What is it?

A continuation of the electrification of Nissan’s range offering an advanced hybrid powertrain designed to provide responsive acceleration, refined cruising and efficient low emissions; all whilst emphasising maximum use of EV mode.

The hybrid range sits alongside the existing Juke line-up and starts with N-Connecta grade, followed by the Tekna and Tekna+. N-Connecta starts from £27,250 OTR which is £1,730 more than its equivalent non-hybrid automatic version and extends up to the highly equipped and stylish Tekna + at £30,150.

All hybrid versions come equipped with Nissan’s e-Pedal Step which, when activated, allows the movement of the car to be controlled using just the accelerator pedal. When the foot is lifted from the accelerator, moderate braking is applied (up to 0.15g) and will decelerate the Juke to a crawl (~3mph).

Externally the hybrid can be identified by the fitment of a new front grille mesh design with a smaller aperture to optimise aero efficiency and hybrid badging fitted to the side and rear of the vehicle. All-new Nissan Ariya-derived two-tone 19” Aero alloy wheels are now standard on Tekna+ models for visual impact and efficiency.

Juke hybrid also benefits from the product improvements recently introduced on the overall Juke range, including two-tone 17” alloy wheels, a more aerodynamic rear spoiler, improved Bose Personal Plus audio system now with 10 speakers and improved keyless entry which includes walk away lock / approach unlock function. Two new colours – Ceramic Grey and Magnetic Blue have also been added.

Inside the cabin, the driver’s information display has been redesigned to give more information about the new electrified powertrain status. The right-hand of the driver’s two instrument dials shows speed and the left-hand dial shows a power gauge. Within the lower portion of the left-hand dial, there’s a gauge showing the battery’s state of charge.

The button for e-Pedal is positioned in the centre console, behind the electric parking brake switch, while the button to activate 100 per cent EV mode is between two of the central air-vents.

What do we think?

Never a big fan of self charging hybrids in the past because there always seemed to be a fuel economy penalty as the battery sucked up some of the power but the latest Juke is going a long way to changing that view.

Nissan claims the Juke Hybrid can return just over 56mpg fuel economy, while CO2 emissions range from 114 to 115g/km. This compares with the petrol-engined Juke’s 48mpg and 134g/km of CO2. We achieved 49.3 mpg average over a 500-mile test over town, country and motorway roads.

The car always starts in EV mode and can go up to 34mph on electric power alone. A gentle touch on the accelerator and the Juke will pootle along in electric mode, but the slight touch on the loud pedal will fire up the ICE to support the electric motor, driving the wheels directly. It also acts as a generator to keep the battery topped up, allowing the e-motor to keep on delivering its maximum 205Nm of torque.

At a relaxed pace the electric motor delivers most of the performance with the petrol engine helping at lower revs.

In terms of ride and handling, the Juke feels smooth enough over most surfaces and feels quite composed around the bends. Not the most dynamic OK, but there is a sport mode – not that you will notice much difference.

You can also switch to EV only although this benefits most in very slow moving traffic otherwise you’ll run out of electricity fairly quickly.

With EV mode selected and the e-Pedal able to slow you down and top up the battery. Nissan claims you can drive the Juke Hybrid with one pedal for 99% of the time.

On the IP, the rev counter is replaced by a dial to show power usage and the level of regenerative charging as the car slows down. A seven-inch screen in the instrument cluster can also show the flow of energy between the combustion engine, electric motor and battery pack to the wheels.

There is an eight-inch central touchscreen and you get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. There’s also a new keyless go system, plus that improved Bose stereo with speakers in the front-seat headrests.

Seating in the front is supportive and comfortable, less room for rear seat passengers, however, while the battery pack reduces boot space down to 354 litres compared with the regular car’s 422 litres. Folding down the rear seats opens up 1,237 litres of luggage space.

Technical Specifications*

Versions of Nissan Juke Hybrid available in UK