This is a difficult one, as it’s the only car that’s come on the scheme over the last few years that’s mildly excited me ?. However, adding the options that I’d want it’s an outlay of £13k for the car plus another £12k in sacrificed benefits. Not sure I want to pay £25k for a car that I hand back with nothing to show for it. I could probably run a very nice second hand current shape X5 privately for less than that, allowing for depreciation, insurance, servicing etc.
Then there’s the issue of it being a PHEV. I’m not sure that I’m ready to go full EV until actual (as opposed to quoted) ranges get much closer to the 600 mile actual range that I get at present and, as others have said, PHEVs are really designed for the fleet market due to the tax incentives. I’ve read several reports saying that they are compromised, as if you want to drive in EV mode you are far better off with a proper EV and as an ICE car you are lugging around a lot of extra weight. However, I know that they are best driven with both power plants working together, so I need to drive one or two first before taking a view on that, especially as the choice of decent petrol cars on the scheme is now dire. The biggest challenge will be height though. I fear that the 3 Series will now be too low for us.