PHEV car lease review: the Range Rover Sport Estate 2.0 P400e HSE Dynamic 5door (PHEV)

The Plug-In Hybrid Range Rover Sport

Like many companies, and company car drivers, changes to vehicles and fuel choices are making the decision process a little more interesting. There is no longer just a petrol or diesel debate; you have hybrid, plug-in hybrid and purely electric vehicle technology.

To assist customers our “Choosing the Right Fuel Guide” should help you understand how driving styles and behaviours might influence your next car choice. It’s not that deciding on your next car is impossible, you just need to take your time to consider all of your needs and requirements. In short, the cheapest monthly rental should not be your main deciding factor.

Thank you to our existing business leasing customer, from Middlesbrough, for sending photos of their brand-new luxury car – the Range Rover Sport PHEV.

Is this an electric Range Rover?

It has been well published that the JLR group have not been without their struggles. Their entire product platform has been pretty much diesel, with the exception of the odd petrol option and the SVR product. Across the UK, customer attitudes to diesel behaviours have changed substantially and it was no surprise this led to the JLR bosses turning to the press to voice their concerns.

Regardless, the public, along with socio-political pressure, has continued to push many drivers out of the diesel vehicles and platforms. Rather than oppose this, JLR have made more investment into their electric platforms in the form of the Jaguar I-Pace and some Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) products. Added to that is the recent news that the UK factory and distributions centres will be making changes to produce the electric product. We therefore expect new and exciting electric product to launch soon!

The car shown here, the Sport PHEV, is not a pure electric vehicle. What we have here is a petrol engine coupled with a lithium-ion battery. The PHEV is a small upgrade on the mild/self-charging hybrid technologies which have been utilised across the UK for a number of years.

The issue with a hybrid vehicle is that the battery is only small and can only operate on a pure electric charge for a short period of time. Therefore, the PHEV is a nice interim solution for customers looking to move into alternative fuels, as you have a bigger lithium battery which is capable of 15-40 miles on a full charge coupled with an engine. You can therefore run the two together or run either one on their own.

The “range anxiety” drivers out there need not worry; if the car has insufficient charge it will still operate on the combustion engine. However, the key point to note is that you MUST plug the vehicle into a charging source for the battery to be charged. This means plugging it into a 3-pin socket or external charger via a Type 2 cable must happen. Some customers will complain that the vehicle does not offer sufficient electric travel or that the MPG is not correct. Much of this is down to an ability to charge the vehicle correctly. We advise customers to consider a home or business charge point to ensure they are carrying out regular charging.

So, why would my next company car be a PHEV Range Rover?

From April 2020, HMRC will be making changes to the UK’s company car tax regime. In an effort to improve air quality and reduce emissions, any pure electric vehicle will attract 0% BiK; in essence, for a company car driver, a pure electric vehicle will be tax-free! For the PHEV driver, the electric range it can carry out will be massively influential. From April 2020, the following BiK rates will apply:

• 130 mile range – 0%
• 70/129 mile range – 3%
• 40-69 mile range -6%
• 30-39 mile range – 10%

If you compare the above example with a diesel option (which emits 195g/km and above) – you would be liable for 37% BiK! For the company car driver, this is a tax exposure of hundreds of pounds per month, and so you can see why so many drivers are no making the change. If you do want any further help or advice, just get in touch with the e-car lease team.

Standard equipment for the RR Sport HSE Dynamic HSE

In terms of the car shown here, the Land Rover RANGE ROVER SPORT ESTATE 2.0 P400e HSE Dynamic 5door Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle – Petrol, this is based on the following configuration:

• Narvik Black Solid Paint
• Ebony seats with ebony interior and cirrus headlining
• Colourway - Ebony/Ebony
• Dark engine turned aluminium trim finisher
• 21" 5 split spoke silver finish alloy wheels - style 5085
• Privacy glass (Tinted glass rear of B pillar)

As standard the car includes power folding and heated door mirrors with memory, matrix LED headlights with signature DRL, 21” alloys, heated front and rear seats, cruise control, front and rear carpet mats, Windsor leather, Meridian 825W audio system, body coloured externals, climate control, fixed panoramic roof, 19-way electric adjustable driver seats with lumbar support and memory, lane departure warning system, ambient interior lighting, rear view camera, heated front and rear windscreen with heated washer jets, DSC, EBD, emergency braking, gradient acceleration control, hill descent control, hill launch assist, air suspension, android auto/apple car play, remote premium (upgraded InControl), powered gesture tailgate, push button start, navigation pro system (10” screen), auto dimming rear view mirror, Bluetooth, DAB radio, adaptive brake lights, follow me home lighting, headlight power wash, LED rear lamps, leather steering wheel, multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry, immobiliser and intrusion sensors. In terms of additional factory options consider – privacy glass, premium carpet mats and adaptive cruise control.

Technical data on the RR PHEV

On the technical side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £76,565.00 and CO2 at 69g/km. The 1997CC 8speed auto petrol engine is coupled with a 13kWh lithium-ion battery and this offers 30 pure electric miles, combined MPG of 75.3 (WLTP), 404ps and 0-62 times of 6.3 seconds. Service intervals are set at every 12 months or 10,000 miles whichever lands sooner.

So would the RR Sport be your select car leasing option? Or would the Mercedes GLE, BMW X5 or Audi Q7 be your preference?  

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