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Find the best used hybrid cars you can buy under £10,000 in the UK.
In the UK, how we will be motoring in the future is set to change dramatically. From 2030, buying new diesel or petrol cars will be outlawed. Drivers can only purchase electric or hybrid vehicles if they’re looking to buy new ones.
Of course, this change will help make driving more environmentally friendly and reduce the pollution our vehicles produce. As a result of this impending rule change, many drivers have been encouraged to get ahead of the curve and swap to hybrid or electric cars.
In fact, hybrid cars are on the rise and are quickly becoming a far more popular fuel type for cars. Plus, many manufacturers have doubled down on hybrid vehicles, meaning that there are now many fantastic options for consumers.
The most significant issue people have with hybrid cars is that they’re seen to be expensive to buy, even on the second-hand market. To help you keep costs down, here’s a list of the best hybrid cars you can buy for under £10,000.
If you’re looking for advice on other types of cars, we have plenty of other lists of the best vehicles for a wide array of budgets that can be found here on Car Adviser.
Before jumping in and listing our picks for the best hybrid cars, it’s essential to understand what a hybrid vehicle is to ensure that it’s the right one for you.
A hybrid car is a vehicle that has more than one means of propulsion, meaning that it typically has an engine as well as an electric motor. A hybrid will use both of these methods to give you better mileage and reduce your CO2 emissions, making your car cleaner to drive.
With a hybrid, you usually won’t be able to plug the vehicle to charge it as you would a fully electric vehicle. Instead, the battery is charged through braking as well as through the engine.
For many, hybrid cars provide the best of both worlds, as they’re energy efficient and good for the environment, yet they still have the power and responsiveness that a typical petrol or diesel car will have. This makes them a great option for all types of drivers.
| Brand | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Suzuki | Swift | £7,999 - £11,999 |
| Dacia | Sandero | £6,990 - £9,990 |
| Suzuki | Ignis | £7,500 - £11,590 |
| Toyota | Yaris | £7,895 - £12,000 |
| Honda | Insight | £3,500 - £7,500 |
| Toyota | Prius | £5,990 - £9,990 |
| Lexus | CT | £8,000 - £11,000 |
| Peugeot | 508 | £6,490 - £10,490 |
| Ford | Mondeo | £7,995 - £11,995 |
| Mercedes-Benz | E-class | £7,290-£9,670 |
Found online for £7,999 – £11,999.
The Suzuki Swift is one of the most popular hybrid cars, especially for those looking for a more compact and easy-to-manoeuvre vehicle. Its size makes it perfect for working professionals living in the city, and the fact that it’s hybrid makes it great for those regularly entering ULEZ areas.
The Swift has excellent fuel efficiency, helped by the electrical assistance that the car uses; however you can find a few other hybrids that can go further off a single tank. It’s also an efficient car, as, despite its compact cabin size, it’s a tall car, meaning that there’s a good amount of headroom for tall passengers and drivers. This is especially true for more recent models.
The biggest issue with the Suzuki Swift is that it is on the pricey side, and although there are options available under £10,000 if you want one that’s no older than three years old, you may have to pay a bit more. That said, even the older iterations that fit within the budget are great options, and you won’t be disappointed. It’s a trendy car, so you’ll likely find a competitive second-hand market for this vehicle.
If you require finance, you can also get this vehicle on the likes of Cazoo, with the website having multiple options.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £6,990 – £9,990.
For many people, not many other small cars provide as good value as the Dacio Sandero. It has a great price point, even when you buy it new, and it offers many great features and a quality driving experience.
The brand Dacia is a Romanian company owned by Renault, and because of that, this car shares many specifications with its parent brand. It has a good suspension that gives you a nice smooth ride and has a good amount of power.
The Dacia Sandero is only a mild-hybrid vehicle. This means it can’t run on electric power alone, which many hybrid cars can do. Despite this, the Dacia Sandero will still help with fuel economy and reduce your CO2 output. In fact, a hybrid Dacia Sandero will cut your fueling costs in half compared to a petrol version.
Due to its low initial price, you’ll likely be able to find multiple Dacia Sanderos for under £10,000, making it an excellent option for those looking for a budget hybrid. It’s a reliable vehicle, although there’s nothing special about the car that makes it spectacular. It’s a car that’s good at many things but, at the same time, fails to excel in various categories.
The car’s biggest letdown is that it lacks many safety features, meaning that the driver and any passengers won’t be that well protected if you’re in a collision.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £7,500 – £11,590.
Suzuki has focused on producing great hybrid cars, which is reflected in how the manufacturer has two different models in this list. If the Swift is for those who need something more compact and nippy for city driving, the Ignis is a bit bulkier and is instead intended to be practical and suit families more. That said, the car still ranks as one of the smallest SUVs on the market, meaning it’s still very manoeuvrable.
Despite its reduced size compared to other SUVs, the car can still comfortably fit four people and still boasts a good amount of legroom and boot space. The Ignis is a simple car in that it only has one engine type for its three different trim levels. This is a 82bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine that uses mild-hybrid technology to help you go further with each full tank.
Despite a relatively small engine, the electric motor assist makes the car feel that it has power, especially when driving at low speeds. It moves from a standstill at a good pace and is said to be more responsive than other SUVs.
That said, although it can get to speed quickly, it takes a while for the car to come to a complete halt, with its stopping distance from 70mph being 8.3m slower than other SUVs.
Pros
Cons
Found online from £7,895 – £12,000.
The Toyota Yaris is a quality hatchback, and its electrified hybrid version is equally good. The Yaris is a cheap car to run because it requires less frequent trips to the petrol station, and it also produces minimal pollution, making it great for town driving.
In fact, the Toyota Yaris emits the lowest amount of CO2 of any vehicle that doesn’t need to be plugged in to charge. Yet, it also has a very nippy top speed of 85.6mpg, meaning you’re not sacrificing power for efficiency.
It’s not the most responsive at low speeds; however, when you’re over 50mph, it increases the speed reasonably, making it a good option if you’re regularly driving on the Motorways. When you do drive at low speeds, the Yaris is great at using the electric motor to provide the power.
Although the Yaris drives well, it lacks interior design, with the cockpit being a bit drab and boring. In fact, the interior can also feel a bit budget, as it’s made with a lot of cheap feeling plastic that retracts from the car’s quality feel.
It can be challenging to get a Toyota Yaris for under £10,000; however, if you’re patient, you can find a few under this pricepoint online. This car is also available on finance through the likes of Cazoo, and this can be a good option if you cannot get a lump sum to pay for the car outright.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £3,500 – £7,500.
The Honda Insight is a great hybrid vehicle and was a model that was a pioneer within the hybrid market alongside the Toyota Prius. The Insight is a cheap model and costs a lot less than many of its other hybrid competitors, helping to make it a popular model within the UK.
The Insight is a full hybrid car that can be driven with electric power only. It has excellent fuel efficiency and the potential to produce very low levels of CO2 emissions.
The Honda Insight will always be compared to the Toyota Prius because they both first came out around the same time. When you analyse the two side by side, you will find that the Prius is the better car, as it drives much better and has a much better gearbox and engine refinement. That said, the Honda insight still has its strengths, such as its more precise handling, interior space that allows five passengers, and of course, its low costs.
If you’re looking for a cheap hybrid, this is the best option, and you’ll easily find second-hand options well under £10,000, with plenty on offer online for around £5,000, making it a bargain vehicle.
Pros
Cons
Found online from £5,990 – £9,990.
When you think of hybrid cars, one of the first models you’ll likely think of is the Toyota Prius. This is because it was one of the innovators in this market, being one of the first hybrid models available.
The Prius has improved and gotten better over the years too, and is now one of the gold-standard hybrid vehicles, making it a great option if you’re looking for a used hybrid vehicle.
The Toyota Prius is the perfect mixture of style and practicality, with it having a good space for multiple passengers while also looking sleek and high-quality. The car is cheap to run thanks to its hybrid capabilities and also offers four-wheel drive for better traction in bad road conditions, making it a safer vehicle.
It’s not the fastest hybrid available, with its acceleration of 70mph taking around 11 seconds, meaning that it can feel a bit sluggish in certain driving situations. That said, the Prius has never been focused on being a high-performance car, instead prioritising efficiency and practicality.
This makes the car great for families and provides a comfortable experience when used, as it’s quiet, provides a smooth drive, and has plenty of room in terms of boot space and passenger space.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £8,000 – £11,000.
The Lexus CT is a decent option for those looking for a luxury hybrid hatchback vehicle. The Lexus CT combines modern hybrid technology with their classic style to create this exciting vehicle.
The car utilises a lot of the same technology that the Toyota Prius uses, which is excellent in terms of efficiency but does mean that the vehicle isn’t as high performing as you would expect from a premium brand.
The Lexus feels like a high-quality and well-built car, which isn’t too familiar for hybrid vehicles, helping the car stand out. It uses quality materials to give it a touch of class, making it a nice car to be in and drive. That said, there are more comfortable vehicles, with the ride considered choppy by many and also pretty loud once the engine kicks in, which goes against the design philosophy of other hybrid cars.
Lexus has always been a reliable brand, and this is the best feature of the CT, as it’s expected to last you a very long time, making it a good investment for those who get a hybrid for the first time. It has pretty good safety features, which can help give you better peace of mind when driving it.
It is a luxury vehicle and thus will cost a fair bit when buying new. It’s possible to find a few under £10,000, but they’ll likely be very close to this threshold.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £6,490 – £10,490.
The Peugeot 508 is a fascinating car, as it’s developed over the years from a standard four-door saloon car into something more like a coupe. This gives the car an elegant look and is one of the most stylish hybrid cars available.
Its combination of all the best features from a saloon and coupe means that although it looks great, it also has practical functionality, as it has a good boot size and a decent amount of headroom to make it a viable option to be a family car.
The hybrid version of the Peugeot 508 is a plug-in option, which can be charged and used exclusively with its electric motor, giving you good fuel economy. The car has a range of 34 miles per charge, giving it a tremendous amount of flexibility. A hybrid 508 is also an excellent option for a company car as it has low tax payments while having the executive style and feel.
When running on just electric, the Peugeot 508 can easily handle fast acceleration and is well suited to motorway driving, making it a very high-performing electric car and an outstanding value one if you’re able to get one for under £10,000.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £7,995 – £11,995.
The Ford Mondeo is a classic hatchback and has been a reliable vehicle for multiple people in the UK. The Mondeo 2.0 is very spacious and comfortable and drives very well, with its performance being hard to fault.
It’s a favourite for those who regularly travel long distances and is also pretty efficient, especially considering its hybrid options.
The car is pretty quiet, making it a much more comfortable hybrid than some other options, yet it’s also a fun car to drive, with its steering being sharp, especially around corners. This makes it a good option for those cruising the motorway, and it’s also well-suited to city driving.
Although it’s pretty large, it’s nimble and manoeuvres reasonably well. It also has a good amount of space in its boot and also has the option to fold the rear seats down for even extra room.
The heaviness of the car does mean that it can struggle when being powered by the electric motor as it can’t last too long with it being powered by the electric power alone. Plus, despite an impressive 186bhp, it doesn’t feel as powerful as this.
Pros
Cons
Found online for £7,290-£9,670.
Mercedes’s offering into the world of hybrid driving is their E-class hybrid, a great luxury option for many people.
The car screams elegance and boasts things such as a comfortable and extensive interior and a smooth ride, even at high speeds. The car also has an excellent range when using electric-only power and performs well compared to its more powerful petrol or diesel version.
The car is great for driving with multiple passengers; however, it does compromise boot space due to the battery being located there. This means that you can only carry so much stuff with the E-class.
The hybrid is a plug-in variety, and with a full charge, it can provide a standard 34 miles range when using the electric motor. It’s as powerful as other luxury hybrid options from other brands and can accelerate quickly to 62mph in under 6 seconds.
The car is economical yet fun and environmentally friendly without compromising performance, making it a fantastic option for those looking to get a hybrid. It’s also reasonably well-priced on the second-hand market, meaning that you’ll be able to find one under £10,000 fairly quickly.
Pros
Cons
There are multiple reasons why buying a hybrid car is a good idea, both for now and for the future. The main benefit of hybrid vehicles is that they produce much fewer emissions when compared to petrol or diesel cars. This makes them far better options for the environment, as it helps reduce road pollution.
They're also very economical cars and can be much cheaper to run when compared to other alternative options. They have better fuel economy than traditional engine vehicles, meaning you'll fill up your car less often, saving you money over a year or so.
Plus, with new petrol and diesel cars being outlawed in the UK in 2030, there's an increased focus for brands to produce great hybrid and electric vehicles to ensure that they maintain their share in the market. This means that many hybrid vehicles are quality vehicles that perform well and are comfortable to drive in.
As well as this, hybrid cars can be a great option if you live in a city with a low emission zone, such as the ULEZ in London. As a result of their low exhaust emissions, you will avoid paying any charges when driving in these areas, helping to save you money over the year.
Although hybrid cars produce much fewer emissions than traditional engine cars, they still produce enough where you have to pay road tax. Even plug-in hybrids that have the capabilities to run entirely on electricity will have to pay road tax.
That said, because they produce fewer emissions, you'll find that your road tax bills will be cheaper, so getting a hybrid vehicle will be able to save you money over the year.
A hybrid car will feel and function very similarly to an average car, and for many people, you won't be able to notice a difference in performance when comparing the two types of vehicles.
That said, hybrid cars do function a bit differently. When you first pull off from a standstill, a hybrid vehicle will rely on its electric motor to get you moving. Only after you've reached a speed ranging from 43-80mph will the petrol or diesel engine kick in to provide more power. The engine may kick in a bit earlier if the battery is low on charge or the car needs more power than usual.
Hybrid cars are usually cheaper to run. However, the insurance costs can alter their total costs and make them less financially viable options. Hybrid cars are very common now, meaning that you will find many insurance companies offering cover, helping to create a competitive market.
That said, insurance premiums can be more expensive for hybrid cars than regular models because many replacement parts are expensive. For example, replacing a broken battery is really costly, so insurance companies will increase their prices to cover this.