No line-up would be complete these days without the inclusion of an electrified model, either in the form a mild hybrid, a ‘traditional’ hybrid – either plug-in or self-charging – or a full fat EV.

Here Ford have married a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small battery to improve efficiency and lower emissions. Officially you can travel up to 35 miles on battery power alone but, in the real world, you’re unlikely to manage more than 30. That said, even 30 miles is a decent distance in a vehicle of this ilk.

The thing about hybrids is, and this is particularly true of plug-ins, that they really only make sense if you’ve got a charged battery. As soon as that’s depleted you’re basically lugging around a lead weight and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that’s going to have a serious impact on fuel economy.

You can, at the flick of a switch, put the Kuga into self-charging mode but that burns through fuel even more quickly and so should be avoided unless you’re going to need the battery to negotiate a low-emissions zone , for example.

What that means, basically, is that to extract the maximum from the Kuga PHEV you need to have access to a charging point on a regular basis. There are also better options if you’re regularly commuting long distances.

Starting the day with a fully-charged battery will allow you to enjoy the Kuga PHEV at its best. There’s no quick-charge feature – charging will take either three-and-a-half hours using a 7.4kW home wall box or about six hours from a standard three-pin socket. Either method is quick enough to ensure you will wake up to a full charge, which is exactly what you want.

If you want to use a public charging point you’ll have to buy the appropriate cable from Ford and that will cost you £195.

Let’s assume, then, that everything is in place, what’s the Kuga PHEV like to live with?

The good news is that, like it’s traditionally-powered brethren, body control is tight, the steering precise and the ride is supple. You can read more about its combustion-engined sibling here.

If choice is your thing, then the Kuga has enough to keep you happy for a fair old while. Not unexpectedly, perhaps, you can choose between three driving modes: Eco, Normal and Sport. Slippery deep snow/sand? The Kuga has got you covered. There are also four modes for the electric drivetrain: EV Charge tops up the battery using the engine; EV Now prioritises electric power over petrol; EV later does the opposite and saves the battery; finally EV Auto leaves it up to the car’s electronic brain to decide how to combine the combustion engine and battery most efficiently.

Like any EV the Kuga will pull away in near total silence and, with the raised driving position, is a pleasure to drive around urban areas. It’s in towns and cities that the Kuga really shines. Power delivery is smooth and instant. You can change the level of braking regeneration by clicking the ‘L’ button on the gear selector. It’s not quite potent enough to allow for one pedal driving but, once accustomed to its limitations, it helps make urban outings as efficient as possible.

Battery power alone will propel you along at speeds of up to 85mph – but not for very long.

It’s when you push a little harder, or when the battery runs out of juice, that the ambience is rather spoiled. The Kuga PHEV is equipped with a CVT gearbox and, as is their wont, when pressed it allows the engine revs to soar, and keeps them there, allowing the engine to drone loudly.

The interior is on a par with other models in the range. In other words, quality is impressive, and there’s a decent amount of standard equipment included, particularly on the ST Line trim reviewed here which, it seems, just about hits the sweet spot in the range.

In EV mode the Kuga PHEV makes perfect sense. The engine is a little noisy when it starts and the CVT gearbox only compounds things. That, though, is true of pretty much any car that uses that type of transmission. Fortunately the Kuga’s battery has a reasonable range so, if you’re lucky, you’ll only have to fall back on petrol power occasionally and, as I noted above, ST-Line boasts plenty of useful kit.

Ford Kuga PHEV ST-Line

Price from: £27,895

Engine: 2.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Battery: 14.4kWh 48Ah

Electric-only range: 35 miles

Transmission: CVT

Max power: 225PS

Max speed: 124mph

0-62mph: 9.2sec

Emissions (CO2): 21-29g/km

For more information visit www.ford.co.uk