Say hello to…
…the Ford Kuga in plug-in hybrid form. Ford’s mid-size SUV sits in one of the most populous sectors of the market with rivals including the Nissan Qashqai, VW Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.
Ford has engineered the Kuga PHEV to have an official range of 40 electric miles, which means it qualifies for the 8% benefit-in-kind tax band.
Ford offers the Kuga PHEV in three trim levels:
- ST Line Edition
- ST Line X Edition
- Vignale
Standard equipment on the ST Line Edition includes auto lights, heated door mirrors, keyless start, LED headlights, 8-inch infotainment screen, cruise control with speed limiter, front and rear parking sensors, lane keeping, drive modes, 18-inch alloys, hands-free powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control, auto wipers, 12.3-inch driver’s digital display, rear view camera, auto dimming rear view mirror, sports seats and powered driver’s seat.
ST Line X Edition adds 19-inch alloys, panoramic sunroof, heated front and rear seats and heated steering wheel.
Vignale trim adds metallic paint, memory function for driver’s seat and leather trim.
Is The Ford Kuga PHEV Suitable For My Fleet
Like many family SUVs, the Kuga is a practical mode of transport and the addition of a plug-in hybrid system has made it even more suitable for a company car audience with low tax in mind.
The hybrid system, however, does impact on boot space, but there’s still a very healthy 412 litres available. And the boot floor is flat, making loading easy.
And being a plug-in hybrid means there’s no fears about range anxiety (or charging anxiety).
Equipment levels, even from the entry model, are also superb which adds to the appeal for fleet drivers and should help with residual values.
Leasing A Ford Kuga PHEV
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the ST Line Edition on a 3+36 contract with 20,000 miles a year for £540 a month. Maintenance costs are likely to be £57 a month, according to Gensen Reports while the Class 1A NIC cost per month will be £29 thanks to a 23g/km CO2 figure and a 40 mile full electric range putting the Kuga PHEV in the 8% BIK bracket.
Driving A Ford Kuga PHEV
While there are a multitude of rivals to the Kuga, one of the areas that sets the Ford ahead of the competition is the way the car drives.
Ford has judged the balance between sportiness or fun and comfort perfectly. SUV buyers don’t necessarily want sportscar-like handling, but that also doesn’t mean they’ve given up on having any enjoyment from the driving experience. The Kuga has good precise steering, body control in the corner is very well managed and yet ride comfort is still good over UK roads. The car doesn’t crash over potholes and overall the car is very well mannered.
Ford’s Sync infotainment system is also wonderfully simple and quick to navigate – as is the general driver’s display control system – and includes Apple CarPlay if you prefer. Ford also gain extra points for having a simple one-press button to remove the lane-keeping.
The hybrid system is also impressively efficient in the real-world. Plug-in hybrid efficiency depends hugely on how often the cars are plugged in and the type of use they experience.
However, over a mix of longer journeys and shorter town trips (always starting out fully charged), we saw more than 100mpg. Even when the battery was fully depleted on the motorway we still saw figures in the high 40mpg area.
The only negative is that the charge port is on the front wing of the car necessitating parking forwards into a space.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Ford Kuga PHEV
A strong fleet choice in the crowded SUV market.
Ford Kuga PHEV
- Model: Kuga ST Line Edition 2.5 PHEV
- Power: 225hp
- Torque: 200Nm
- Max speed: 125mph
- 0-62mph: 9.4s
- Official economy: 282.5mpg
- Test economy: 103.5mpg
- CO2 emissions: 23g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 8%
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