Ford’s Mondeo hybrid drops CO2 for the range down to 99g/km and gives the line-up more breadth and fleets more choice when looking at the numbers verses conventional diesels and petrols.
It makes good sense for tax-conscious fleets because it sits in the 14% benefit-in-kind tax band with payments under £60 a month for a 20% tax payer, and, at least until April 2016, gains a 3% advantage over a diesel at the same CO2 figure.
On whole-life costs the hybrid is, just, cheaper to run than a 180hp Mondeo 2.0-litre diesel, at 54.1p per mile compared with 54.5ppm. It also compares favourably against a 170hp Vauxhall Insignia Ecoflex, which costs 55.1ppm.
A plug-in hybrid would take efficiencies even further, but having a mild hybrid such as this Mondeo allows Ford to get the P11D as close as possible to a diesel equivalent.
Thanks to the arrival of Vignale, the Titanium trim on this model is no longer the pinnacle of the range, but there’s still a decent level of standard kit, including sports seats and an eight-inch touchscreen with Ford’s latest Sync2 infotainment technology.
It’s possible to drive the car in EV mode up to 85mph, but as the Mondeo is so quiet, there’s quite a contrast in vibration and noise when it switches over to petrol.
Mondeo hybrid drivers will also be sacrificing some practicality because the technology is only available on the hatch bodystyle and not the saloon. It means the boot has 383 litres of space compared with the saloon’s 541 litres or a Vauxhall Insignia’s 530 litres.
Part of the reason for less space in the boot is that the hybrid has two electric motors: one to support the petrol engine in driving the wheels and another to enable regenerative charging to the 1.4kW lithium-ion battery, located behind the rear seats. Like most hybrids, the battery positioning is what eats up that extra space.
Ford Mondeo hybrid |
Model price range £21,345-£32,675 |
Residual value 30.3% |
Depreciation £17,590 |
Fuel £4614 |
Service, maintenance and repair £1925 |
Vehicle Excise Duty £0 |
National Insurance £1672 |
Cost per mile 54.1p |
Fuel consumption 67.3.mpg |
CO2 (BIK band) 99g/km (14%) |
BIK 20/40% per month £59/£118 |
Warranty 3yrs/60,000mls |
Boot space (min/max) 383 litres |
Engine size/power 1999/187hp |