10 Best Hybrids for Snow

2017 Volvo XC90 T8 ・ Photo by Volvo

This list of 10 Best Hybrids for Snow contains a sure-footed bunch since we went out of our way to select vehicles with both high-efficiency hybrid powertrains and the traction benefits of all-wheel drive. In fact, some of these entries combine the one with the other, relying on traditional hybrid power for the front wheels, with help from a gasoline engine, and then using the hybrid battery pack to drive electric motors for the rear wheels.

It’s also worth noting that none of our choices today are standard cars: nine out of 10 are SUVs, and one truck is included, all of which tend to have a little more ground clearance than cars, so they can stay above more of the white stuff.

2018 GMC Sierra

After originally launching with minimal fanfare for only California drivers, the hybrid full-size pickup from GM’s Professional Grade brand is about to go national. That, plus an available four-wheel-drive system, firmly establishes the 2018 GMC Sierra as one of the best hybrids for snow. As for the Sierra’s fuel-efficiency credentials, EPA ratings are one mile per gallon higher than for the similarly equipped non-hybrid pickups, and that’s in all phases of fuel-economy testing. True, that may not seem like much at first glance, but with the hybrid truck rated at 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway/18 mpg combined, owners enjoy non-negligible fuel-efficiency increases of 6.7 percent/5 percent/5.5 percent. Needless to say, the Sierra features what’s called a “mild” hybrid system.

Photo by GMC

2018 Toyota Highlander

The 2018 Toyota Highlander is among the best hybrids for snow with electronically enabled all-wheel drive. As mentioned, that means the front wheels are driven by the combined efforts of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, as is typical in a hybrid, and the rear wheels are powered by their own separate electric motor. This intelligent all-wheel-drive technology only activates as needed, which helps the Highlander maintain superior EPA ratings when it’s not. To be specific, the Highlander Hybrid furnishes EPA ratings of 30 mpg city/28 mpg highway/29 mpg combined. The Toyota Yaris subcompact, for comparison’s sake, provides the exact same grade for city driving. Of course, the Highlander Hybrid also earns cold-weather kudos for offering heated seats.

Photo by Toyota

2018 Toyota RAV4

Toyota’s best hybrids for snow also include its compact SUV, the 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Just like its bigger sibling, the RAV4 Hybrid comes with an electrically assisted all-wheel-drive system that not only helps you get through the snow, it also helps you outrun it. After all, the RAV4 Hybrid is both the most efficient and the fastest member of the lineup. Its EPA ratings are up at 34 mpg city/30 mpg highway/32 mpg combined, total system output has been raised to 194 horsepower, and the vehicle’s 0-60 time has been reduced to a brisk 8.1 seconds. The RAV4 has your back when the weather turns cold, too, with options such as heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

Photo by Toyota

2018 Volvo XC90

Naturally, one of the best hybrids for snow comes from a place that’s well known for it. The 2018 Volvo XC90 is the flagship SUV for the Sweden-based brand, so it’s not frightened by blizzard conditions. The XC90 is also great at reducing driver anxiety during bad winter weather, thanks to both a wide range of safety features and, in the T8 eAWD trim, a high-tech all-wheel-drive system. This top-of-the-line model carries an advanced electrically driven AWD system as part of its turbocharged, supercharged, plug-in hybrid powertrain. Which is good for 400 horsepower, 472 lb.-ft. of torque, a 19-mile all-electric driving range, and 361 more miles of driving with a 27 mpg rating in combined travel.

Photo by Volvo

2018 Volvo XC60

The all-new smaller sibling of the XC90 is the 2018 Volvo XC60 which brings similar benefits to our list but in a compact package. As result, XC60 owners gain the confidence that comes with both Volvo’s sterling reputation for safety and an all-wheel-drive system specifically designed for Swedish winters. Keep in mind, however, that although the XC60 also shares a plug-in hybrid powertrain with the XC90, it’s the latter, bigger vehicle that’s slightly more efficient. In the XC60, Volvo’s supercharged, turbocharged, electrically assisted propulsion system provides a 17-mile all-electric driving range, a 370-mile total range, and a gas-hybrid fuel-economy rating of 26 mpg in combined travel.

Photo by Volvo

2018 BMW X5

Also joining our list is the 2018 BMW X5. Here the model we have in mind is the X5 xDrive40e iPerformance trim, and despite that clumsy name, it has a standard all-wheel-drive system for impressive winter-weather agility. Just as important for our purposes, though, is the vehicle’s plug-in powertrain. This sophisticated setup allows an all-electric driving range of up to 13 miles, plus an extra 526 miles of traveling capability using gasoline. In that mode, the plug-in X5 also achieves an EPA rating of 24 mpg for combined driving. Yet the vehicle also lives up to its Ultimate Driving Machine reputation by serving up a total of 308 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque.

Photo by BMW

2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE

For higher levels of German-based performance, albeit with lower fuel-economy ratings, the 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE may be the right choice. The GLE550e 4MATIC Plug-in Hybrid is obviously a plug-in vehicle, so it supplies an all-electric driving range of 10 miles. The GLE550e also gets rated at 21 mpg in combined driving when in its gas-hybrid mode, which can take drivers some 450 miles further. Meanwhile, for times when those miles take you into frostier situations, Mercedes-Benz's 4MATIC all-wheel-drive technology is standard, optional content for inclement weather includes heated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel. Then there’s the vehicle’s output advantages over its BMW rival, bolstered by totals of 436 horsepower and 479 lb.-ft. of torque.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

2017 Nissan Rogue

A newer name on our list of the 10 Best Hybrids for Snow is the 2017 Nissan Rogue. Nissan’s popular compact SUV welcomed a hybrid model for the first time in this model year, and it delivers a nice bump in fuel economy to go with its available all-wheel-drive capability. Consider: the gas-only Rogue is rated at 25 mpg city/32 mpg highway/27 mpg combined in its all-wheel-drive configuration, but the fuel-efficiency grades in the hybrid model jump by more than 22 percent in combined driving, to reach 31 mpg city/34 mpg highway/33 mpg combined. Further, beyond being well-behaved in cold-weather driving conditions, this Rogue also keeps folks toasty with heat for the front seats and steering wheel.

Photo by Nissan

2018 Acura MDX

While many of the best hybrids for snow are all-wheel-drive SUVs with dual-motor hybrid systems, the 2018 Acura MDX goes for the hat-trick with a trio of electric motors. With this setup, the MDX hybrid showcases individual motors to drive the two front wheels along with a third electric motor to manage the rear wheels. But those electric motors don’t merely enhance traction. They also work with the vehicle’s 3.0-liter V6 engine as part of a hybrid propulsion system that returns EPA ratings of 26 mpg city/27 mpg highway/27 mpg combined. Returning to the MDX’s cold-weather advantages, shoppers also can count on finding heated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated exterior mirrors.

Photo by Acura

2018 Lexus RX

Backed by its sharp-edged styling, the 2018 Lexus RX looks like it could cut right through a snow drift regardless of how many wheels were connected to the engine. That said, the RX 450h trim does provide the proven traction benefits of an all-wheel-drive system, and it matches the highest EPA ratings in the RX family with the lineup’s highest output ratings. Thus, with 308 horsepower and two torque-friendly electric motors, the RX 450h can push through plenty of obstacles and posts EPA ratings of 31 mpg city/28 mpg highway/30 mpg combined. There also isn't any shortage of heating resources, as Lexus offers heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, all with leather surfaces.

Photo by Lexus