EV v PHEV: Ford Explorer and Ford Kuga showdown
With the electric Ford Explorer now on our roads, does the updated Kuga plug-in hybrid still make sense?
There’s often a feeling that you can rarely compare EVs and combustion-powered cars directly.
Price disparities and gaps in driving range are cited as why EV and ICE ‘equivalents’ aren’t really equal. And you’ll hear that a £50,000 EV from a ‘mainstream’ brand is nothing like a £50,000 petrol car from a ‘premium’ brand.
But what if you could compare models from the same brand, with similar prices, specs and ranges?
Well, helpfully Ford will let you do just that and I’ve recently driven the Ford Explorer EV and its Kuga plug-in hybrid (PHEV) counterpart to see how they stack up.
On paper, the two cars display similar characteristics. Both are five-seat family SUVs priced around £40,000 to £50,000. Both are two-wheel-drive, with in excess of 240bhp, and a real-world driving range of around 330 miles.
But how do they compare off the page and in the real world?
Price and specification
I’m going to start with the thorny issue of costs.
We keep hearing that EVs are far more expensive than ICE but, on first glance it seems the Explorer is actually cheaper. It starts at £39,875 for the Select trim, while the Kuga PHEV starts at £40,475 for the ST-Line (the lowest spec on the PHEV ladder).
That’s not a fair comparison, though, as the cheapest Explorer uses a 52kWh battery with a 233-mile range. Add the 77kWh battery to give a comparable driving range to our petrol/electric hybrid, and the price jumps to £45,795.
So, the Kuga is more than £5,000 cheaper.
But that’s buying outright, which only around 10-20% of people do.
On Ford’s Options finance plan, the Kuga ST-Line costs £630 per month over three years with no deposit. On the exact same terms, the long-range Explorer is £637.
Still a win for the PHEV. But charging at home even some of the time, that £7 per month difference will vanish, leaving the EV the cheaper option.
And when it comes to specification the Explorer matches or exceeds the Kuga. Where the PHEV has power adjustable seats, the EV adds massage. A 13-inch Sync 4 touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring on the Kuga? It’s 14.3 inches and runs a newer, slicker OS in the Explorer. Both get front and rear parking sensors, but the Explorer also gets a reversing camera, as well as a heated steering wheel – missing from the Kuga. In fact, the only obvious omission from the Explorer is the Kuga’s standard-fit powered tailgate.
Powertrain and performance
One of the other supposed benefits of ICE or PHEV over EV is the additional range. However, delivered with a full tank and a full battery, the Kuga PHEV was offering just 330 miles to empty. Our RWD Ford Explorer comes with an official range of 374 miles, which translated to around 330 in the real world.
So, in Ford’s case at least, the supposed benefit of a PHEV disappears.
Of course, refuelling the Kuga will be quicker when it does run out, which is especially important if you don’t have home charging or regularly cover hundreds of miles every day.
In that scenario, the PHEV may also work out cheaper to run. A decent domestic electricity rate will charge the Explorer for less than £3, but relying solely on public charging could run to £60 or more. A full tank in the Kuga will cost around £75 but is offset by the 30 miles or more it can do using just its electric motor.
Driven on that electric motor, the Kuga is pleasantly refined and makes decent progress. Around town, it’s responsive and quiet, but get heavy with your right foot and the 2.5-litre petrol engine kicks in with an obvious grumble that builds unpleasantly as you accelerate. Under heavy throttle the Kuga also suffers the peculiar transmission delay that seems to blight every PHEV.
The gearbox-less Explorer, in contrast, accelerates smoothly and with just a touch of tyre noise, creating a calmer, smoother driving experience. If performance is important, the Explorer also packs an extra 42bhp and is a second quicker to 62mph.
Like many of Ford’s ICE models, the Kuga is more engaging and better handling than most of its petrol and hybrid rivals but at the cost of comfort. There’s a harsh edge to the ride that is absent from the Explorer. The pay-off there is that the electric Ford doesn’t have the same agility or sharpness as its hybrid stablemate.
But unless on-the-edge handling is vital to your mid-sized family SUV, the Explorer presents the better option, being quieter, smoother and pacier.
Design and interior
Car design is often very subjective and what one person finds stylish and appealing, another finds vulgar and ugly, so I’m not going to get hung up on how the cars look.
The Kuga has got better looking over the years as Ford has refined the grille and headlights but it’s still not the prettiest car on the roads and is starting to look a little old.
The Explorer is much more modern but has a certain American-inspired blockiness that divides opinion. It’s colour-sensitive too. Dark shades suit it but, at all costs, avoid the Frozen White finish.
The interior differences are also partly a matter of taste but there are also elements of comfort, convenience and technology at play.
Obviously, the Explorer looks and feels more modern. From the sliding 14-inch portrait touchscreen to the B&O soundbar plonked on top of the dash, there’s a bit more panache and a neater look. But the Kuga’s cabin has actually aged fairly well and recent updates have brought a bigger, quicker infotainment screen along with digital dials.
The proper buttons on the Kuga’s steering wheel and solid window/mirror controls are also a step above the Explorer’s haptic-touch nonsense and show newer isn’t always better. Both, sadly rely on the screens to control virtually every function, including the air con.
Where the Explorer pulls out a lead is in practicality. The Kuga has a decent array of storage for phones, wallets, bottles etc, but the Explorer’s configurable ‘Mega console’ offers more space and options.
However, the Kuga comes back with marginally better rear leg, shoulder and headroom and an extra 30 litres of boot space, according to Ford’s in-house stats.
Overall, the Explorer’s cabin feels fresher and neater but the Kuga still stands up well to scrutiny and is a little more spacious, so let’s call that a draw.
Verdict
Unfortunately for the Kuga, a well-laid out, practical interior isn’t enough.
Much as it used to be a stand-out model in its class, I’m struggling to see why you would choose one over its electric equivalent in 2025.
The Explorer is available for virtually the same price, offers the same driving range, better technology, and is more comfortable, more refined and cheaper to run.
Only those without any access to low-cost charging or who are regularly doing 600 miles a day would consider the hybrid the better option.
| Ford Kuga ST-Line PHEV | Ford Explorer Select RWD 77kWh | |
| Price | £40,675 | £45,795 |
| Powertrain | 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, petrol, electric motor, FWD | Single-motor, RWD |
| Battery | 24.4kWh | 77kWh |
| Power | 240bhp | 282bhp |
| Torque | 147lb ft | 402lb ft |
| Top speed | 124mph | 112mph |
| 0-62mph | 7.3 seconds | 6.4 seconds |
| Range | 42 miles (EV only) | 274 miles |
| Consumption | 53.3mpg (combined) 314mpg (WLTP weighted) | 4.3m/kWh |
| Charging | 7kW | 135kW |
