Best small hybrid cars 2024

Stylish, fun and affordable, the Ford Puma is one of the very best small crossovers on sale in the UK. The 155PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost model is also available as a mild-hybrid (badged mHEV), which helps this likeable little crossover return 50+mpg.

The Puma is based on the now-defunct Ford Fiesta, which means it's great to drive. However, if you want a sportier experience, we’d recommend buying a model in ST-line trim, which adds a firmer suspension set-up. For proper hot-hatch thrills, meanwhile, there's the full-on ST version.

Despite its compact size, the Puma is a lot more practical than the Fiesta. The boot, for example, has a ‘Megabox’ design that features a deep, square underfloor load area with a plug to allow you to wash it out. There is also lots of head- and legroom in the front, too, and enough in the back, although large adults might find the rear seats a bit snug. 

The Toyota Yaris is one of the best small cars on sale regardless of its powertrain. So that it's also an excellent hybrid car is win-win. Toyota pioneered the idea of a small car with petrol-electric power in the old Yaris and it proved so popular this model is hybrid only. Meanwhile, its combination of edges and curves mean it finally gets the looks deserving of its high-tech powertrain.

The Yaris' 1.5-litre petrol-electric powertrain is a cracker for town driving. It'll return 60mpg even in heavy traffic and it comes with a CVT automatic gearbox fitted as standard, so it drives like a dodgem with no physical gears. It's nearly as quiet, too, because most of the time it drives on electricity, and it's also good fun to drive on twisting roads. All models get adaptive cruise control and lane assist, making long journeys more relaxing. 

There's just enough space to keep four adults comfortable on a long drive, and the boot will swallow a couple of suitcases. While the interior isn't brimming with character, it's solid and smart. And feature-packed. Even the basic model has an infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, further confirming the Yaris as a near-perfect small hybrid car. 

The Volkswagen Golf has long been a highly recommended car, and – depending just how hybrid you want to go – that's no different when it comes to mixing petrol and electric power. Many versions of the latest Golf use mild-hybrid technology, which works very well, but you can also choose from a couple of plug-in hybrid models.

The Golf eHybrid is the everyday, run-of-the-mill model, mixing a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor, giving it an official fuel economy of 313.9mpg and up to 42 miles of electric-only driving on a single charge. It comes in a range of trim levels and essentially adds plug-in capability to the regular Golf.

The Golf GTE, on the other hand, channels the spirit of the legendary Golf GTI, but with electric assistance. Power is bumped up to 245PS from its 1.4-litre engine and electric motor, with claimed fuel economy of 235.4mpg and electric-only driving for up to 37 miles before you need to plug it in. Oh, and it's rather fun to drive, too.

The Toyota Corolla hybrid is one of our favourite hatchbacks because it blends performance and comfort with low running costs. What’s more, because it’s a Toyota, it has a strong reputation for reliability and is backed by a comprehensive warranty that could last up to ten years. 

The 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain will return 60+mpg on-the-road and the Corolla’s soft suspension makes it easy to drive and comfortable on the motorway. Yet it's still good to drive, with tidy handling and responsive steering. There's also a more powerful 2.0-litre hybrid, which is slightly less efficient but delivers stronger performance. 

But it’s at low urban speeds that the Corolla proves itself, with its refined hybrid system operating in near-silence, aided by the smooth operation of the CVT gearbox. You also get lots of useful driver tech as standard, with all models benefitting from LED headlights, electronic parking brake and a reversing camera.

The Corolla is surprisingly spacious for a compact hatchback. Large adults will have no trouble getting comfortable in the front or back, while the 361-litre boot is handy as well.

Look past the Honda Jazz's rather staid image, and it's a great car. Comfortable, versatile and powered by an efficient petrol hybrid powertrain that can return 60+mpg, the Jazz is the complete small car package. 

The Jazz was relaunched in 2020 with the introduction of an all-new model. However, fans of the old car will not be disappointed with Honda’s latest offering because it remains true to the original, with a firm emphasis on space and practicality.  This means the Jazz retains its ‘magic seat’ system, which lets you flip and fold the rear seats in a number of configurations to provide up to 1205 litres of luggage space. 

The hybrid setup combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with two electric motors and a battery pack. The total power output of 109PS might not sound a lot, but it actually feels pretty eager, covering 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds and returning 60+mpg. It's comfortable and easy to drive, while there's plenty of in-car tech, and Honda has an excellent reliability reputation. 

Are you looking for a fashionable and spacious small hybrid car with low fuel costs? The Renault Clio E-Tech is one of the best looking cars in its class, and with a petrol hybrid system capable of 60+mpg, it's also one of the cheapest to run. 

The hybrid Clio looks identical to the standard model, but it’s able to travel for 80 per cent of urban journeys on battery power alone. If you are gentle with the throttle, the Clio will also travel up to 38mph in all-electric mode, which means it’s very relaxing to drive and should be a lot less polluting around town than the regular Clio. 

The Clio's exterior dimensions haven’t changed much over the last few years, but there is no shortage of space inside its smartly designed cabin. Adults will find the best space in the front, but the rear seats are wide and supportive enough for tall people to travel in snug comfort. The boot is a good size, too. 

The latest Mercedes A-Class makes many small hatchbacks look about as up-to-date as an old Lada. Its classy cabin is filled to the brim with the latest technology and cool design touches, while the interior is also well-made and there's plenty of space and comfort. 

The A-Class can be powered by everything from a basic 1.3-litre unit to a 422PS 2.0-litre firecracker, but it's the A250e plug-in hybrid that we're interested in here. This mates that 1.3-litre petrol engine to a punchy electric motor for 218PS, and allows the baby Mercedes to travel up to 44 miles without ever waking up the engine. It'll do over 200mpg officially, although unlike the traditional hybrids here, you'll need to charge it up frequently to get anywhere near that. 

It's fairly brisk, too, with enough performance to worry some hot hatchbacks. But really the A-Class is about comfort, refinement and cool infotainment rather than blatting about. The only issue is the price, but why not see if you can nab a good deal on heycar? 

The Lexus UX is a small premium crossover SUV that rivals the Volvo XC40, Audi Q3 and BMW X1. However, unlike its rivals, the UX is only sold with a ‘self-charging’ petrol-electric powertrain.

The 250h is the most popular model in the UX line-up. It combines a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor positioned on the front axle to return 50+mpg, which puts it in the same fuel economy bracket as its diesel rivals. Although its battery pack is quite small, the clever way the powertrain balances power sources means that, in an average journey, it'll be in electric mode more than half the time. 

The interior is pretty good, too. The seats are very comfortable, with a high-up seating position even in their lowest setting. Adults in the rear have lots of headroom, although legroom is a bit on the tight side due to the limited size of the footwells. Dropping the rear seats, meanwhile, is easy, and they fold properly flat, giving plenty of space for bulky items as long as you don’t mind leaving the kids at home.

The main attraction of the Kia XCeed is how much you get for a remarkably low price. It's a really solid all-rounder: essentially a regular Ceed hatchback that's been lifted off the ground and given some styling tweaks to make it feel more like an SUV.

All XCeed models have at least a mild-hybrid system, but it's the PHEV model that has the potential to get you the best fuel economy. Charge its battery fully and you'll get up to 30 miles on electric-only power, while the claimed combined fuel economy is 201.7mpg. It is a chunk pricier than the petrol version, so you'll need to ensure your journey requirements fit its strengths, but if you're an around-town kind of person with relatively few long journeys, it could be just the ticket.

As with all Kias, the XCeed comes with a tremendous seven-year warranty from new, which combined with its very decent driving manners and loads of equipment included as standard, make it a tempting proposition.

If you're looking at the Mazda 2 Hybrid and getting a distinct feeling of deja vu, then there's a very good reason. No, you're not imagining the fact that the Mazda 2 Hybrid (which is different from the regular Mazda 2 hatchback) looks quite a lot like the Toyota Yaris that sits at number 2 in this list: in fact, the two actually look more or less identical other than the badges they wear, and that's because they're essentially the same car.

That means that the two cars have essentially the same strengths, being good to drive, reasonably practical, strong on quality and well equipped. However, there are differences. The first - and most confusing - of these is that, despite both cars sharing exactly the same powertrain, the Mazda posts an official mpg figure of 74.3mpg, which is somehow almost 4mpg better than the Toyota's.

If they're so similar, then, and the Mazda has superior official fuel economy, how come it sits so much further down this list than the Toyota? Well, that's down to the ownership experience. Despite being mechanically identical, Mazda offers the car with its standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. The Toyota, meanwhile, will be covered for ten years or 100,000 miles, provided you get it serviced according to schedule at an authorised Toyota dealership.