New Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) coming to Australia in 2024 and 2025

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) promise the best of both worlds – with electric, emissions-free propulsion for short trips, but with the long-range flexibility and convenience of petrol or diesel engines.

PHEV sales are enjoying a boom in Australia so far in 2024, along with regular (non-plug-in) combustion-electric vehicles.

Adding the the allure is the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption, meaning buyers could save thousands in tax on a novated lease for a PHEV before 1st April 2025.

Here are the plug-in hybrids locked in – plus other models that have potential – for local showrooms in 2024 and beyond...

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Jump Ahead

• Audi A5/S5 Avant
• BYD Shark
• Citroen C5 X PHEV
• Cupra Formentor VZe
• Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZe
• Cupra Terramar
• Ford Ranger PHEV
• Jeep Compass 4xe
• Kia Sorento PHEV
• Lamborghini Urus SE
• Mazda CX-5 PHEV
• Mazda CX-70 PHEV and Mazda CX-90 PHEV
• Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E Performance
• MG HS PHEV
• Peugeot 408 GT
• Volkswagen Golf GTE
• Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid

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Audi A5/S5 Avant

The Audi A4 will become an EV – so if you’re after a hybrid midsized passenger car, you’ll need the new A5, set for its global unveiling in the second half of 2024.

While Australia’s line-up has not been confirmed – given Audi’s German headquarters has not shown the vehicle yet – we know the new A5 will bring a sedan, five-door ‘Sportback’ hatch and an Avant station wagon.

It will use Audi’s PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) underpinnings and offer mild hybrid, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions including high-performance S5 model as it guns for its arch-rival BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

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BYD Shark

In the wheel tracks of the Sealion 6 SUV, BYD will be first to market with a plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute when it arrives later this year – or early 2025 – well ahead of the PHEV Ford Ranger set for 2025 (see further down this list).

The Shark – revealed in May with “more than 321kW”, making it more powerful than a Ford Ranger Raptor – will attack the lucrative dual-cab ute segment using a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and pair of electric motors.

Shark also has an 835kg payload – 118kg more than a Ranger Raptor’s – and the same 2500kg braked tow rating as the ferocious Ford, but short of the Ranger PHEV’s "up to 3500kg" rating.

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Citroen C5 X PHEV

Part sedan, part wagon, part SUV – the C5 X plug-in hybrid was confirmed for Australia when the petrol version arrived here in late 2022 and will be in local showrooms before the end of 2024.

The ‘avant-garde’ body design sits on a 2785mm wheelbase for a 545L boot area in petrol versions – expandable to 1640L to the roof with the rear seats folded – but based on overseas specs, the hybrid unit reduces that by 60 litres.

It uses the same 133kW/250Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine eight-speed auto but adds an 80kW electric motor and 11.9kWh battery – with a 50km range under electric power.

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Cupra Formentor VZe

Cupra’s best-selling vehicle in Australia will double its electric-only driving range in 2025.

The updated Formentor VZe sees a 19.7kWh battery – in place of the current car’s 10.9kWh pack – that enables range to jump from a claimed 58km to “more than 100km”.

Total power’s up 20kWw to 200kW, too, courtesy of tweaks to the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and electric motor.

The 2025 Formentor VZe also scores a new ‘shark nose’ front-end, revised rear end design while the Spanish car maker says it has improved interior fit and finish, too.

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Cupra Leon Sportstourer VZe

The Leon Sportstourer will make its Australian debut in 2025 with a two-tier range featuring a petrol and a petrol PHEV.

The Sportstourer – Cupra speak for station wagon – will be offered in VZe spec with front-wheel drive and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder and single plug-in electric motor producing 200kW.

Estimated to be priced around $70K, it will arrive with the updated Formentor meaning it is also expected to bring a 19.7kWh battery pack and “more than 100km” range, cabin upgrades and latest exterior styling.

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Cupra Terramar

The Terramar is a 4.5-metre-long five-seat SUV alternative to the Nissan Qashqai and Toyota RAV4 and may come to Australia with a 2.0-litre plug-in powertrain from its Volkswagen Tiguan sibling.

There’s potential for a plug-in Terramar as Volkswagen has confirmed it's considering a PHEV version of the next-generation Tiguan to Australia following the passing of the NVES (New Vehicle Emissions Standards).

The Terramar shares the same underpinnings and would share the same hybrid powertrain – including a 100km electric only range – making it a prime candidate for Cupra to bring in a batch for local consumption from 2025.

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Ford Ranger PHEV

Australia’s best-selling vehicle is going plug-in hybrid in 2025, stealing a march from arch-rival Toyota HiLux.

The Ford Ranger PHEV will be powered by a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine – used in Ranger’s Volkswagen Amarok twin and also the four-pot Mustang since 2015 – with a yet-to-be detailed battery pack an electric motor.

Details are scant so far but Ford has confirmed a battery-only range of 45km for the Ranger PHEV and all-important 3500kg braked tow rating, as well as Ford’s ‘Pro Power Onboard’ system enabling the vehicle to act as a generator.

It has also said Ranger PHEV will come from Ford’s South Africa plant – where the UK gets its right-hand drive Rangers – instead of Australia’s usual Thai-made models, meaning a higher import tariff may push the showroom price beyond the $90k ask for a Ranger Raptor.

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Jeep Compass 4xe PHEV

Landing from June, the Compass 4xe brings a plug-in hybrid to rival the Toyota Corolla Cross as petrol and diesel versions of the Compass are axed.

It brings a 132kW/270Nm 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine teamed with a 44kW rear-axle mounted electric motor and a 47km electric only range.

Compass 4xe pricing starts from $61,990 before on-road costs.

There’s also a 48V mild-hybrid Compass joining the PHEV in showrooms sometime in 2024.

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Kia Sorento GT-Line PHEV

The Sorento Hybrid already in Australian showrooms will be joined by a plug-in hybrid version in the third quarter, with September tipped to be the most likely month for the facelifted PHEV’s arrival.

It will use the prolific Hyundai-Kia 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and electric motor combo, but overseas the PHEV makes marginally more power than the non-plug-in HEV Sorento.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed for the PHEV, which will be offered only in top-spec GT-Line trim to be the most expensive variant – sitting above the $70,330 (FWD) and $73,330 (AWD) non-plug-in hybrids currently in showrooms.

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Lamborghini Urus SE

Practicality. Environmental consciousness. Lamborghini?

The seemingly contradictory idea of Lamborghini hybrid SUV is no longer - it'll be here in 2025 with the $457,834 (plus on-roads) Urus SE.

Yet that flamboyant exterior promises firepower – whatever's powering it – meaning the PHEV Urus SE packs 588kW/800Nm with claims of 0-100kn/h in 3.4 seconds and a 312km/h top speed.

That comes from an electric motor sandwiched between the 4.0-litre V8 and 8-speed transmission, with all-wheel drive powering the 2550kg SUV a distance of 60km under electric power alone.

The entire Lamborghini line-up will be plug-in hybrid by the end of 2024, including the Huracan successor and replacement for the Aventador, the Revuelto.

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Mazda CX-5 PHEV

The next CX-5 is a landmark vehicle for Mazda Australia as the next generation of its best seller will include a plug-in hybrid EV for the first time.

In a bold move, it won’t be Toyota-powered despite a tie-up between the companies, with Toyota owning a five percent stake in Mazda.

The CX-50 SUV, sold in China and the US, uses the Toyota RAV4’s hybrid powertrain, but the next CX-5 will instead use the first in-house Mazda-developed plug-in set-up.

That’s all Mazda has confirmed for now, with scant information on the hybrid set-up, so watch this space as the CX-5 hybrid inches closer to Australian showrooms – and driveways.

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Mazda CX-70 PHEV and Mazda CX-90 PHEV

Mazda’s flagship CX-90 SUV is already here in petrol and diesel form – but the plug-in is on the wish list and could be here sometime in 2025.

The seven-seat CX-90 PHEV is on sale in left-hand-drive markets including North America where it scores all the bells and whistles with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, electric motor and eight-speed auto combo powering all four wheels.

Right-hook markets including the UK and Japan don‘t offer the CX-90 at all – even in petrol or diesel guises – making its business case for Australia all the more difficult, yet one Mazda seems determined to make stick.

Same goes for the five-seat CX-70, with its local arrival not likely before the end of 2024.

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Mercedes-AMG GLC63 S E

Ditching V8 power after decades of guttural, grunty engines continues at AMG, with the flagship performance GLC S E Performance SUV now a hi-po hybrid.

Running a 350kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a battery pack and pair of 75kW electric motors delivers a healthy 500kW total, and while there’s 2.3 tonnes to move, our first drive overseas found it was more agile and talented than the stats suggest.

Mercedes-AMG quotes just 3.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.

Somewhat a technological wonder, it’s pricey, though – available to order now priced at $193K for the wagon or from $199,500 for the Coupe (both figures before on-road costs).

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2025 MG ZS rendered accurately for Wheels Media by Theottle | © Wheels Media

MG HS PHEV

The second-generation MG HS is set to arrive in Australia by the end of 2024 with both petrol and plug-in hybrid petrol-electric powertrains.

A rebadged version of the Roewe RX5 – with both MG and Roewe part of SAIC – the new HS comes with much sharper styling and slightly larger measurements than the best-selling Toyota RAV4.

Details of the Australian-spec HS haven’t been confirmed, but the eRX5 plug-in hybrid sold in China uses a 138kW/300Nm 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, 10-speed auto and 180kW/270Nm electric motor fed by a 12.3kWh battery.

That compares to the outgoing model’s 189kW/370Nm powertrain, with range falling from 63km to 50km.

A non-plug hybrid – sold as the Roewe D5X overseas – may join the Australian line-up in 2025, with prices expected to increase from the current HS PHEV’s $44k driveway starting point.

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Peugeot 408 GT

The French car maker says the 408 is a new breed of Peugeot – and perhaps it is.

Somewhat a successor to the large 407 Coupe but jacked up – and with five doors including a liftback tailgate – the 408 crossover has recently arrived in Oz.

Bigger than Peugeot’s 308 which uses the same EMP2 platform – yet shorter than the 508 PHEV – local Peugeot distributors have confirmed the 408 will be offered in a single GT spec, priced at $67,990 before on-roads.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain – lifted from the 308 and 508 PHEVs – uses a 131kW 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder and an 81kW electric motor for a total 165kW/360Nm with claimed combined fuel economy of 1.3L/100km and electric-only range of 60km.

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Volkswagen Golf GTE

The Golf GTE could join the renowned small car's line-up locally after Volkswagen Australia said the introduction of NVES (New Vehicle Emissions Standards) as increased the number of electrified vehicles it can bring here.

The second-generation Golf GTE plug-in hybrid has been on sale in Europe since 2020 and may finally arrive in 2025 along with the facelifted Mark 8.5 Golf.

The updated GTE will use a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with six-speed automatic and electric motor for a combined 200kW.
Its 19.7kWh battery provides a claimed 131km electric-only range and 50kW DC fast charging too.

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Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid

The third-generation Tiguan is due to arrive in Australia in 2025 and is likely to see a plug-in hybrid model as part of the local line-up.

Australia missed out on the PHEV with the previous Tiguan, but the local arm has expressed a keen interest in the 2025 Tiguan eHybrid in place of diesel powertrains.

Sharing the Golf's MQB Evo platform, the pluggy Tiggy also uses the same 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor – sold overseas in 150kW and 200kW outputs – and 19.7kWh battery, with a claimed electric only range of up to 120km.

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