It’s not enough that the Ford Kuga already belongs in the highly fashionable large SUV class—it boasts extra appeal because it’s available as a plugin hybrid, too, with an excellent electric-only range between charges. As if that weren’t enough, the Kuga offers financial benefits to company car drivers as well, by virtue of its low CO2 emissions and BIK tax bills.

Ford offers a range of other engines on the Kuga, too, not to mention a wide range of trim levels. And when you consider just how crowded and competitive the large SUV class has become, Ford’s comprehensive approach will certainly work in the Kuga’s favour.

Equipment, options and extras

The Ford Kuga’s entry-level Zetec trim comes with a long list of standard kit, including privacy glass, cruise control, 17in alloy wheels, a heated windscreen, front and rear parking sensors, and a leather-trimmed gear level and steering wheel. It’s the obvious choice if you’re looking to keep costs down.

But if you can afford to splurge a little, we recommend the Titanium Edition, with keyless entry, 18in alloys, automatic wipers, part-leather seats, dual-zone climate control and auto-dimming rearview mirror. Although if you want our favourite engine, the plugin hybrid, you’ll need to step up to the ST-Line Edition, which also brings stiffer suspension and sportier styling.

Then there’s the ST-Line X Edition, with panoramic roof, 19in alloys, and heated front seats and steering wheel—and finally the range-topping Vignale trim, which brings a raft of extra goodies, including head-up display. However, both of these top trims are too pricey for us to recommend.

Costs, insurance groups, mpg and CO2

For cash buyers, the 1.5 Ecoboost 150 petrol Ford Kuga is competitively priced compared to many of its large SUV rivals, including the Peugeot 5008, although it doesn’t offer the same value for money as the Citroën C5 Aircross. Meanwhile, the plugin hybrid model will cost you less than the Hyundai Tucson and KIA Sportage plugin hybrids. That being said, the Kuga undercuts most of its rivals when bought on PCP finance.

Company car drivers will be interested to note that the plugin hybrid Kuga can compete with the Tucson in terms of its electric-only range, but the petrol versions are liable for steeper BIK bills, and will cost slightly more per month than the Kuga’s rival the Mazda CX-5.

Safety and security

The Ford Kuga is well provisioned with safety kit. It comes with automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance as standard, and adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition are available as part of the Driver’s Assistance Pack—although you’ll pay a fair bit extra for that.

Euro NCAP awarded the Kuga five stars, and it scored particularly well for adult and child crash protection.

Reliability

The Ford Kuga comes with a 3-year or 60,000-mile warranty as standard, which is standard. This matches the warranties offered by Mazda and Volkswagen, but isn’t as generous as Hyundai’s 7 years or 100,000 miles. It’s worth noting too that if you opt for the plugin hybrid version of the Kuga then on top of the standard warranty your batteries will themselves be covered for 8 years or 100,000 miles.

The Car Planet verdict

The Ford Kuga is a brilliant large SUV, and makes particular sense if you go for its hybrid or plugin hybrid models, whose economy outweigh the car’s somewhat questionable interior and relatively small boot.

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