How many people are really buying hybrids? We break down the Nissan X-Trail to see how many buyers opted for the Toyota RAV4-rivalling e-Power hybrid car version | Analysis

How many people really go hybrid? Whether it's a plug-in hybrid or one that charges by itself, the technology seems like the smart into the electric vehicle world knowing that you'll never get stranded if the battery runs out of power.

In this analysis we're looking at the Nissan X-Trail - one of the most popular, family favourite mid-sized SUVs in Australia for 25 years. It's so common it's almost a household product - like salt or tomato sauce. And that's why it makes a good guinea pig for this test.

Last year a hybrid version of the new-generation X-Trail was launched. We actually tested it against its main rivals - the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

The hybrid systems in each of these SUVs are quite different, but the X-Trail's was the strangest version of the powertrain we'd ever encountered.

Strange in a good way. See, the the X-Trail has an engine but it's not connected to the wheels. Nope, the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine lives under the bonnet and basically has one job - to generate electricity for the batteries. And those batteries are where the two electric motors get their power.

The front motor has an output of 150kW/350Nm while the rear makes 100kW/195Nm. The combined output is 157kW/525Nm.

Oh and Nissan calls the hybrid system e-Power, but I'm pretty sure it's just their marketing team who actually say that and not normal people.

The strange thing about this hybrid system is that the engine will kick into life and then stop at what feels like random moments. But the good part of this system is that the all-wheel-drive system (Nissan calls it e-4orce... yep I know) has a levelling ability that reduces the forward and rear rocking that some cars experience when they take off or pull up.

Nissan calls the hybrid system e-Power, but I’m pretty sure it's just their marketing team who actually say that and not normal people.

So, the question is how many X-Trail buyers chose a hybrid version over the regular combustion engine model.

Well 12,861 X-Trails were sold in 2023 and of those 9688 were all-wheel drive and of these 2279 were hybrid variants.

So 17.7 per cent of total X-Trail sales were hybrids.

To put this into context the hybrid X-Trail was launched in February, 2023, so that's not a full years' sales.

Second the hybrid isn't available on the seven-seater version of the X-Trail and it wasn't until later in the year that the popular ST-L grade was available in hybrid form.

"Nissan's unique and innovative e-Power technology has been very well received by Australian customers since it was introduced to the X-Trail range in early 2023," a  Nissan Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide.

12,861 X-Trails were sold in 2023 and of those 9688 were all-wheel drive and of these 2279 were hybrid variants.

"Due to e-Power launching after the internal combustion powertrain, X-Trail e-Power represented 24 per cent of 4WD X-Trail deliveries in 2023. We anticipate this percentage continuing to grow in 2024 with the introduction of X-Trail ST-L e-Power in late 2023 and greater supply."

Nissan has calculated the percentage of hybrids in terms of all-wheel drive (they call it 4WD), and that's correct too, but it does sound higher when it's put like that.

This year will be a better test for sales of the hybrid - it'll be a full 12 months with a full range available to buyers.

Still almost 18 per cent of all X-Trail sales being hybrids is high - it's a clear sign that Australian buyers are taking the switch to EVs seriously.