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If you are shopping for an SUV with both a 3rd row of seating and a hybrid powertrain, you know you don’t have many options to choose from. In this series, I lay out all eight for sale and a few more 3rd-row hybrids on the horizon. In Part One I went over Toyota and Ford’s 3rd row hybrid SUV chassis as well as the Lexus and Lincoln vehicles that share them. Now, I am going to compare their three competitors from Kia, Volvo, and Range Rover.

Kia Sorento

Promo photo of a red Kia Sorento hybrid SUV with a 3rd row of seating parked in a clearing, trees visible in the background.
2023 Kia Sorento hybrid | Kia

The latest Kia Sorento is a full three-row crossover SUV. Its 3rd row only has room for two passengers, so it has seven seat belts total. Its hybrid powertrain option includes a 1.6-liter gasoline I4 and an electric motor that make a combined 227 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Its most efficient configuration is the FWD version which gets 39 city/35 highway mpg (37 combined). Ordering an AWD drops these numbers to a respectable 36 city/33 highway mpg (35 combined).

The Kia Sorento hybrid’s impressive fuel efficiency, combined with its $34,090 starting price, makes it a major Toyota Highlander competitor.

Volvo XC90

Promo photo of a silver Volvo XC90 midsize SUV with a 3rd row of seating and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
2022 Volvo XC90 | Volvo

Volvo’s XC90 first shook up the mid-size luxury SUV segment in 2002. Volvo has always prided itself in its engineering-forward approach. It’s no surprise that this Swedish automaker is one of the leaders in hybrid and plug-in hybrid production. While the little XC60 has hybrid drivetrains, you’ll need to upsize to the XC90 to get a 3rd row of seats, for seven seatbelts total.

You can order a gasoline-powered XC90 with a mild hybrid system–a similar technology to Ram’s eTorque system. You can also get a full plug-in hybrid XC90. The PHEV version even retains its 3rd row of seating, while making room for a battery providing 18 miles of all-electric range. This makes it relatively rare in its segment. When the batteries run out, and its 2.0-liter I4 takes over, the XC90 gets 27 mpg (combined city/highway). The PHEV version starts at $63,800.

Range Rover

You can order the new Range Rover with a fully plug-in hybrid powertrain. But this option only comes in standard wheelbase versions with five seats. If you need a long-wheelbase Range Rover with seven seats, you can choose from three drivetrains. One of these is the P400 AWD Automatic mild hybrid.

What makes this SUV a mild hybrid is that its electric motor is actually a combined starter/generator connected to the traditional gasoline engine by a belt. It is engineered more to smooth out the automatic start/stop function than for extreme fuel-saving regenerative braking. But with this Land Rover’s $110,500 MSRP, its buyers likely won’t be pinching pennies at the gas pump.

Next, learn about upcoming full-frame hybrid SUVs or watch a review of the new Range Rover in the video below:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.