Ford Tourneo Connect Plug-In Hybrid (2026 - ) review

The hybrid powertrain gives you the best of both worlds, offering up an electric-only range of around 70 miles for shorter journeys, and what felt like a consistent 300 miles of total range with a full tank of petrol. Charging the battery is critical to get the fuel efficiency and will come at the price of your home energy tariff or public charging costs. Besides that, the starting price is more expensive than the straight petrol or diesel models, but that can be broken down on finance or a good lease deal, so take a look around before you commit. And remember while hybrid vehicles often quote these massive efficiency figures this and the Volkswagen Caddy actually seem capable of achieving them, or at least getting very close to it. For those looking to make the switch to fully electric vehicles in the future, the Tourneo Connect Plug-In Hybrid might be a good bridging vehicle to get you used to how it all works.

We always look at the warranty lengths first to get an indication of the manufacturer’s confidence in its product. As befits a hybrid car (van), the battery packs get their own eight-year / 100,000-mile warranty, while the vehicle as a whole is covered by Ford’s standard three-year / 60,000-mile warranty. Very industry standard. In terms of long-term reliability, it’s probably too early to comment, but hybrid powertrains in general are considered more complicated to maintain than standard internal combustion engines. However, it is the Volkswagen hybrid system which has a good reputation, so there’s that. Ultimately, if you look after your Tourneo Connect and get it properly serviced you’ll be fine.

The Ford Tourneo Connect has a five-star NCAP safety rating, which makes it one safe MPV! The platform is robust and capable of providing all manner of safety systems. These include Brake Assist, Lane Assist, Intelligent Speed Assist, rear parking sensors, emergency call unit, alerts, immobiliser, Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, Electronic Breakforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP), Engine Drag Torque Control (MSR) and a full traction control system. It even comes with an alarm system for added protection. Phew!

Let’s kick off in the driver’s seat. The Tourneo Connect is a very comfortable car to drive with a van-like driving position higher than you might expect. The seat is fully adjustable and, thanks to good door design and a nice centre console, feels snug and safe. Which is a hallmark of both the Ford Connects and Volkswagen Caddys of previous generations. In the middle of the dashboard is a sharp 10-inch infotainment screen, and behind the steering wheel is a 10.3-inch driver information display. The infotainment screen runs the latest Sync4 operating system, but most drivers connect mobile devices these days so will make good use of the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, which is good because Sync4 can be a bit fiddly to use. The back row of seats is great for three adults with plenty of legroom and head space, and they’re accessed by way of two glazed side sliding doors. As van-derived MPVs go, the interior of the Tourneo Connect is very good… you almost forget you’re sitting inside a vehicle with commercial origins.

The Tourneo Connect is packed with nice features, including the spacious seating, sockets for charging devices, decent storage throughout and a tidy dashboard with the big infotainment screen. The back row of seats fold forward to expand the already generous boot space, and both sides of the 60/40 split can be anchored into place with fold-out bars on the bottom of the seats. This anchoring feature is hugely underrated and we appreciated not having to rely on packing luggage against the back of the folded seats to keep them in place. Access to the boot from the rear of the car is through an excellent tailgate door, which doubles up nicely as a mobile rain shelter, which we had to use while capturing photos when the rain clouds opened up on us. While you have to have the fob on you, as long as it’s in your pocket you can open and lock the car’s doors and start it up without ever needing to physically hold it. Key-free all the way! There are other features, such as stylish alloy wheels, parking sensors, electronic parking brake, rear-view camera, and the big door mirror to take note of, but check the spec of the Tourneo Connect you want to drive before you sign on the line to make sure it has all the things you want.

The combined 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor deliver 150 horsepower, which is great for a small MPV carrying five people and luggage. It’s not a very dynamic vehicle to drive, and it stumbles at standing starts when you’re getting away from traffic lights given the amount of scrabbling from the front wheels. Maybe it was us being a bit heavy-footed but we never experienced this during our recent loan of a Tourneo eCourier. Just saying. Aside from that, it was a pleasant car to drive in all settings. The small size handles town roads with ease, and motorway driving was very gentle. The switchover to petrol power once the battery drained was almost imperceptible, too, which was surprising. Once we learned to take it gently from standing starts to mitigate those traction issues this is an easy vehicle to drive, if not that exciting.