Ford Kuga Plug-In Hybrid range, MPG, CO2 & charging
The Ford Kuga Plug-In Hybrid has a decent electric range, but there’s no fast charging, so you need to trickle-charge overnight
| Fuel economy | CO2 emissions | Electric range | Wallbox charge time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202mpg | 32g/km | 35 miles | 3hrs 30mins (0-100%, 7.4kW) |
Despite the fact that no Kuga Plug-In Hybrid comes with fast-charging capability, the top-up times aren’t as long as you might imagine. As long as you’ve got off-street parking and the ability to recharge overnight, it should be easy to start each day with a full battery. Do so and you’ll benefit from an official 35 miles (more realistically 28-30 miles) on electric power, before the car toggles into one of its other drive modes.
You can charge the battery using the engine, but this isn’t a particularly efficient way of doing things – expect your average fuel economy to plummet if you use this feature on a regular basis. Unless you’re due to enter a specific low-emissions zone, we’d suggest leaving the car in hybrid mode and letting it figure things out.
Ford Kuga Plug-In Hybrid range, MPG & CO2 emissions
Ford claims the Kuga Plug-In Hybrid can return as much as 202mpg. You’ll need a short commute and the ability to charge regularly to realise this lofty figure, but low CO2 emissions give the car an appealing Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax banding; the diesel model’s percentage rating is almost double, so there are huge savings to be made if you’re a company-car driver. No matter which specification or wheel size you go for, every Kuga Plug-In Hybrid emits 32g/km of CO2.
Charge time
The Kuga's 14.4kWh battery is a good size for a plug-in hybrid like this. But a big battery doesn’t mean it takes an age to charge – Ford says a standard domestic socket will give you a full 35 miles of electric power in around six hours, while a 7.4kW wallbox or public charging point will reduce this to a little over three hours.
To charge at a public point, you’ll need to specify the relevant cable at a cost of £195 – the Kuga Plug-In Hybrid only comes with one lead for home-charging as standard. The charge flap is located on the front wing, but opening it reveals only an AC port – there's no option to top up the Kuga from a DC rapid charger.
