These 7-seat PHEVs give you the space of a land yacht with the running costs of a supermini.
If you typically do a lot of short-distance driving, a plug-in hybrid can run on electric power for these journeys. Around town, that means you’re not polluting the local environment – but the availability of a petrol engine gives you the flexibility for longer journeys as well.
You’ll get the most out of a PHEV if you can charge at home or at work, because the powertrains become less efficient and less powerful with an empty battery.
Seven-seat PHEVs are becoming a lot more common, and they’re well worth a look if you’re not taken by any fully electric seven-seaters. If you’d rather not plug in, check out our guide to the best hybrid seven-seaters.
Chery Tiggo 8
- Maximum electric range: 56 miles
- Comfortable ride
- Reclining and massaging front seat
The first of several Chinese entries on this list is the Chery Tiggo 8. Chery, a family-focused brand, sells not one but two seven-seat PHEVs, because now the bigger and costlier Tiggo 9 has joined the lineup too. The Tiggo 8’s ‘Super Hybrid System’ prioritises electric power and never lets the battery get fully empty, so you should always feel the benefit of the electrical system. Chery gives you a seven-year warranty and lots of kit for the price – including a business-class front passenger seat on top-spec Summit models.
Shop used Chery Tiggo 8 cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Chery Tiggo 8 review
Ford Grand Tourneo Connect
- Maximum electric range: 70 miles
- Van-based MPV gives you maximum space
- Removable rear seats
In terms of sheer usability and practicality, not much on this list gets close to the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect with a plug-in-hybrid engine. It’s quite clearly a van with windows, which gives you a big old box to chuck in seven fully grown adults and a whole lot of stuff too. Once some of those people have got out, the second and third row seats can be folded or removed to free up a colossal amount of space.
Shop used Ford plug-in-hybrid cars for sale
Hyundai Santa Fe
- Maximum electric range: 33 miles
- Four-wheel drive and strong performance
- Crisp styling
We’re very much here for the Hyundai Santa Fe’s bold, boxy body and its numerous H motifs. Underneath the pin-sharp styling is a high-end and vast cabin, featuring space for seven adults and no fewer than 16 cupholders. Even though the Santa Fe’s electric range isn’t the best on this list, and only a select few rivals are more expensive as a new car, the big Hyundai generally feels like decent value – such is the quality of the overall package.
Shop used Hyundai Santa Fe cars for sale or read our Hyundai Santa Fe review
Kia Sorento
- Maximum electric range: 34 miles
- Related to the Santa Fe
- High-quality interior
If you like the sound of the Santa Fe but want to keep your car for a long time, it’s worth checking out the Kia Sorento PHEV. Under the bodywork, the two cars share the majority of parts, but Kia’s warranty covers you for seven years compared to Hyundai’s five-year warranty. The Sorento and Santa Fe plug-in hybrids can even pull a braked trailer weighing up to 1,700kg, so they’re useful as hybrid towcars as well.
Shop used Kia Sorento cars for sale or read our Kia Sorento review
Peugeot 5008
- Maximum electric range: 48 miles
- Futuristic interior
- Stylish and practical
Family buses used to be, at best, plain to look at – and some were downright ugly. Showing you can have style and substance is the Peugeot 5008, which wraps its seven seats and plug-in-hybrid engine with some intricate detailing and confident surfacing. The interior is similarly showstopping, but the numerous storage spaces and a big boot shows the 5008 has the sensible stuff nailed as well.
Shop used Peugeot 5008 cars for sale or read our Peugeot 5008 review
Volvo XC90
- Maximum electric range: 42 miles
- Sports car acceleration
- Sophisticated interior
Many big, luxury SUVs lose the third row of seats if you spec a plug-in hybrid. The BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Audi Q7 plug-in models are all five-seat only, but the Volvo XC90 retains its extra pews. With 406hp and four-wheel drive, the XC90 scorches from 0-62mph in just 5.4 seconds – which roughly matches the time it’ll take for your kids to feel sick if you deploy full performance.
Shop used Volvo XC90 cars for sale
MG S9
- Maximum electric range: 62 miles
- Exceptionally cheap for its size
- Hatchback-sized boot even with all seats up
The nearly five-metre-long MG S9 is the largest MG sold here to date, and it looks like it’ll carry on the success of the HS. Speaking of the MG HS, the S9 uses the same powertrain as the HS PHEV – that’s a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a large 24.7kWh battery, for a really useful electric range of over 60 miles. Thanks to the plus-size proportions, the S9 has space for seven adults and a 334-litre boot with all seats filled, which isn’t far off what you get in the MG4.
Read more about the MG S9 here
Volkswagen Multivan
- Maximum electric range: 56 miles
- Unbeatable space and versatility
- Refined and comfortable
The Volkswagen Multivan combines the platform from the Golf with the space of a van, giving you something that drives better than most vans and something with more space than any car. While expensive, the Multivan promises to be the ultimate tonic to stressful family life. Everyone gets acres of legroom, there are lots of clever storage zones and you can move the seats around to your heart’s content – or remove them completely and you’ll have your own removal van.
Mazda CX-80
- Maximum electric range: 38 miles
- Most versions get premium Nappa leather seats
- Great build quality
Mazda is known for its sporty cars, so you might not have realised that it also sells a three-row SUV with either a plug-in-hybrid engine or a burly diesel motor. The CX-80 is efficient and decently good to drive for a big hauler, and it ticks the left-brain boxes as well. Space in the second and third rows is good and, like the Santa Fe, you can choose a six-seat layout with captain’s chairs in the middle if you’re so inclined. From behind the wheel, the CX-80 feels like a premium product with its excellent interior and spec list.
Shop used Mazda SUVs for sale
Jaecoo 8
- Maximum electric range: 83 miles
- Fast-charging and Vehicle-to-Load capability
- Off-road driving modes
Having pretty much conquered the UK market with the Nissan Qashqai-rivalling Jaecoo 7, this Chery sub-brand is now aiming at buyers with deeper pockets. With an 83-mile electric range and a sub-six-second 0-62mph sprint, the Jaecoo 8 has specs that are closer to a fully electric seven-seater than the rest of the cars on this list. You even get 40kW fast (ish) charging and the ability to power things like a coffee machine or a laptop charger from the car’s battery.
