The Plug-in Hybrid Car With The Highest Driving Range In 2024

Summary

• A PHEV like the Mercedes S580e offers the best of both worlds for daily commuting and long-distance travel with impressive range.
• The S580e’s power and fast charging capabilities make it a standout in the PHEV market for luxury performance and convenience.
• A statement-making arrival awaits you in the S580e, an elegant and luxurious option with top-tier comfort and customization for every drive.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) can be the best of both worlds—combining the lower charging costs at home versus when filling up with gas, along with the long-distance capability and reassurance of having a gas engine.

Just imagine having enough electric range for your daily commute, and then when you need to travel long distances, that’s probably going to be the only time you’ll use the internal combustion engine (ICE). A PHEV is, of course, only as good as it can be when you treat it as intended by charging it every day, but that’s a story for another day.

The long electric range that a PHEV can offer is beneficial for everyday use, and so, with that said, you’re probably curious to find out which PHEV has the longest overall range. Not just the electric range, but the total range it has when combining both the battery and the fuel tank as an energy source.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Mercedes-Benz and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver and AAA.

Go Big And Go Far With The Mercedes S580e

The luxury PHEV with the longest range is the Mercedes-Benz S580e 4Matic. EPA has rated it at 470 miles, whereas real-world testing by Car and Driver showed that this S-Class PHEV can do 688 miles on a full tank and a full charge.

The S580e Is A Range Overachiever

Based on experience, a lot of German ICE cars are able to travel really far due to their large fuel tanks. In the case of the S580e, you get a 17.7-gallon fuel tank, which is a bit smaller than the non-PHEV models of the S-Class which have a 22.1-gallon tank. Impressively, even with the fuel tank shrunk by five gallons, the S580e was able to achieve a real-world gas-only range of 630 miles.

The reason why the S580e has a smaller gas tank compared to the non-PHEV versions is, of course, that the batteries have to go somewhere within the vehicle’s packaging. That battery, by the way, is quite large at 28.6 kWh, which enables a few interesting feats for the S580e. That means plenty of pure electric range, and while the EPA rates it to be able to do 46 miles when fully charged, the folks at Car and Driver managed to achieve a real-world range of 58 miles.

That’s nearly double the average daily driving distance of an American, which stands at 30.1 miles per day. So yes, with an S580e, it will be feasible for you to do your daily drives in pure electric and only use the ICE when traveling for long distances.

The Plug-in Hybrid Setup Is A Powerhouse

The S580e’s PHEV drivetrain is an overachiever in many respects, and that also translates to its power. The S580e combines a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six that produces 362 horses and 369 pound-feet of torque on its own, while the electric motor produces 148 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque.

Mercedes-Benz S580e Specs

(Data sourced from Mercedes)

As a result, its combined output is 503 horsepower and 553 pound-feet, which is sent through all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic. With these numbers, the S580e can scoot from 0-60 mph in just 4.8 seconds, and you’ll be accelerating to that speed in a manner that’s more cossetting as opposed to giving you motion sickness.

Fewer Fuel Stops, More Time For What Matters

By splurging on the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S580e 4Matic, you’ll appreciate the fact that you don’t have to fill up the car as often. Traveling far per fillup, after all, is also a luxury in its own right, as you’ll be spending more time on what matters the most–reaching your business meetings across the state in luxury and comfort.

It’s A PHEV That Can Fast Charge, Too

Being a PHEV, charge times will also be worth considering, but you’ll be glad to know that even if you do stop for a charge (which isn’t necessary, but still worth doing), the S580e won’t need to do the stop for such a long time.

That’s because the S580e can accept up to 60 kW of DC fast charging, which isn’t common as most PHEVs are only capable of accepting AC charging. At 60 kW DC, this is good enough for a 10 to 80 percent charge in just 20 minutes, while charging at the maximum AC output of 11 kW is good for zero to full in 2.25 hours.

It Can Perform As Fast As It Charges

Though the S580e has impressive performance figures, it is not in any way, shape, or form, a sports sedan. Measuring 208.2 inches, this is nearly as long as an Escalade (standard length, not the ESV), and with the vehicle weighing 5,375 pounds (subject to alterations, depending on the selected features and optional extras), it’s also not an agile luxury sedan.

Though, on Mercedes-Benz’s credit, the S-Class doesn’t drive like a boat, either. It’s really more for wafting through the worst potholes and traveling in tranquility when you’re out on the highway.

This is especially true with the S580’s AIRMATIC adaptive self-leveling air suspension, which constantly adjusts its damping variability to what the sensors feel when you go over bumps. However, with the E-Active Body Control (which was discontinued in the GLE), the S-Class also can keep itself flat when tackling corners whilst having the electronic system independently control the motions of each wheel when going over bumps.

Combined with the light steering, the abundance of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), as well as the refined nature of how the body structure cancels out noise and vibrations, you’ve got a PHEV luxury sedan that focuses more on effortless performance as opposed to outright thrills.

The S580e Is A PHEV That Announces Your Arrival

By owning a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, whether it’s this S580e or not, you are owning a vehicle that only a few have been able to achieve. This is why, whenever you pull up in one at an event or whenever you just pick up the kids from school, all eyes will be towards you–even if it’s being driven in silence in pure electric mode.

Making A Statement

And that’s not such a bad statement, to begin with, because the 2024 Mercedes-Benz S-Class looks elegantly designed and well-proportioned. The long hood that’s matched by a cab-rearward design and an imposing stance makes the S-Class the definitive full-size luxury sedan–even amid newer competition like the BMW 7 Series (and i7) as well as Mercedes-Benz’s own EQS flagship luxury sedan that looks more like a jellybean. Arguably, it has a less elegant shape compared to what the S-Class has always been known for.

Of course, being an S-Class, there are a lot of optional extras and customization options that enable you to make this luxury sedan truly yours. An optional extra that’s probably worth splurging for is the AMG Line package for $4,300, which makes the S-Class look sportier with its more aggressive front and rear bumpers, sporty wheel designs (starts with standard 19-inch five twin-spoke wheels), as well as the addition of rear-wheel steering that will make the S-Class feel like a smaller car during U-turns.

The S580e Is The Destination Itself

Oftentimes, we tend to be impatient to reach our destination, but if you’re in the S580e 4Matic, you’ll probably wish that the trip went on for longer. The S-Class has always set the benchmark when it comes to interior luxury, and that’s still pretty much the case in 2024.

Sure, it doesn’t have the latest and greatest MBUX Hyperscreen that the newer pure electric EQS gets, but that’s all for the better because luxury also means having a tactile interior. Besides, no one ever said it was better to poke the screen of an Apple Watch instead of operating the knobs and the crown of a Rolex, right?

That tactility is matched with one of the finest materials on the planet as well as the comfiest seats in the automotive industry. Whether you’re the driver or the one being chauffeured at the back, the S-Class range as a whole is a vehicle that puts comfort at the highest priority.

Moreover, you can up the luxury ante at the back when you spec for the $14,500 Executive Line package, which transforms the rear seats into two individual executive-class seats with extended MBUX infotainment system functions through the rear entertainment system and rear console-mounted tablet. This comes on top of features like the Burmester surround sound system, and heated and cooled rear seats with massage, just to name a few.