Which petrol hybrid for £25k-ish

[JulietRomeo]

Hi, been looking for a petrol hybrid suv; requirements are:
1. SUV due to child seats and having to do up belts so higher height reqd
2. Half a chance for an adult to sit between 2 rear car seats for a short journey
3. Full leather seats ; not leather bolsters with suede inserts etc. the kids will ruin the suede and it’s not unknown for grapes to end up festering under car seats
4. A modern dash; see RAV4 entry below
5. Budget 25k-27k tops for a 2020 or newer model with <30k miles
6. Powered/electric boot
7. Auto


Cars shortlist so far:
Kia Sportage hybrid - Been tootling in my dads ‘23 Sportage hybrid; it’s great aside no full leather option anywhere in the range. Rear seat depth also seems to be quite significant which means childrens
legs don’t bend down so much as lay horizontal pushing into the rear of the front seats
Rav 4 hybrid Excel - Has leather but the dash looks clunky compared to the Sportage
MG - yeah no thanks for now
Nissan - very disappointed in the jerkiness of at least. Nissans juke auto at 0-5mph when trying to negotiate a tricky driveway. It’s worryingly “all or nothing” to the point I’m persuading my mum to sell it before she hits it negotiating tight driveway which is on an incline and bend.

Yet to research the full specs but remaining:

Ford Kuga - Vignale has full leather , may pop in to have a look at them
Honda - hard veto as annoying acquaintance has one.
Renault Arkana - don’t know much about them but Renault tank in value is my perception from the outset

IS there anything else I’m missing ? Reminder on size it needs to be Sportage sized so mid- large suv , not eg a Kia Niro
Or should I just up the budget and go grab a Model Y?
Thanks for reading.

[Pica-Pica]

Despite your hard veto, try the very latest Honda Jazz, perhaps in Crosstar format if you need the extra elevation. Impressive around town.

[quinny100]

Lexus NX?

[edc]

You'd be lucky to get 3 across the rear seat in most of those but try a Citroen C5 Aircross for size.

[rosejem]

Toyota RAV4 . Toyota are the champions for hybrid.

[Summit_Detailing]

Rav4 or NX300h would be at the top of my list given the criteria.

Others worth a look -

XC60, 3008 and Disco Sport.

Cheers,

Chris

[JulietRomeo]

Thanks all - RAV4 was already the leading contender so cements its position and hadn’t realised a NX was in range so will compare both.

Disco Sport be lovely but hybrids too expensive
Volvo also lovely dash will take a look.

Thankyou all.

[ZX10R NIN]

DS7 E Tense hits your brief & they're a good car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310102...

NX300h F Sport Premium:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202312024...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311103...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202312114...

[J1990]

We can’t fault our Tucson hybrid, in the 230PS guise with Ultimate spec you get every toy you could want and a really nice drive for the class of vehicle.
They’re just about dropping in to budget and we’re tempted to buy another outright to replace the leased one we’re returning shortly.

[Snow and Rocks]

Rav4 prime if the budget stretches - our neighbour has one and it seems genuinely impressive. Fast (60 in 5.7s), decent battery range, proper build quality, seemless hybrid integration, properly economical with a long range on petrol, Toyota build quality and 10 year warranty.

There's also the fact that the Toyota hybrid system is actually less complex than a typical standard ICE car with quite a few common failure points removed - no starter motor, no alternator, no clutch DSG or auto box, no timing belt, no accessory belt. Should be painless to own in the long term unlike quite a few alternatives.

We have a model Y btw. This (American) comparison is worth a watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8kDQvycMpmg&pp=y...

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 22 December 21:22

[macron]

XC60 sneaks in

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023110536...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023120646...

[volvos60s60]

Toyota CHR hybrid with 2.0 engine

[edc]

edc said:

You'd be lucky to get 3 across the rear seat in most of those but try a Citroen C5 Aircross for size.

The 7th pic of this XC60 shows why 2 child seats plus adult or 3 child seats is an impossibility or at best a lottery in most cars.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023120646...

The 2 outer seats are set in board and take up a lot more space then the middle seat. This is the same for most cars and means you can't fit 2 child seats side by side or an adult in the middle. The solution is to go big but that means something the size of the newer Audi A7 and Volvo XC90. The other way is a car with 3 individual seats or a bench which has equal spacing. I have heard of it being done in the latest Honda CRVs but most of the other cars already mentioned especially the smaller ones won't have a chance. If seating at least 2 in car seats plus one other is a real need then your pool of cars is much reduced.

[SFTWend]

For proven hybrid reliability you want the Rav4 or its luxury Lexus NX version. Be aware they are not very economical out of town and not everyone gets on with the cvt gears.

Main downside is risk of being stolen due to easy access to canbus behind front bumper.

[RayDonovan]

RAV4. 10y warranty, great MPG round town (we have the 2.0 Corolla and you can easily get 45mpg on short journeys)

Dealers have been good for servicing.