Used Car Hunter: fancy electrified SUVs for £40,000
Our Car Hunter has a budget of £40,000 for a fancy electrified SUV, but which model is the best buy?
“Dear Auto Express, I have £40,000 to spend on a premium SUV with an electric or hybrid powertrain. What do you recommend?” - Lewis Jacobs, E-mail
Not only are there more used premium SUVs on sale than ever before, but an increasing proportion come with some form of electrical assistance, whether we’re talking hybrid, plug-in or full EV. So even if you want to write-off purely petrol or diesel-engined models, you’ll still get a very wide choice when you shop across what remains.
The Jaguar I-Pace was the British firm’s first, and still its only, electric car. The sleek, coupé-like SUV made waves for all the right reasons when it launched, and it remains a solid choice.
However, is it better than the Lexus RX – a hybrid SUV that owners love, thanks to its smoothness and build quality? Or should you opt for the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid? It’s sporty and luxurious, so what’s not to like?
Here are three of the best used premium hybrid and electric SUVs available for £40,000.
Jaguar I-Pace - the dynamic choice
- For: Excellent electric powertrain, fast and comfortable
- Against: Poor infotainment, space could be better
While the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace offers a lot of straight-line speed, it also gives an impressive sense of composure and accuracy. There’s enough weight in the steering to inspire confidence through corners, plus the car’s centre of gravity is low. The ride is a little firm at lower speeds, but once you’re travelling faster things soften up, particularly in models fitted with air suspension.
We found a Jaguar-approved 10,000-mile, 24-plate I-Pace in R-Dynamic HSE Black trim for £40,000.
The I-Pace has an excellent driving position, despite the bulky batteries sitting underneath the floor. The dashboard looks smart and the quality of the materials used throughout the cabin is good. The older Touch Pro infotainment system found on cars in your price range works reasonably well, but it can be overcomplicated and laggy at times, so it’s not the best system around.
Despite being quite small for an SUV, the Jag offers a decent amount of space in its back seats – especially when it comes to headroom. There’s a 557-litre boot with the back seats in place, and 1,453 litres with them folded.
Lexus RX - the smooth choice
- For: Comfortable ride, seven seat option, well built
- Against: CVT gearbox isn’t slick, slower than rivals
Of the three used cars in this test, the hybrid Lexus RX offers the least exciting drive, although it is stiffer and better at cornering than its predecessors. Its key skill is smoothness, however – the RX has soft, adjustable suspension and feels very relaxed on the road.
Only the soaring revs that result from the car’s CVT automatic gearbox feel at odds with the car’s otherwise gentle nature. You can buy a Lexus-approved 22-plate RX 450h in F-Sport trim with 22,500 miles for under £39,000.
One of Lexus’s strongest areas is build quality, and the RX is no exception, with the cabin feeling incredibly well put together. The 12.3-inch infotainment screen looks good, and the overall system benefits from the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Lexus’s switch from its fiddly pad controller to a touchscreen is very welcome. While the larger RX-L boasts seven seats, the RX has five.
There’s plenty of room in the back for adults, although with a 539-litre boot, it’s the smallest here with the seats up. However, its 1,579-litre capacity with them folded splits the Jaguar and Porsche.
Porsche Cayenne Hybrid - the sporty choice
- For: High performance, economical, very refined
- Against: Expensive, spec dependant on options
The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid is hugely powerful and this is reflected in its blistering performance. But that’s only half the story, with the plug-in hybrid powertrain providing impressive refinement at more modest speeds.
As you’d expect from a Porsche, the Cayenne’s handling is excellent, too – this is partly due to the 4D chassis control system, which analyses the road and adjusts the air suspension accordingly as you drive. For £40,000, you’ll get a 44,000-mile, 18-plate Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
The Cayenne’s interior offers a pleasing mix of analogue dials and hi-tech digital displays, plus a 12.3-infotainment screen that’s slick and fairly easy to use. As one would expect from a Porsche, build quality is top notch.
The Cayenne is offered new with a very lengthy options list, so check the used model you’re buying is fitted with everything you want – desirable kit includes adaptive air suspension, dynamic chassis control and a panoramic sunroof. There’s enough space in the back seats for two adults to sit comfortably, but three is a push due to the relatively cramped middle seat. Boot space is very impressive at 645 litres, though, expanding to 1,610 litres when the back seats are folded down.
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