lb ft of torque, sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Acceleration to 62mph takes 3.5 seconds. Top speed is capped at 155mph, or 190mph with the M Driver's Package fitted.
A Touring estate version offers near-identical performance with considerably more boot space, the first M5 estate built in fourteen years. Each new M5 generation seems to trigger concerns that the formula has been diluted. Yet the latest car is the most powerful M5 ever built.
Search New BMW M5 Search Used BMW M5Porsche Panamera
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 2.9 seconds
The Panamera occupies an unusual space in Porsche's range: four doors, a boot large enough for a family's holiday luggage, and performance that embarrasses cars half its size.
Porsche's hybrid strategy differs from many rivals. Rather than using electrification primarily to improve fuel economy, Porsche has repeatedly described hybrid technology as a performance enhancer. A 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produces 599bhp on its own. An electric motor adds 188bhp. The battery behind it is good for around 55 miles of electric-only driving. Combined system output reaches 782bhp and 738lb ft of torque, sent through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Acceleration to 62mph takes 2.9 seconds, a figure that puts a two-tonne luxury saloon within half a second of cars costing considerably more and built with far less concern for rear legroom. Top speed is 202mph.
Search New Porsche Panamera Search Used Porsche PanameraFerrari 296 GTB
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 2.9 seconds
The Ferrari 296 GTB shares its 0 to 62mph time with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid above. Little else about the two cars invites comparison.
A 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6, mounted behind the driver rather than in front, produces 654bhp on its own, more power per litre than any road-going Ferrari engine before it. An electric motor adds another 165bhp. Combined output is 819bhp.
The V6 was a contentious choice when Ferrari first announced it, given the brand's long association with V8s and V12s. Not since the Dino left showrooms in the mid-1970s had Ferrari sold a six-cylinder road car.
Driven hard, the smaller engine answers most of that scepticism on its own: 62mph arrives in 2.9 seconds, and the noise it makes on the way there owes more to the company's Formula One programme than to cylinder count.
Discover New Ferrari with Stratstone Search Used Ferrari 296 GTBMercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupé
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 2.8 seconds
This is the plug-in hybrid sibling to the GT 53 earlier in this list, built on the same platform but engineered with an entirely different goal in mind.
A handcrafted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produces 630bhp by itself. An electric motor on the rear axle, powered by a 6.1kWh battery, adds 201bhp. Combined output is 816bhp and 1,047lb ft of torque, distributed through all four wheels via AMG's fully variable all-wheel drive system. The battery's cooling and packaging draws on knowledge developed for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team, shrunk down from a race car's needs to fit beneath a road car's floor.
Acceleration to 62mph takes 2.8 seconds. Top speed is 199mph. Electric-only mileage range is limited to single figures, a deliberate decision by AMG engineers who built the battery to deliver short, violent bursts of power rather than a long commute on electricity alone.
As mentioned above, this generation of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé has now been replaced by an innovative all-electric model, but plenty of examples still remain available used.
Search Used Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door CoupéLamborghini Temerario
Plug-in hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 2.7 seconds
Lamborghini replaced the V10-powered Huracán with something that, on paper, should please nobody: a smaller V8 with three electric motors attached. In practice, the Temerario has done the opposite.
Temerario takes its name from a real fighting bull that competed in Spain in 1875. Lamborghini's chief executive says the word translates roughly as fierce and courageous. Appropriately, the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 revs beyond 10,000rpm, which Lamborghini claims makes it the first and only production super sports car able to reach that figure.
The engine alone produces 789bhp. Three electric motors, two on the front axle and one integrated with the engine, lift the combined output to 907bhp. Acceleration to 62mph takes 2.7 seconds, and top speed extends to 213mph.
Search Used LamborghiniPorsche 911
Mild hybrid, 0 to 62mph in 2.5 seconds
For the first time in the model's history, the Porsche 911 Turbo has gone hybrid. Despite the performance, this is only a mild hybrid: there is no socket, and the car cannot be driven on electric power alone.
Two small electric motors sit inside the turbochargers. Boost arrives almost before the throttle pedal has moved. A third motor, built into the gearbox, adds an 80bhp shove of its own. The 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged flat-six produces around 630bhp unassisted. With the electric motors working, combined output rises to 701bhp and 590lb ft of torque, available from 2,300rpm to 6,000rpm.
Acceleration to 62mph takes 2.5 seconds, top speed is 200mph, making this the fastest-accelerating production 911 Porsche has built to date. The original 1975 911 Turbo earned the nickname 'Widowmaker', its boost arriving so abruptly it could catch drivers out mid-corner. The electric turbochargers on this car exist precisely to tame that, delivering far more power with none of the lag.
Search New Porsche 911 Search Used Porsche 911Frequently asked questions
The difference is how much electric driving each can do. A mild hybrid cannot run on electricity alone; its motor just assists the engine. A full hybrid can, but only in short bursts, and it never needs plugging in. A plug-in has a much bigger battery that you charge from the mains, good for meaningful electric-only distance.
The Porsche 911 Turbo S is certainly right up there with the fastest hybrids on sale, covering 0 to 62mph in 2.5 seconds.
Not necessarily, though plug-in hybrids tend to have an advantage where outright power is concerned, since a larger battery can supply an electric motor with considerably more energy. In practice, though, some mild hybrid sports cars out-accelerate heavier plug-in models, so battery size alone does not determine speed.
It depends on the type of hybrid system. Plug-in hybrids such as the Range Rover Sport P550e and Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid offer more than 50 miles of electric-only range.
The Fast Hybrid Comes In Many Forms
This list runs from 5.0 seconds to 2.5 seconds with two mild hybrids, one full hybrid and seven plug-in hybrids sitting within that range. There is no single right answer to what a hybrid car should be, and this list is evidence that the industry has not settled on one either.
At Stratstone, we offer an extensive selection of impressive hybrid vehicles, both new and used, and our associates are passionate about helping clients find the car that fits their needs precisely. For your next step towards hybrid ownership, please contact your nearest Stratstone retailer, or browse our extensive range of vehicles to find the perfect match.
