Range Rover Sport PHEV in Review

Thank you to our existing business leasing customer, from Wigan (Greater Manchester), for collecting their new car from the e-car lease team: the Range Rover Sport PHEV.

Replacing a diesel RR Velar, the customer wanted to stick within the Land Rover brand but also wanted to explore an alternative fuel vehicle (like many business customers).

To help simplify the fuel types, our customer used the e-car lease guide to a PHEV to ensure this was right for their needs and requirements.

The move to electrification is well underway in the UK and there doesn’t seem to be a day where electric vehicles/ban on petrol and diesel/charging infrastructure isn’t discussed. Just take a look at the small selection of article from the BBC:

Ford boss urges rethink on electric hybrid car ban

Petrol and diesel car sales ban could start in 12 years

Petrol and diesel car sales ban brought forward to 2035

So why do businesses need to consider changing their fuel types?

One of the current hot topics is something called a “Clean Air Zone” (CAZ). A CAZ is essentially an area where action is being taken to discourage polluting vehicles from entering. Fumes, particulate matter and pollution are high on the health agenda and local authorities are now being instructed by the Government to make specific changes.

To help businesses understand  whether or not their vehicles are compliant the Government has recently introduced a vehicle checker for a CAZ on their website.

In the short-term, the idea is to improve air quality, and in the long-term this is a move to remove polluting vehicles from the UK roads. Bear in mind that 2035 is the targeted date for the removal of all new petrol and diesel engine regardless.

Where is the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in place in the UK?

A CAZ will be set up by each and every council across the UK. They all have a responsibility to put together an Air Quality Improvement Plan and submit this to the Government. In essence, each area will have to decide on what category they are putting in place:

1. The restrictions will apply to buses, coaches, taxis and private hire only;
2. The restrictions will include HGVs;
3. The restrictions will include LCVs; or
4. The restrictions will include all vehicles, i.e. cars.

The CAZ zone will place financial responsibilities on operators of the above vehicles so that fines will be enforced if you drive an ineligible vehicle in that area. The cost of these fines will often outweigh the cost of upgrading your vehicle to a CAZ-compliant option – daily charges of between £8 and £50 has have already been discussed. For many fleets, this is going to result in some substantial changes.

For central London businesses, the shift to emissions based charging will be no shock. With congestion charges, low emission zones and ultra-low emission zones already in place, this is not a new facet.

For example, the ULEZ approach came into force in April of 2019  and is a 24 hours a day/7 days a week zone which places stricter standards on the transport which enters specific zones. Failure to meet these guidelines will result in £12.50 charges for cars and vans or £100 for a HGV. If you incur a penalty, a charge of £160 for a car/van will be levied and a whopping £1000 for LCVs!

Are PHEVs the future then?

This is unfortunately another subject of contention. As per the BBC report on Stuart Rowley (Head of Ford Europe) recently, there is some upset that hybrid options will be included within the 2035 ban, i.e. any form of combustion engine.

PHEV technology is seen as a stepping stone towards complete electrification and provides a safe/comfortable format for individual and business drivers to make transitions.

For some drivers, the pure electric vehicle may not work for them – range, charging infrastructure and cost is still seen as an obstacle. A 15-year countdown may be too soon for pure EVs?

However, over the next 5 years, the PHEV will almost certainly become the backbone of the UK’s roadmap.

Standard equipment for the Range Rover Sport PHEV

In terms of the car shown, the LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT ESTATE 2.0 P400e HSE Dynamic 5dr Auto (Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle – Petrol), this is based on the following configuration:

• Custom Grey
• Perforated windsor leather - Ebony
• Dark engine turned aluminium trim finisher
• Morzine Cirrus Headlining
• 21" 5 split spoke gloss black diamond turned finish alloy wheels - style 5007

As standard the Range Rover Sport PHEV includes heated front/rear seats, rear view camera, front/rear carpet mats, lane departure warning, fixed panoramic sunroof, Windsor leather, climate control, power folding/heated/memory door mirrors with puddle lights.

Meridian 825W sound system, 60/40 split folding seats, ambient interior lighting pack, front/rear parking aid, cruise control, 16-way electrically adjustable driver and passenger seats with 4-way lumbar support, acoustic and toughened glass, heated windscreen with washer jets.

CBC, DSC, emergency braking, hill descent control, hill launch assist, roll stability control, air suspension, android auto/apple car play.

Bluetooth, remote premium, power gesture tailgate, push button start, navigation pro system, InControl protect, adaptive brake lights, follow me home lighting, LED rear lamps, headlight power wash, extended leather upgrade, multifunction steering wheel, keyless entry.

Immobiliser and intrusion sensor. In terms of additional factory options consider adding – privacy glass, adaptive cruise control and the secure tracker pro.

On the technical side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £76,565.00 and CO2 at 69g/km for a standard vehicle. The 1997CC 8 speed auto petrol engine/13kWH lithium-ion battery delivers 25 miles of pure electric driving, 94.2 combined MPG, 404ps and 0-62 times of 6.7 seconds.

The service intervals are set at every 24 months or 21,000 miles (whichever lands sooner).