LEXUS LBX
BEST SMALL SUV
WE LIKE
High-quality interior Outstanding fuel economy Elevated driving position Cheaper than most electric alternatives Gutsy performance Well equipped
1.5 Premium Plus
Fully electric cars may be the future, but then so is wearable tech – and not everyone has bought a virtual reality headset or even a smartwatch yet.
The truth is that right now there are valid reasons for not going electric. If you don’t have off-street parking, for example, you’ll have the added inconvenience of lengthy (and expensive) charging stops. And then there’s the price of the car. Sure, you’ll be quids in if you’re a company car driver paying benefit-in-kind tax, but if you aren’t, you’ll face a bigger initial outlay or higher monthly finance repayments than for an equivalent petrol model.
But what if you still want to do your bit for reducing air polution? Well, in that case a hybrid like the Lexus LBX could be just the thing. The LBX is the regular sort of hybrid that doesn’t need plugging in, so you treat it just like a normal petrol car by squirting unleaded into the tank. The difference is that there’s a battery that harvests energy that would otherwise be wasted, and that’s then fed to an electric motor to help drive the car along, including on electric power alone at times around town.