Toyota C-HR+

FIRST DRIVE Solid and sensible electric SUV is a tempting package for family-car buyers

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THE circa-£37,000 point at the top of the Government's Electric Car Grant has become something of a hotbed of talented electric family cars in the past year or so, and Toyota is the latest to jump into the arena. The likes of Skoda's Elroq – our 2025 Car of the Year – and the Kia EV4 are new to a segment that already boasted established rivals such as the Ford Explorer, Volkswagen ID.4 and Renault Scenic among plenty of others.

Despite the name, the C-HR+ doesn't share much with the regular hybrid or plugin C-HR that's been on sale for a couple of years in Mk2 form –only the regular parts-bin stuff that goes across brands such as switchgear. It's a different platform, using the e-TNGA architecture shared with the larger bZ4X and Lexus RZ EVs. The C-HR+ also has a sister car in Subaru's Uncharted (see p29), but unlike its partner, Toyota isn't bringing in the all-wheel-drive high-powered 338bhp dual-motor car to the UK, at least not in the foreseeable future.

What we do get is 167bhp or 224bhp front-drive alternatives, the former only available in entry trim and the more potent model likely to be the bigger seller, because it gets a 72kWh battery rather than a 54kWh version. That bumps the range to a very impressive official figure of up to 378 miles on a charge, outpointing all its core rivals. The smaller battery boasts a still-decent 283 miles.