The best new hybrid cars coming this year

These new cars are the best way for Australian drivers to cut their fuel bills without breaking the bank.

Rising petrol prices mean filling up has never hit family budgets so hard. The recent relief from the federal budget has done little to ease the pain on household outgoings.

The situation is likely to make hybrids more relevant than ever.

While the carpark of EVs and plug-in hybrids is building, it’s petrol-only hybrids that are kicking the sales goals. In the first quarter of this year, Australians bought more hybrids than Hyundais.

Led by the Toyota RAV4, hybrids have struck a chord with buyers who want to help the planet but can’t afford a pricey electric vehicle. For as little as a $2000 premium, buyers can slash their fuel bills.

Here are some of the new arrivals due soon.

Toyota’s Corolla Cross will be a sales hit.

Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid

The Japanese brand dominates hybrid sales. Of the 70,466 petrol-only hybrids sold last year, 65,491 – 93 per cent – were Toyotas. While four-wheel drives, utes and sports cars miss out on the hybrid treatment, Toyota spreads the hybrid love liberally across its hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. And late in the year there’s more coming, with a hybrid of the upcoming Corolla Cross crossover joining in.

Honda HR-V e:HEV

Honda’s hybrid is expensive but well equipped.

As the first brand to introduce a hybrid car to Australia way back in 2001, Honda has had a rich history with petrol-electric models. It’ll build on that this year with the imminent arrival of the HR-V e: HEV. At $45,000 it’s $8300 more than the petrol-only model, albeit with more equipment and more pull from its 1.5-litre hybrid system. Average fuel use of 4.3L/100km is 26 per cent less than the regular model. Late in the year Honda is also expected to introduce the Civic e: HEV, which has a 2.0-litre hybrid.

Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

Hyundai has been an early adopter of electric vehicles but has been slow to jump on the hybrid bandwagon. That will be addressed later this year when the Santa Fe Hybrid arrives. Delayed by almost a year, the Santa Fe gets a 1.6-litre turbo engine matched to a 44kW electric motor to deliver V6-like performance.

Kia Niro Hybrid

The updated Kia Niro is due later this year.

Kia this month added to its hybrid offerings with the Sorento Hybrid joining its plug-in hybrid sibling. There are more hybrids coming, including a new version of the Niro, which will also come as an EV and PHEV when it hits dealerships later this year, complete with a much fresher look. Kia Australia also has its eye on the new Sportage hybrid, although nothing is locked in.

Haval H6

Chinese maker Haval is one of the few brands to have a rival to the popular RAV4 Hybrid.

Haval says there’s been a spike in interest for its H6 Hybrid since fuel prices headed north. The H6 Hybrid uses a 1.5-litre turbo engine and 130kW electric motor to make a combined 179kW. Driving the front wheels through an innovative two-speed “direct hybrid transmission” the H6 comes as a fully-loaded Ultra model for $45,990 drive-away. There’s also a chance we’ll see a Jolion hybrid in the coming months.

Nissan Qashqai e-Power

Nissan’s e-power machines have their sights set on Toyota.

Nissan is tackling the hybrid challenge differently with its soon-to-arrive e-Power system. As with Toyota hybrids, e-Power runs only on petrol, but the engine never drives the wheels, instead acting purely as a generator to supply electricity. With only electric motors doing the work it means it provides an EV driving experience with the familiarity of using the existing refuelling network. Expect it on the new Qashqai due late in the year, although e-Power versions will likely stretch into 2023.

Lexus RX

While it was slow to the EV party, Lexus leads the way on luxury hybrids and it’s expected to build on that late in 2022 with a new RX large SUV. As with the mid-sized NX, expect big fuel benefits from a four-cylinder hybrid system.

ON THE WAY

Jeep will have plug-in hybrid version of its Grand Cherokee.

While regular hybrids are dominating sales, more and more brands are launching plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

As the name suggests, a PHEV can be recharged via a power point and driven solely on electricity, usually for about 40 to 60km. The bigger battery pack makes them considerably more expensive, though.

The second generation of Mitsubishi’s popular Outlander PHEV will arrive soon, not long after its closest rival in the form of the Ford Escape PHEV.

They’ll be followed by the Volkswagen Touareg R and Mazda CX-60.

Volkswagen-owned Cupra will also arrive in July with two PHEVs, the Leon hatch and Formentor crossover.

Jeep will import a plug-in version of the Grand Cherokee early next year, while the all-new Range Rover, due mid-year, will also have a PHEV option.

Originally published as The best new hybrid cars coming this year