While the plug-in’s pure-electric range of 37 miles lags behind that of some rivals, the system works well overall and is very efficient, with claimed combined economy of up to 176.5mpg.
Inside, the slickly designed cabin feels great and is very spacious, with seven seats as standard, or the option of six with a pair of captain’s chairs in the middle row. Crucially, even those in the rearmost row have plenty of space.
9. Lexus LM
Prices from £90,000
Those familiar with car culture in Japan and other south-east asian countries will be familiar with cars such as the Lexus LM, but this luxurious cab-forward minivan is among the first of its kind to be officially imported to these shores. Based on the same architecture as the Toyota Alphard, the LM is a more luxurious proposition than its Japanese domestic market counterpart.
In its base spec the LM comes with seven seats, while an optional four-seater makes the most of that van-like shape to offer near private-jet levels of luxury – in fact, the car is already outselling the long-standing LS saloon, presumably for this reason. And despite appearances, it drives like a Lexus, too: smooth, effortless and quiet, with a great powertrain thanks to parent firm Toyota’s expertise in self-charging hybrid technology.
Best 7-seater hybrid cars: prices and ratings table
Our road testing team compares every new car to a number of similar rivals. Below you can see our top 7-seat hybrid cars next to their prices and overall star ratings.
| Best 7-seat hybrid cars ranking | Name | Prices from | Practicality, comfort and boot space rating (out of 5) | Overall Auto Express star rating (out of 5) |
| 1 | Dacia Jogger | £22,995 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Hyundai Santa Fe | £46,800 | 4.7 | 4 |
| 3 | Kia Sorento | £43,000 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Volvo XC90 | £64,000 | 4.7 | 4 |
| 5 | Peugeot 5008 | £37,800 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 6 | Ford Tourneo Connect | £34,000 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 7 | Ford Tourneo Custom | £57,300 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| 8 | Mazda CX-80 | £50,000 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 9 | Lexus LM | £90,000 | 4 | 4 |
How to choose the best seven-seat hybrid car
It probably goes without saying that picking the right seven-seater should involve in-person visits to a dealership to try out cabin size, boot space and other essentials. If you plan to carry plenty of passengers regularly, it might even be a good idea to bring a gang of seat-testers with you to see how the car handles it.
Beyond practical considerations, it’s worth comparing self-charging and plug-in hybrids to see which best suits your budget or circumstances. The former offers fuss-free improvements in efficiency in running costs, but you won’t be able to use electric power alone for very long. Also, pure-hybrid power doesn’t drastically affect road tax and doesn’t bring the same savings to company car users as plug-in variants.
PHEVs make a lot of sense as company cars, but also can slot perfectly into many average-use cases. If you do most of your driving over short distances, but supplement this with a long motorway trip every so often, it should be possible to reduce your fuel bill by sticking to electric power only most of the time. You’ll have to factor in charging, of course, but this takes less time than for a pure-electric car in most cases.
Don’t need this many seats? These are the best hybrid cars on sale…
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