Family Car Review: 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV

How big is the boot of the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV?

The boot of the 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV will hold ten shopping bags, which is three less than the Genesis GV70, BMW X3 and Porsche Macan which all hold thirteen bags of shopping in the boot and the Volvo XC60 which holds fourteen shopping bags.

The LeclercBaby Influencer XL one-hand fold stroller fits nicely in the boot of the Evoque with the bassinet for those with infants with room for two bags of shopping beside it.

The LeclercBaby Influencer XL one-hand fold stroller fits in the boot of the Evoque, with room for six bags of shopping.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as the kids lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The LeclercBaby Influencer XL one-hand fold stroller fits nicely in the boot of the Evoque, with room beside it for six bags of shopping…

…and with its compatible Infasecure Adapt More Infant capsule installed into the Range Rover Evoque.

If your family has a fur baby, then you can transport a medium-sized dog in the boot of the Range Rover Evoque.

Or a twin side-by-side pram will fit in the foot with a bag of shopping.

There is a small storage area behind the right wheel arch and underneath the boot floor in the Evoque is a spare tyre.

How good is storage in the 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV?

In the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV, the front cabin is quite sleek with good storage. There is a removable tray in the central console that is good for putting your mobile phone…

… when you remove it there are two cup holders underneath it that are good for holding a reusable and disposable coffee cup and behind them is a good size central console box with a split lid so you can open each side individually.

Beneath the central console is a phone tray and there is storage for phones in the sides too.

The glove box is generous in size and felt lined so nothing rattles around. My iPad and purse will fit with the owner's manual!

The door bins in the front of the Evoque will hold a water bottle and an iPad fits well too.

In the back of the Evoque PHEV the door bins are slightly smaller and a refillable water bottle will fit.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats. They will hold a book or an iPad and conceal it.

There are two USB-C charging sockets in the back of the central console box and a 12V socket, for rear passengers to charge devices while travelling along.

A fold-down armrest in the central seatback with two cup holders will hold a child drink cup, and a reusable or disposable coffee cup.

How noisy is the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV? How good is the media system in the 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV?

The 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV is a lovely quiet SUV to drive with your family onboard. Being a plug-in-hybrid it is nice and quiet to start and on longer journeys at high speeds you are cocooned from the outside wind and road noise.

The media system in the 2023 Range Rover Evoque is spread across two easy-to-use touch screens.

On the top screen, you can see the weather, and navigation and there is a screen to show the battery range left of the PHEV too. The Evoque has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can access all your Apps and Podcasts etc on your phone while driving.

The bottom screen allows you to control the climate and your heated seats.

When in reverse the camera image is very clear. You can change views and turn the parking sensors on and off on thetop  touch screen.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

You can turn on a rearview camera while driving so you can see out of the back more easily when you have child seats installed.

The indicators are not too loud in the Evoque PHEV, and you can lock the doors and windows using the child lock button in the driver's door control panel.

The Range Rover Evoque PHEV I tested has a 60km battery range which is a good daily amount for school drop-offs, nipping around town or daily commute and then I charged it in the evening for the following day.

How many child seats fit in the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV?

There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats in the Range Rover Evoque PHEV. They are within plastic guides and are nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three seatbacks. They are within plastic guides and easily accessible through the boot.

Three Infasecure child seats fit really nicely across the rear seats of the 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV. I installed the Infaecure Attain More and Momentum More forward-facing and the Adapt More infant capsule rear-facing.

The Evoque is a fantastic car for families with tall adults in the front, we found with a rear-facing Infasecure Adapt More Infant Capsule installed, we could fit a 186cm driver in front of it.

The headroom is good in the back of the Evoque PHEV so it is easy to load Bub in and out of their child seats and there is room in the back to feed Bub comfortably with only one child seat installed.

How comfortable is the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV? And How good is the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV to drive?

The front seats of the Range Rover Evoque PHEV are very comfortable and adjustable using controls on the side of the seat bases. They are completely divided by the central console, giving much-needed personal space to parents.

For Mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are very comfortable. There is a small hump in the central footwell so it's not too hard to straddle it.

I found I could just sit between two child seats in the back of the Evoque.

The seats are perforated suede and woven upholstery in the front and back. hey are extremely comfortable and do not get as hot as leather to sit on when the car has been left in the sun.

For the first year of my first daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with her so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down in the Range Rover Evoque PHEV and the cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control to be very accurate on both motorways and at lower speeds on undulating roads.

The gear lever is a shift stick in the central console and there are four air-conditioning vents in the front of the 2023 Evoque PHEV. Four across the front dashboard; two above the media screen and one at either end of the dash…

… and air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for rear passengers.

There are climate controls in the lower screen using the two rotary dials also.

There are no handles above both rear doors, so you cannot hang a toy for rear-facing passengers. The press-on lights are positioned there.

I have found our kids do not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.

Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!

It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Visibility is good in the new 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV and is improved even more by the rearview camera you can put on while driving.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Evoque PHEV was simple to park as the visibility with the cameras is very good!

How safe is the 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV?

The 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV has been given a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. It comes with six airbags, including:

Dual frontal, side chest-protecting & side head-protecting (curtain) airbags as standard

The 2023 Range Rover Evoque PHEV scored 94% for adult occupancy protection and 89% for child occupancy protection in the ANCAP crash testing.

Of the child occupancy testing, ANCAP said;