Fuel Efficient Family Haulers: Great MPGs and Three Rows of Seats [Video]

Slowly but surely, the electric vehicle market is beginning to grow in the US. However, there are only three options that offer three rows of seats plus plug-in hybrid capabilities. TFL’s electric vehicle expert, Anton Wahlman, talks a little about each of these fuel efficient family haulers, showing you how to maximize seating capacity while minimizing fuel cost. Those three cars are the Tesla Model X, the Volvo XC90 T8, and the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, whose hybrid performance figures I will break down below.

tesla model x
Tesla Model X [Photo: Tesla]
The Tesla Model X is the only one of these vehicles which runs completely on electricity. As such it is also able to achieve the best MPGe score of 93. Unfortunately, it suffers in terms of range due to the fact that it only runs on electricity, and has no gasoline engine to generate power. 200 miles is still a very usable amount of range, but it does not offer the same ability to road trip like the other two vehicles do. Unfortunately, the Tesla is way more expensive than the other two vehicles with an MSRP of $100,150 (although the government will give you some rebates).

2016 Volvo XC90 T8
Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid [Photo: Volvo]
The Volvo XC90 T8 is, by contrast, the least efficient of the three, achieving just 54 MPGe. It does, however, see a generous increase in range compared to the Tesla. You can expect to get 350 miles of range out of this Swedish E-sled thanks to its combination of electric and gasoline power. While it will only do 14 miles on electricity alone, you have the 2.0L gasoline four-cylinder engine to help you get a lot more range out of the XC90. Price on the Volvo starts at $68,100 but can go up depending on trim level.

Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid will reset your idea of family transportation. [photo: FCA]
Finally there is the Pacifica Hybrid. This vehicle does by far the best in terms of range, getting 570 miles of total range. If you wish to use no gas, that number is reduced to just 33 miles, but this is significantly better than the XC90. Also better than the Volvo is this vehicle’s MPGe rating of 84. Furthermore, the Pacifica has by far the best interior space, thanks to the fact that it is a minivan and not just an SUV. MSRP on the Pacifica starts at $41,995, but with tax incentives and rebates, the Pacifica can be had for well under $40K.

So, if you want to save gas while also having three rows of seats, these are your current options. To see what Anton had to say about each vehicle, be sure to watch the whole video!