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Toyota
TM,
has been the plug-in hybrid king for almost as long as the technology has existed. But it holds the throne no longer. Not by a long shot.
During the first six months of 2022, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe was America’s bestselling plug-in hybrid by a wide margin. Americans bought almost twice as many Wranglers as they did with any other model of plug-in. The Toyota RAV4 Prime—the usual winner – was a distant runner-up.
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PHEVs offer many of the benefits of an electric vehicle but few of the drawbacks.
Traditional hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, use their electric motors at neighborhood speeds and supplement them with gasoline engines at higher speeds. PHEVs can travel at highway speed under electric power alone. They use electric power up to a certain distance, then their gasoline engine kicks in to carry them farther. That lets many owners treat them like EVs on an average day, but take longer road trips without worrying about charging.
Jeep says the Wrangler 4xe (say it “four by E” if you want the Jeep faithful to know what you’re talking about) can drive 22 miles on electric power alone.
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It’s pricey – the manufacturer’s suggested retail price starts at $54,595. That’s a significant premium over the least-expensive gas-powered Wrangler, which comes in at $29,995. Jeep also charges a $1,595 delivery fee on every Wrangler, 4xe or not.
And those prices assume you could find one at MSRP. The Wrangler 4xe is in heavy demand, so it’s been selling for well over sticker all year long.
This story originally ran on KBB.com.
