THE plug-in hybrid version of the new Kia Sportage will be capable of a theoretical 252 miles per gallon with emissions of just 25g/km.

As such it will have wide appeal to business drivers with the Sportage PHEV rated at eight per cent benefit in kind taxation.

The new model will be on the road in April and prices will run from £38,395 for a GT-Line 1.6 T-GDI 261bhp 6-speed auto with all-wheel-drive to £43,795 for a top specification GT-Line S 1.6 T-GDI.

In total, four versions will be offered with Kia's grade three and four trim levels coming in from £39,595 and £41,795 respectively.

The plug-in model will be the flagship of the new Sportage line up which was launched last month and is already dominating the sales charts with prices running from £26,745.

Capable of travelling up to 48 miles on electricity only, the Sportage PHEV has one of the greatest EV ranges of any plug-in hybrid at the moment.

The Sportage PHEV's petrol engine works in tandem with a 66.9kW permanent magnet traction electric motor and a 13.8kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack to deliver a total of 265ps and 350Nm of torque giving it a 0-60mph time of 7.9 seconds, and a top speed of 119mph - only just shy of the 7.7 second acceleration time achieved by the full hybrid model.

Although boot space is down to 540 litres with the rear seats in place - 1,715 litres with them folded - compared to 590 litres of the regular model, the PHEV still offers plenty of legroom in the rear with almost a metre of space between the second and front row seats.

The plug-in hybrid is fitted with a 7.2kW onboard charger that allows a full recharge in one hour 45 minutes - the fastest-charging Kia PHEV to-date.