17 Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars For Sale In 2017 — USA Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars List
Below is a list of the plug-in hybrid electric cars for sale in 2017 in the USA. This article will be updated as new electric cars arrive on the market, such as the coming BMW 530e, Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, Hyundai IONIQ Plug-In Hybrid, Karma Revero, and Cadillac CTS Plug-In.
The first prices listed are base prices before the federal tax credit. In parenthesis are prices after the federal EV tax credit (up to $7,500). Other tax credits and rebates potentially available in your city or state (e.g., the $3,000 California EV rebate or $6,000 Colorado EV tax credit) are not included.
Links on the car names are mostly to our story archives for these cars. Links on the prices are to the car companies’ pages for the cars. Range and MPGe/MPG data come from the EPA.
Check these plug-in hybrid electric cars out and go test drive some this weekend!
Table Key
| Combined Fuel Economy | # of Seats |
| Range on Full Charge | 0–60 MPH (0–100 km/h) Time |
| Price (& Price after max US Tax Credit) | Link to Review Article (When Available) |
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars List
Audi A3 e-Tron
| 83 MPGe / 34 MPG | 5 seats |
| 16 miles (26 km) | 7.5 seconds |
| $37,900 ($33,398) | Our Audi A3 e-Tron Review |
The Audi A3 e-Tron is a plug-in hybrid electric car with a bit of a sporty offering. The electric-only range is not spectacular, but it’s pretty much par for the course. The A3 e-Tron can go from 0 to 60 mph in a respectable 7.5 seconds. It has also landed a difficult 5 stars in Europe’s safety ratings. The A3 e-tron has a tough time competing with the Chevy Volt and Ford Energi models on value for the money, in my humble opinion, but some people clearly prefer the e-Tron’s looks and the Audi brand. Note that the A3 e-Tron is actually the same as the Volkswagen Golf GTE under the hood. The A3 e-Tron isn’t as limited in availability as the Golf GTE (which isn’t in the US), but as expected, the A3 e-tron is not available across the US, so it definitely gets the “compliance car” label. You can read my review of the A3 e-tron here.
BMW 330e
| 71 MPGe / 30 MPG | 5 seats |
| 14 miles (23 km) | 5.9 seconds |
| $44,100 ($40,099) |
The BMW 330e is a plug-in hybrid electric car with some spunk on the “low end” of the premium sedan market. The electric-only range is not spectacular, but should get most people to work and back or out to the shops. I’m disappointed in any PHEV that doesn’t have at least 40 miles of electric range, but this 14 miles of range isn’t even par for the course. But hey, if you want a BMW with a backup gasoline tank and engine, here’s a competitive offering.
BMW 740e
| 64 MPGe / 27 MPG | 5 seats |
| 14 miles (23 km) | 5.1 seconds |
| $89,100 ($84,432) |
Similar to the BMW 330e, the BMW 740e has pitiful electric range — just 14 miles according to the EPA. It’s a plug-in hybrid electric car in the large luxury sedan class, “competing” with the Tesla Model S, but I can’t see why anyone would choose the 740e over the Model S. Well, I’m sure it includes more traditional BMW “luxury” than the Model S, but come one, really.
BMW i8
| 76 MPGe / 28 MPG | 4 (really 2) seats |
| 15 miles (24 km) | 4.4 seconds |
| $140,700 ($136,907) | Review Articles Linked Below |
The BMW i8 is BMW’s second i-series car. It’s one of the most expensive cars on the market — actually, it’s the most expensive on the mass market today. It comes with a ton of style and great acceleration — its 0 to 60 mph time (4.4 seconds) only trails the Tesla Model S (2.5 seconds) and Model X (2.9 seconds) amongst electric cars currently for sale in the US. It’s hard not to covet this beauty. While it has amazing power and is a lot of fun to drive, however, it is hard to justify such a high price with the quicker and much more spacious Model S much cheaper. But if you’re chasing style, this may well be top dog.
You can read my review of the BMW i8 here and my comparison of the BMW i8, BMW i3, Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Tesla Model S 70D, Tesla Model S P85D, and Cadillac ELR here.
BMW X5 xDrive40e
| 56 MPGe / 24 MPG | 5 seats |
| 14 miles (23 km) | 6.1 seconds |
| $62,100 ($57,432) |
The BMW X5 xDrive40e was one of the first plug-in SUVs to hit the US market, arriving in early 2016. For an SUV, its 0–60 time of 6.5 seconds is pretty awesome. Surely, the X5 also offers luxury and high-tech features that help pull in $55,000–75,000 for the vehicle. The X5 iPerformance also learns your driving habits and teaches you how to drive more efficiently. And it can avoid crashes that some drivers would fail to escape from.
However, it’s no Model X … which makes the model a really tough buy for someone looking in the luxury, high-performance, high-priced SUV category. I haven’t gotten into an X5 iPerformance yet, but I can say with confidence I’d choose a Model X over it, especially with the X5 xDrive40e only having 14 miles of electric range — pitiful, as is apparently typical for BMW’s plug-in hybrid offerings.
On the other hand, even after the tax credits, the Model X is nearly $20,000 more, so I guess the better choice depends on one’s price sensitivity to some degree. (Just note that you can save a lot of money on fuel with the Model X that could make up for the extra upfront cost.)
Chevy Volt
| 106 MPGe / 43 MPG | 5 seats |
| 53 miles (85 km) | 8.4 seconds |
| $33,220 ($25,720) | Review Articles Linked Below |
The Chevy Volt is one of the most widely acclaimed electric cars on the market — well, one of the most widely acclaimed cars on the market period. It is the top-selling electric car in the US to date. Volt owners are known as Voltheads and were “the happiest drivers” in the US for two years running … before the Tesla Model S arrived (as per Consumer Reports owner satisfaction surveys).
Check out my comparison review of the Chevy Volt, Nissan LEAF, and BMW i3. Also see this 2016 Chevy Volt review, this 2017 Volt owner review, a 2017 Volt review series from our team (article 1, article 2, article 3), and this 2017 Chevy Volt vs 2015 Nissan LEAF review.
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
| 84 MPGe / 32 MPG | 7 seats |
| 33 miles (53 km) | ~8 seconds |
| $41,995 ($34,495) |
The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is the first plug-in hybrid — and first hybrid — minivan on the market. It is quite attractively priced for the minivan market and could be a huge hit. It’s strange that Fiat-Chrysler Automotive — whose CEO hates EVs — went and produced what could be one of the most competitive EVs on the market. Well, that’s if Chrysler really opens it up beyond a few compliance car regions.
Ford C-Max Energi
| 95 MPGe / 39 MPG | 5 seats |
| 20 miles (32 km) | 8.5 seconds |
| $27,120 ($23,113) |
One of two cars in Ford’s Energi (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) lineup, the Ford C-Max Energi has quite good specs for someone who doesn’t drive very far on most days but wants to take very long trips fairly regularly. It’s also good for larger families, as it seats up to 5 people. Despite seating 5, note that it is cheaper than the Chevy Volt … until you factor in the federal tax credit. Actually, the C-Max Energi is quite similar to the Prius Prime in many respects, and almost exactly the same price. I think choosing one over the other mostly comes down to aesthetic/brand preferences. Though, the Prius Prime is considerably more efficient as well.
Ford Fusion Energi
| 97 MPGe / 42 MPG | 5 seats |
| 22 miles (35 km) | 7.9 seconds |
| $31,120 ($27,113) |
Quite similar to the Ford C-Max Energi but with a few more bells & whistles, the Ford Fusion Energi has done quite well since its introduction in February 2013. The Ford Fusion Energi certainly offers some competition to its sister, the C-Max Energi, as well as the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius PHEV/Prime. Importantly, for some people, the Fusion Energi is larger than all three of these competitors. It has a bit less electric range than the Volt, but it has enough seats for five comfortable passengers. Lastly, I’d say the Fusion Energi it is quite the looker.
Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid
| 99 MPGe | 5 seats |
| 27 miles (43 km) | 9–9.5 seconds |
| $34,600 ($29,681) | Our Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid Review |
The Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid is a fairly large and classy plug-in hybrid with moderate electric range. It’s basically another competitor to the Ford Energi models and the Chevy Volt. You can see our full review of the new-in-2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid here.
Mercedes-Benz C350e
| 5 seats | |
| 11 miles (18 km) | 5.9 seconds |
| $45,490 (~$41,490) |
We don’t have much intel on the C350e yet, but it’s clearly a compliance car (11 miles of electric range?!) whereby an electric motor and battery have been added to a gasmobile. Watch the Fully Charged review of the Mercedes C350e.
Mercedes-Benz GLE550e
| 43 MPGe / 21 MPG | 5 seats |
| 12 miles (19 km) | 5.3 seconds |
| $66,300 ($62,215) |
We don’t have much intel on the GLE550e yet, but it’s clearly a compliance car (12 miles of electric range?!) whereby an electric motor and battery have been added to a gasmobile.
Mercedes-Benz S550e
| 58 MPGe / 26 MPG | 5 seats |
| 14 miles (35 km) | 5.2 seconds |
| $95,650 ($91,607) |
We don’t have much intel on the S550e, but it’s clearly a compliance car whereby an electric motor and battery have been added to a gasmobile.
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid
| 46 MPGe / 22 MPG | 5 seats |
| 14 miles (23 km) | 5.4 seconds |
| $78,700 ($73,364) |
Following the successful Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid (see below), Porsche launched the Cayenne S E-Hybrid at the end of 2014. The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds, and has a top speed of 151 mph. I think “wicked” is the word for that. The plug-in model sells quite well relative to the normal Cayenne, but that doesn’t compare to Model X sales.
Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid
| 51 MPGe / 25 MPG | 4 seats |
| 22 miles (35 km) | 5.2 seconds |
| $93,200 ($88,428) | Review Articles Linked Below |
The Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid is a plug-in hybrid electric sports car that is everything you’d expect — awesome. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in ~5 seconds. The Panamera S E-Hybrid sometimes accounts for nearly 10% of all Panamera sales. It’s a ton of fun to drive, but still a bit hard to justify for the price compared to other high-performance EVs on the market. The place where it has them beat, though, is in luxury (imho).
You can read my review of the Panamera S E-Hybrid here and my comparison of the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, Tesla Model S 70D, Tesla Model S P85D, BMW i8, BMW i3, and Cadillac ELR here.
Toyota Prius Prime
| 133 MPGe / 54 MPG | 4 seats |
| 25 miles (40 km) | 10.6 seconds |
| $27,100 ($22,600) |
The Toyota Prius Prime is a second-gen version of the Toyota Prius Plug-in, which was either the 2nd- or 3rd-best-selling electric car worldwide in 2013. The Prius Prime’s modest 25 miles of all-electric range is a letdown in my book, but the interior space and strong Prius brand sure help to sell this animal. The price is quite attractive, and the fuel economy (MPGe) on electric power is superb. The Prius Prime has about half the range of the Volt, but it does seat 5 people a bit more comfortably … if you need that.
Volvo XC90 Twin Engine
| 54 MPGe / 25 MPG | 5–7 seats |
| 14 miles (23 km) | 5.6 seconds |
| $67,800 ($63,215) |
The Volvo XC90 T8 is yet another plug-in hybrid electric SUV that hit the US market in 2016. With a bit more seating space and a quicker 0–60 time, the XC90 T8 also costs a bit more than the BMW X5 xDrive40e. It looks like a beautiful luxurious SUV on the inside and the outside, but yet again, if the money is available, I can’t see choosing this over a Tesla Model X. However, if Volvo wants to give me one for a week to test out, I can see if my opinion changes. 🙂
List of related links/info:
→ Monthly US, China, & Europe EV Sales Reports
→ 30 Reasons Your Next Car Should Be Electric
→ Comprehensive Commercially Available (USA & Europe) Electric Car List
→ Our Sortable Electric Car Buying Guide
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About the Author
Zach is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy since 2009. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he's the founder and director of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, SCTY, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB. After years of covering solar and EVs, he simply had a lot of faith in these companies and felt like they were good companies to invest in as a portion of his retirement strategy. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.
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