Best hybrid cars on sale 2017

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If being green is your top priority when buying a car, choosing one of our best hybrid cars could be your best option

Saving the planet doesn’t have to entail driving around in a hideously boring car, as these days more manufacturers than ever are producing efficient hybrid models to attract buyers. Today there’s a great crop of hybrids, both of the conventional and plug-in varieties, that will appeal to all kinds of car buyers. No longer is hybrid technology restricted to mundane hatchbacks, there’s now a mix of hatchbacks, SUVs and saloons on offer.

To help you navigate this increasingly diverse range of hybrid cars available here in the UK, this guide picks out the best hybrids for a wide range of applications. Whether you need to tow a caravan, haul the family around, or even rack up serious mileage as a company car, the next few pages will point you in the right direction.

• EV and plug-in car tech explained

If your first question is, ‘what is a hybrid?’, in simple terms it is a car which uses two sources of energy for motion, most commonly an electric motor and internal combustion engine.

In its simplest form, as seen in the Toyota Yaris for example, the electric motor simply provides extra assistance to the engine when you put your foot down or have to tackle a hill. More complex systems like that in the Toyota Prius are able to run for limited distances on battery power alone.

You can also get so-called plug-in hybrids like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which have larger batteries you can charge from the mains overnight, and these have a more impressive electric-only range that could be up to 20 or 30 miles. Then finally there are the range extender hybrids. These run on electricity only, but they have a small petrol or diesel engine that kicks in to provide extra charge for the batteries when necessary – just like the BMW i3.

With many different types of hybrid on offer, and so many manufacturers producing them these days, it’s no surprise there’s a wide range of body styles and performance – from small superminis at one end of the spectrum, to a hybrid version of the Porsche Panamera luxury saloon at the other.

• Best electric cars on sale

With regulations on fuel economy and CO2 emissions tightening, motoring is becoming more and more expensive for drivers of conventionally powered petrol and diesel cars. However the debilitating factors of a pure electric car - the limited range and need for a place to charge - mean that they aren't appropriate for some people's lifestyles.

For those without a driveway or garage, or higher-mileage drivers who need more range than an electric car can offer, there is an alternative. Hybrid cars are becoming very po[CENSORED]r in the UK, and manufacturers are investing ever more money into the technology. Nearly every car maker either has a hybrid in their range, or is planning one in the next few years - even luxury or performance orientated brands, like Porsche.

Hybrid cars claim to offer huge benefits, including low road tax, cheap company car costs, smooth and refined running in electric mode, and best of all, barely-believable economy. It's easy to be drawn in by claims of over 100mpg, but hybrids do have downsides - they rarely meet the claimed economy figures, and tend to be compromised in terms of practicality and driving fun. They're also not ideal for long motorway journeys, where a diesel would be the better option. 

With all that in mind, here's our round-up of the best hybrids on sale today...