TWO new low emission models are joining the Kia range with the arrival of plug-in versions of the Kia Ceed Sportswagon and the XCeed compact SUV.

Both use an 8.9kWh battery pack with a 44.5kW electric motor and a 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine which combined produce 139bhp. As such they are the first electrified members of the Ceed family of cars.

The smaller XCeed has a pure electric driving range of up to 36.6 miles on a fully charged battery while the estate can manage up to 29.2 miles of zero emission motoring.

Emission levels are as low as 32g/km for the XCeed in its basic specification and 33g/km for the Sportswagon which equate to official fuel returns of 201.9 and 188.3mpg respectively.

Prices start from £30,695 for the XCeed plug-in while the Ceed Sportswagon PHEV comes in from £29,995.

With pure electric versions of the Niro and Soul as well as plug-in and hybrid variants of the Niro and Sportage already available in the Kia line up, the latest Ceed offerings bring to seven the number of eco models available in the company's new generation armoury.

While both of the new plug-ins are competitively priced in the PHEV world each have compromises compared to their conventionally powered alternatives with smaller boots and fuel tanks.

Luggage capacity on the XCeed PHEV is down to 291 litres compared to 426 litres for the regular model while the Sportswagon's cargo space is reduced from 625 to 327 litres to cater for the additional electrical systems.

Fuel tank capacity on both is also reduced from 50 litres to 37 litres in the plug-ins and performance is comparable to the rest of the two ranges with 0 to 60 acceleration times of around 10.5 seconds and top speeds of 106mph for the Sportswagon although the XCeed PHEV is slower topping out at 99mph.

Each of the new models makes use of a six-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic transmission and both get slight changes to their front designs to help improve aerodynamics and further save on fuel.

The electric charging points are sited to the rear of the front left hand wings and recharging times are said to be around two-and-a-quarter hours from 3.3kW AC charging points.

A visual aid to tell owners that their car is charging - or when the battery is fully-charged - is sited on the top of the dashboard and can be read from outside the vehicle, while both models have Kia's new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment and navigation system with the company's UVO Connect telematics system which has been modified on the plug-ins to include information about charging points in the vicinity or en route to their navigation destination.

The display screens can also show relevant information relating to the powertrain, displaying remaining charge levels in the battery and energy usage graphics.

Another feature allows owners to schedule when their vehicle should charge when plugged in at home to help take advantage of cheaper off-peak energy tariffs while the instrument clusters of both vehicles have been modified with updated displays for the electrified systems.

The XCeed plug-in will be available in two trim levels with the entry level version based on Kia's Grade 3 specification with more kit included on First Edition versions which are priced from £34,695.

First Edition cars come with a ‘smart' cruise control system with a stop and go function as well as extra driver aids such as blind spot collision warning, lane following systems as well as a new-look digital instrument panel.

The Ceed Sportswagon PHEV comes in Grade 3 trim which - like the XCeed - includes full smartphone compatibility as well as lane keeping and forward collision avoidance.

Both models are also capable of towing loads of up to 1.3 tonnes - an unusual feature among the current crop of hybrids and helped by the 265Nm torque from the powertrain.

As with all other models in the Kia range both the plug-ins are protected by seven year/100.000 mile warranties which are fully transferable.

The arrival of the plug-in models comes as Kia is expanding the XCeed range further with the introduction of Edition trim models priced from £20,995 - £200 more than the entry level XCeed.

The Edition cars come with 18-inch alloys, rear privacy glass and electrically operated door mirrors as well as three new paint finishes with shades of blue, yellow and silver.

They are available with the 118bhp 1.0-litre T-GDi manual petrol engine which is capable of achieving 44.1mpg under the latest WLTP figures with emissions of 145g/km. Top speed is 115mph and acceleration to 60mph takes 10.9 seconds.