Nat Barnes heads behind the wheel of the Ford Kuga PHEV for three months to assess its family- and fleet-friendly credentials.

The Kuga was the fourth best-selling PHEV in the UK in 2021

Ford Kuga PHEV ST Line X Edition

List price (BiK): £38,855 (12%) CO2: 26g/km MPG/ EV range: 256.8mpg (35mls) Test efficiency: tba

For all the talk around both crossovers and electrified models in all their forms, it’s odd how the Ford Kuga can sometimes be forgotten amongst its newer crossover rivals.

The Kuga was the fourth best-selling PHEV in the UK in 2021 and the ninth best-selling car overall in 2022 (outselling even the Fiesta) showing that, while it may not get much credit, it’s still a popular choice and keeping the lights on for Ford – though the Puma was more than 8,500 units ahead.

With Ford also making headway with its electrified van range, I thought it was worth taking a closer look at the Kuga PHEV, which is why I’m running it for the next three months. My past with plug-in hybrids is well documented with my previous Peugeot 508, so it’ll be interesting to see how family life deals with the transition from traditional family estate to a more modern crossover.

My first impressions are good though and we love the Chrome Blue paintwork (a £600 option) along with the ST Line styling kit and 18-inch alloy wheels with red brake calipers. A bit out of sync mixing sportiness with the frugality of a plug-in hybrid? Perhaps, but there’s no question that this is a smart-looking combination. The next three months will see if that beauty runs more than skin deep.