Dodge recently announced its first step toward electrification with the Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Despite its status as a performance vehicle, the Hornet has a fairly respectable electric driving range of 30 miles. While not the best in its field, that greatly outweighs some much worse PHEVs on the market. In fact, one PHEV has half the electric driving range of the Hornet.

A look at the 2023 Dodge Hornet plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Dodge long resisted entering the electric vehicle market, but that changed recently with the announcement of the 2023 Dodge Hornet PHEV, a compact SUV that pays homage to Dodge’s muscle car tradition. Stellantis has shared the specs on the vehicle in its press release, where the company brags about the Hornet R/T’s ability to go from 0 to 60 mph in only 6.1 seconds. 

That ability is owed to the SUV’s 285+ hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. In all-electric mode, the Hornet has a range of around 30 miles, meaning a person with a relatively short commute could likely make the trek to and from work solely on electric power. With all that going for it, it’s clear that the Hornet is not lacking in power. 

While the Hornet starts at around $29,000, higher trim levels can raise that price to somewhere around $50,000. Nevertheless, that’s a bargain compared with what you could pay for some other PHEVs with significantly less electric range. 

Here’s how the Porsche Cayenne PHEV compares

Let’s take a look at the Porsche Cayenne PHEV, for example. Edmunds reveals that the Cayenne starts at a whopping $165,300. So what do you get for that dough?

The Cayenne comes with an 8-speed automatic V8, capable of an astounding 670 hp and 663 lb-ft of torque. It also comes with standard all-wheel drive, and Sewickley Porsche states that the compact SUV can reach 60 mph in just  4.7 seconds.

That’s all very impressive, but where things go downhill is when it comes to the question of all-electric range. There, the Cayenne PHEV has an EPA-estimated range of only 15 miles. That hardly competes with the Dodge Hornet, so anyone planning to rely extensively on electric mode should take note.

These PHEVs also have terrible electric ranges

Of course, the Porsche Cayenne isn’t the only PHEV with an uninspiring electric range. Other vehicles with similarly poor showings have been produced by various manufacturers at all levels of the luxury scale. 

Per Edmunds, for example, the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, with an all-electric range of 16 miles, barely outscores the Cayenne’s 15 miles. (It also leaves a lot to be desired regarding acceleration, we should note.) The Mini Cooper Countryman Plug-In Hybrid also clocks in at 16 miles. 

At the higher end of the luxury scale, the BMW 7 Series 745e scores slightly better, garnering an EPA estimated electric range of 17 miles, the same estimate that the EPA gives the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Those minimal differences in range might seem somewhat surprising considering the prices of each of the above vehicles. When you can get a range of 16 miles with a $41,500 Mini Cooper, few people will likely think it worth spending nearly $189,000 on the Porsche Panamera to get that 1 extra mile. 

As with any purchase, it pays to look closely at what your potential new PHEV has to offer when it comes to all-electric range. Paying more money doesn’t necessarily get you more miles. In fact, it could get you a lot fewer.