The Ferrari SF90 Spider is the most powerful hybrid you can currently buy in the country, employing a 4.0-litre, V8, twin-turbo petrol engine alongside three electric motors to produce a mind-boggling 735kW and 800Nm.
This supercar is unfortunately out of reach for most people, but luckily the South African market offers a wide assortment of hybrid vehicles with rubber-burning outputs.
These electrified powertrains can be had in a variety of body styles encompassing fastbacks, SUVs, coupes, and sedans, although they tend to be rather premium.
So, if you happen to be one of the lucky few who are shopping for R1-million hybrids, these are the most powerful ones you can buy.
Different types of hybrids
Hybrid vehicles generally feature a petrol engine and at least one electric motor working in unison either to improve power output, sharpen throttle response, reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions, or achieve a combination thereof.
There are four main types of hybrid powertrains, namely:
- Mild-hybrid
- Parallel hybrid
- Plug-in hybrid
- Range-extender hybrid
Range-extender hybrids, which make use of a petrol engine to extend the driving range of an electric motor, tend not to be as well-liked, with the only vehicle that is currently sold in South Africa with this drivetrain being the BMW i3 REx.
Parallel and plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly popular with the industry’s shift to environmentally-friendly vehicles. These systems simultaneously draw power from both the petrol and electric engine to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, with an added benefit generally being better performance.
More recently, however, the mild-hybrid configuration has also become a widely-used system for high-end manufacturers, being standard in vehicles such as the Volvo XC60 and new Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
This setup is preferred as, alongside the normal 12V battery, a mild-hybrid usually brings a 48V system with an integrated starter generator that replaces the traditional alternator and starter motor.
The electrical system is used to start the vehicle, provide a small boost of electrical power when needed, and power onboard electronics without the combustion engine being turned on.
The hybrids
Detailed below are the most-powerful parallel and plug-in hybrid vehicles you can buy in South Africa right now.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
Jaguar E-Pace P300e
- Power – 227kW/540Nm
- 0-100km/h – 6.5 seconds
- Top speed – 216km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.0l/100km
- Starting price – R1,301,000
Range Rover Evoque P300e
- Power – 227kW/540Nm
- 0-100km/h – 6.4 seconds
- Top speed – 213km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.0l/100km
- Starting price – R1,421,800
Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e
- Power – 227kW/540Nm
- 0-100km/h – 6.6 seconds
- Top speed – 209km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.1l/100km
- Starting price – R1,430,700
Lexus RX 450h SE
- Power – 230kW/335Nm + e-torque
- 0-100km/h – 7.7 seconds
- Top speed – 200km/h
- Fuel consumption – 5.7l/100km
- Starting price – R1,537,100
Lexus LS 500h
- Power – 264kW/350Nm + e-torque
- 0-100km/h – 5.4 seconds
- Top speed – 250km/h
- Fuel consumption – 6.6l/100km
- Starting price – R2,427,100
BMW X5 xDrive45e
- Power – 290kW/600Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.6 seconds
- Top speed – 235km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.5l/100km
- Starting price – R1,581,000
BMW 745Le xDrive
- Power – 290kW/600Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.1 secpmds
- Top speed – 250km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.8l/100km
- Starting price – R2,142,000
Land Rover Defender 110 P400e
- Power – 297kW/640Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.6 seconds
- Top speed – 191km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.8l/100km
- Starting price – R1,707,600
Jaguar F-Pace P400e
- Power – 297kW/640Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.3 seconds
- Top speed – 240km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.4l/100km
- Starting price – R1,796,500
Range Rover Velar P400e
- Power – 297kW/640Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.4 seconds
- Top speed – 240km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.3l/100km
- Starting price – R1,887,000
Range Rover Sport P400e
- Power – 297kW/640Nm
- 0-100km/h – 6.3 seconds
- Top speed – 220km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.8l/100km
- Starting price – R1,949,500
Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid
- Power – 340kW/700Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.0 seconds
- Top speed – 253km/h
- Fuel consumption – 3.4l/100km
- Starting price – R2,019,000
Porsche Panamera 4 e-hybrid
- Power – 340kW/700Nm
- 0-100km/h – 4.4 seconds
- Top speed – 280km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.2l/100km
- Starting price – R2,181,100
Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge
- Power – 340kW/709Nm
- 0-100km/h – 4.8 seconds
- Top speed – 180km/h
- Fuel consumption – 1.6l/100km
- Starting price – R1,218,900
Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge
- Power – 340kW/709Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.3 seconds
- Top speed – 180km/h
- Fuel consumption – 7.2l/100km
- Starting price – R1,560,100
Range Rover P510e
- Power – 375kW/700Nm
- 0-100km/h – 5.5 seconds
- Top speed – 242km/h
- Fuel consumption – 1.6l/100km
- Starting price – R3,633,000
Porsche Panamera 4S e-hybrid
- Power – 412kW/750Nm
- 0-100km/h – 3.7 seconds
- Top speed – 298km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.2l/100km
- Starting price – R2,594,000
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S e-hybrid
- Power – 500kW/900Nm
- 0-100km/h – 3.8 seconds
- Top speed – 295km/h
- Fuel consumption – 3.9l/100km
- Starting price – R2,989,000
Porsche Panamera Turbo S e-hybrid
- Power – 514kW/870Nm
- 0-100km/h – 3.2 seconds
- Top speed – 315km/h
- Fuel consumption – 2.7l/100km
- Starting price – R3,487,000
Ferrari 296 GTB
- Power – 610kW/740Nm
- 0-100km/h – 2.9 seconds
- Top speed – 330km/h
- Fuel consumption – 6.4l/100km
- Starting price – R6,380,200
Ferrari SF90 Spider
- Power – 735kW/800Nm
- 0-100km/h – 2.5 seconds
- Top speed – 340km/h
- Fuel consumption – 6.1l/100km
- Starting price – R11,572,700
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