• New sales data shows that the Ford Kuga Plug-In Hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) was the best‑selling PHEV in Europe during the first half of this year
• Kuga Plug-In Hybrid drivers have covered 49 per cent of their distance travelled this year on externally-charged electricity alone, for potential fuel cost savings of €800 per year
• Ford this year announced that by mid-2026, 100 per cent of its passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or PHEV; moving to all-electric by 2030

The Ford Kuga Plug-In Hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) was the best-selling PHEV across all segments in Europe during the first half of 2021,¹ and customers are making the most of their vehicles’ 56 km WLTP pure-electric driving range, new data shows.

According to anonymised real-world data from Ford, Kuga Plug-In Hybrid drivers across Europe have so far this year covered 49 per cent of their distance travelled using externally-charged battery power alone.

The Kuga Plug-In Hybrid achieved more sales in June than any previous month – with more than 6,300 models sold – and now outsells all other models in the Kuga range put together. Across April, May and June this year Ford sold close to 16,000 Kuga Plug-In Hybrids, over a third more than the next best-selling competitor during the same period. ¹

Sales of PHEV and all-electric passenger vehicles are surging across Europe as growing numbers of customers discover how their driving needs can be comfortably and cost-effectively managed – particularly using at-home charging. PHEV models accounted for 8.4 per cent of all new cars sold in Europe during the second quarter of this year, an increase of more than 255 per cent compared with the same period last year. ²

“We firmly believe that our customers buy hybrid vehicles to benefit from the advantages of driving on electric power, and this data shows that Kuga Plug-In Hybrid customers are keen to use their cars in EV mode as much as possible,” said Roelant de Waard, general manager, Passenger Vehicles, Ford of Europe. “We are committed to an electrified future for Ford, and the fact that Kuga is the best-selling PHEV shows that our customers want to join us on this exciting journey.”

Kuga Plug-In Hybrid customer usage

Anonymised real-world data collected by Ford to help understand and optimise the PHEV ownership experience provided insights including:

• Drivers are utilising the battery-electric driving capability of their Kuga Plug-In Hybrid to a significant degree. Almost half (49 per cent) of the collective distance travelled this year has been covered using externally-charged battery power alone.
• More than two-thirds of Kuga Plug-In Hybrid customers’ journeys are shorter, local trips of 50 km or less that could be completed using just externally-charged battery power. From more than 633,000 drive days this year, the vehicle made possible more than 420,000 drive days with zero tailpipe emissions. The average daily driving distance was 52 km, which is less than the vehicle’s 56 km WLTP pure-electric driving range.
• Customers are confident when it comes to using battery technology and are routinely able to access charging points. For every 100 drive days in a Kuga Plug-In Hybrid there were 89 charging events.
• Customers are taking advantage of overnight charging and cheaper night-time domestic electricity rates to reduce their motoring costs. Thirty-five per cent of charging events took place overnight with a plug-in time of 12 hours or more – twice the six hours required to charge the battery fully from a conventional domestic 230-volt supply. In total, 45 per cent of all charging events took place overnight, demonstrating that customer car charging habits are similar to how they would charge their smartphone or tablet.

Maximising the amount of time spent driving on externally-charged battery power can provide significant financial benefits for drivers. Based on average petrol and domestic electricity prices, ³ a Kuga Plug-In Hybrid driver could expect to pay €10.40 per 100 km driving using petrol power alone, compared to €5.05 per 100 km on externally-charged electricity alone. For an annual mileage of 15,000 km, this could add up to a saving of more than €800 per year.

Ford earlier this year announced that 100 per cent of its passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or PHEV by mid-2026; moving to all-electric by 2030. Earlier this month, the all-new, all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E GT SUV went on sale for the first time, while more than 5,300 Mustang Mach-E vehicles have been delivered to customers in Europe in the second quarter of 2021.

The company’s range of electrified passenger vehicles also includes both mild hybrid and full hybrid versions of the Kuga SUV as well as full hybrid powertrains for the Mondeo Hybrid, S‑MAX Hybrid and Galaxy Hybrid; the Explorer Plug-In Hybrid; and mild hybrid powertrains for the Puma, Fiesta and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid models.

Powered by a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine and an electric motor generator with a 14.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, the Kuga Plug-In Hybrid offers up to 56 km WLTP pure-electric driving range, fuel efficiency from 1.4 l/100 km WLTP and CO₂ emissions from 32 g/km WLTP. The vehicle can be charged using an external power supply via a side-mounted charging port in the left front fender.

Drivers can choose how and when to deploy battery power using EV Auto, EV Now, EV Later and EV Charge modes. In addition to charging from an external power supply, the Kuga Plug-In Hybrid can automatically replenish its battery on the move using regenerative charging technology that captures kinetic energy normally lost during braking.

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¹ According to data from JATO Dynamics, www.jato.com

² https://www.acea.auto/fuel-pc/fuel-types-of-new-cars-battery-electric-7-5-hybrid-19-3-petrol-41-8-market-share-in-q2-2021/

³ Price of E5 petrol in Germany correct as of July 2021 https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/fuel-price-in-europe.html

Price of domestic electricity in Germany correct as of H2 2020 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Electricity_price_statistics#Electricity_prices_for_household_consumers

• Ford Mustang Mach-E GT delivers up to 500 km WLTP homologated pure-electric driving range.
• Ford Mustang Mach-E delivers up to 610 km WLTP homologated pure-electric driving range in rear-wheel drive, extended-range battery configuration.
• Ford Kuga EcoBlue Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 127-144 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 4.8-5.5 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford Kuga Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 124-146 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.4‑6.4 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford Mondeo Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 127-142 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.6‑6.2 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford S-MAX Hybrid and Galaxy Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 146-153 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 6.4-6.7 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford Explorer Plug-In Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 71 g/km, homologated fuel efficiency 3.1 l/100 km and pure electric driving range 42 km WLTP.
• Ford Puma EcoBoost Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 119-145 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.2-6.4 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 110-139 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 4.8-6.1 l/100 km WLTP.
• Ford Focus EcoBoost Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 114-138 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.1-6.1 l/100 km WLTP.
• CO₂ emission and fuel efficiency ranges may vary according to vehicle variants offered by individual markets.

The declared WLTP fuel/energy consumptions, CO₂-emissions and electric range are determined according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151 as last amended. The applied standard test procedures enable comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers.