Best Hybrid Cars

Best hybrid cars for fuel efficiency

The 2011 Toyota Prius (Base MSRP: $21,650 to $28,790) has been  the reviewer favorite among hybrid cars for years; aside from having a polished and quiet ride (say reviewers) with hatchback practicality, it also touts the highest mileage of any nonelectric vehicle, with an EPA-estimated 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway/50 mpg combined fuel economy rating.

The Prius was all-new for 2010 and carries over essentially unchanged for 2011. There's nothing wrong with that, as experts prefer the Prius to its hybrid competitors by a wide margin. Edmunds.com names the Prius its top hybrid car in 2011, saying that "the reality is that the Prius just gets so much right," and that it's not just fuel efficient but also "roomy quiet, practical and, yes, pretty reasonably priced." Motor Trend calls the Prius "a wonder of technology" for its advanced hybrid drivetrain. Additionally, ConsumerGuide.com, Kelley Blue Book, Intellichoice.com, Kiplinger.com and GreenerCars.org all single out the 2011 Prius in their top hybrid car lists for its fuel efficiency, low emissions, and all-around performance. 

The 2011 Toyota Prius also gets good crash-test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, with the highest rating of Good for frontal offset, side and rear impact occupant protection. The Prius is not named as a Top Safety Pick though, because its roof strength has not been tested by the organization.

Although it's clear that the Prius is the best hybrid car overall, the 2011 Honda Insight ( Base MSRP: $18,200 to $21,490) is perhaps its nearest hybrid competitor and still has a lot to offer. The Honda Insight has a similar hatchback configuration that offers practical cargo space, though most reviewers agree that it has a less polished ride that's both louder and rougher than that of the Toyota Prius. Some reviewers  prefer the Insight to the Toyota Prius; Car and Driver summarizes why by saying that "the Insight represents a lot of engineering bang for the buck, and the majority of its dynamics are more satisfying than the Prius," though it's important to note that that many other reviewers find the ride too harsh. Unlike Toyota's signature hybrid car, the Honda Insight uses a mild hybrid configuration, and it achieves a fuel efficiency rating of 40 mpg city/43 mpg highway/41 mpg combined, which is lower than the Prius. On the other hand, the Insight's base price undercuts the Prius', coming in more than $3,000 cheaper in its base configuration.

The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, then, are similar in concept, but quite different in reality because of the difference in price and fuel economy ratings. Some hybrid-car shoppers may be swayed by the low entry price of the Insight, while others will be lured by the Prius' fuel economy. Although both are excellent hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius is considered by reviewers to be the more livable car for its more solid and luxurious feel and superior fuel economy.

Other small hybrid cars available are solid alternatives, but either can't match the Toyota Prius' fuel economy and sophistication or the Honda Insight's budget price. For instance, the 2012  Honda Civic Hybrid (Base MSRP: $24,050) is the hybrid version of Honda's freshly-redesigned small sedan. Its 44 mpg EPA fuel-economy rating (city, highway, or combined) betters the Insight, yet still trails the Toyota.. Similarly, Lexus offers a few hybrid cars like the 2011 Lexus CT 200h (Base MSRP: $29,120 to $30,900) hatchback and Lexus HS 250h ( Base MSRP: $35,600 to $38,370) sedan, but both get inferior fuel economy to the Toyota Prius while costing far more.

For those interested in using absolutely the least amount of fuel possible, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt (Base MSRP: $40,280) is a compelling, but expensive, alternative. It's large battery pack and advanced "range-extended electric" powertrain, as Chevrolet calls it, lets the four-seat hatchback run up to 40 miles on electricity alone before an onboard gas engine kicks in to serve as a generator for the electric drivetrain. See our full report on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt (Base MSRP: $40,280) for more information.

Midsize hybrid family sedans

The 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (Base MSRP: $28,600) soldiers on unchanged and returns as the best-reviewed midsize hybrid sedan, though a new competitor is already breathing down its neck, if preliminary feedback is any indication. Reviews show that the Ford Fusion Hybrid is an excellent all-around vehicle with a solid and composed ride, attractive sheetmetal and a comfortable interior, as well as excellent fuel economy ratings of 41 mpg city/36 mpg highway/39 mpg combined.

Reviews indicate that the all-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (Base MSRP: $25,795) is the biggest threat to Ford's midsize hybrid king. It combines great fuel economy ratings with unusual styling, high interior quality and a reasonable price that undercuts the Ford Fusion Hybrid by $2,360 when comparing the cheapest trim levels. The Sonata Hybrid is nearly identical (save for a distinctive front grille treatment) to the gasoline-powered Sonata sedans, which have also earned high praise from reviewers when compared against the midsize competition. Good looks and impressive ride quality set it apart from many other midsizers , and the Sonata Hybrid's parallel hybrid drivetrain allows it to achieve 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined, according to the EPA.

Cars.com describes the Sonata Hybrid as "a comfortable cruiser with little or no tradeoff in terms of comfort or performance compared with the gasoline-only, four-cylinder Sonata," and generally finds it "impressive in almost every way." James Riswick of Edmunds.com says that "family sedan shoppers looking for a roomy, well-equipped hybrid with some distinctive styling should put the Sonata Hybrid on their short list," and that it "should quickly become one of the most appealing hybrid choices."

Aside from having the lowest base price compared to its midsize competition, the Sonata Hybrid has a few other distinctions among its competitors. First, it employs a traditional six-speed automatic transmission, where other hybrid cars use some form of continuously variable transmission. This means it provides the more traditional driving experience usual to gasoline-powered cars, and it avoids the monotonous engine noise that can sometimes result from the lack of true gear ratios. The second distinction is that the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has the highest safety ratings of any hybrid car available: it gets the Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the highest overall safety rating of 5 stars, which few cars achieve under the newest stringent testing criteria.

The Sonata Hybrid gets higher fuel economy on the highway, while the Fusion gets better fuel economy in city driving and in combined driving. Shoppers looking to maximize fuel economy may ultimately prefer the Fusion or the Sonata depending on what type of driving they do most. What ultimately keeps the Sonata Hybrid from moving beyond runner-up status is that most of the reviews available for it are based on shorter "first drive"-style tests at this time, so while reviewer response toward the Hyundai has been good, the well-established Fusion Hybrid has a much more extensive base of reviews behind it.

The 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid (Base MSRP: $26,800) and the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid (Base MSRP: $26,675) are the only other competitors in the midsize hybrid car class. They are both well-reviewed, but have simply fallen behind the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid in terms of driving experience and fuel economy. Both of these hybrid cars are older design than the Hyundai and Ford, and Nissan has announced that there won't be a 2012 Altima Hybrid.

Hybrid luxury cars

Lury hybrids come in many forms, and each automaker has its own strategy for placing hybrid powertrains into their luxury offerings. Models like the 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 (Base MSRP: $102,300 to $106,200), the 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (Base MSRP: $95,000), the 2011 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid (Base MSRP: $91,000), and the 2011 Lexus LS 600h L (Base MSRP: $111,350) are all flagship hybrid super-sedans that have the price tags to match. These hybrid cars are meant to appeal to the money-is-no-object crowd, and as such, don't have hybrid arrangements that get the highest fuel economy possible; these models typically have minimal fuel efficiency gains but retain and sometimes even gain power to make a fast, sporty and luxurious means of transportation.

Many luxury hybrids fall within a lower price bracket. Lexus now has two entry-level luxury hybrid offerings, the 2011 Lexus CT 200h (Base MSRP: $29,120 to $30,900) and the Lexus HS 250h ( Base MSRP: $35,600 to $38,370), both of which get better mileage than nonhybrid luxury cars, with combined-cycle EPA ratings of 42 and 35 mpg, respectively. Lincoln also offers the 2011 MKZ Hybrid (Base MSRP: $34,645), which is mechanically identical to the highly rated (and less expensive) Ford Fusion Hybrid (including its impressive fuel economy). More expensive midsize luxury models also come in hybrid flavors, like the 2011 Lexus GS 450h (Base MSRP: $58,050).

Because of the higher prices of luxury hybrids, they don't represent the best options for consumers looking to save money with hybrid ownership. In many cases, though, they do get better mileage and pollute less, making them a good option for those planning on buying a luxury car who also want to minimize their environmental impact.

New electric cars and plug-in hybrids

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt (Base MSRP: $40,280), 2011 Nissan Leaf (Base MSRP: $32,780 to $33,720), and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (Pricing not yet announced) are three new entries into the alternative fuel segment that are different from typical hybrids because of their unusual powertrains.

The much-hyped Chevrolet Volt is a four-passenger hatchback  that's driven by electric motors, unlike traditional hybrid cars that either use gasoline power at all times or run on electric power only intermittently. Fundamentally, the Volt acts like a plug-in hybrid that has two sources of power, though it has a much longer electric-only range than any other hybrid car. The Volt employs larger batteries and electric motors that run power to the wheels at all times, making the Volt primarily an electric vehicle that GM estimates can drive 40 miles under electric power only. After the batteries' charge is depleted, the Volt has an onboard gasoline engine that serves primarily as an onboard generator for the electric motors and extends the driving  range indefinitely (just keep filling up with gas until you have an opportunity to plug-in and recharge). To learn more about the technology and what expert reviewers have to say about it, see our full report on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt (Base MSRP: $40,280).

The 2011 Nissan Leaf, on the other hand, is a five-door hatchback that is a pure electric vehicle. Its Lithium-ion battery pack can deliver an estimated driving range up to 100 miles or so, depending on driving conditions.. Unlike the Volt, the Leaf does not have a backup gasoline engine and can only be charged by plugging it in. The EPA has provided an estimated fuel economy equivalent for the Leaf using a new MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) measurement that aims to create a metric that lets consumers compare it's electric energy usage to the typical gasoline engine energy usage. The Leaf does well with this measurement, producing a combined 99 mpg combined driving MPGe. Read our full report on the 2011 Nissan Leaf (Base MSRP: $32,780 to $33,720) to learn about its performance and technology.

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid is slightly more conventional in its approach, but other than the Chevrolet Volt, there are no other cars like it available. The Prius Plug-In Hybrid is just what it sounds like -- a regular Prius that has a larger-capacity Li-ion battery that can be plugged into a wall outlet. The result is a Prius that can be powered solely by electricity for around 13 miles, depending on how you drive. Once that EV driving range is exhausted, the plug-in Prius acts like the regular Toyota Prius. What this means for consumers is that the Prius Plug-In delivers better fuel economy than the already best-in-class standard Prius. See our preview of the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (Pricing not yet announced) to learn more about its expected features, technology, and release date.

Read our in-depth hybrid car model reviews

Links to individual ConsumerSearch reports on each hybrid car discussed above can be found in our Useful Links section, along with links to manufacturer websites and helpful third-party resources.

Best reviewed hybrid for top fuel economy: 2011 Toyota Prius (Base MSRP: $21,650 to $28,790)

Runner-up hybrid for top fuel economy: 2011 Honda Insight ( Base MSRP: $18,200 to $21,490)

Best reviewed hybrid family sedan: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (Base MSRP: $25,795)

Runner-up hybrid family sedan: 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (Base MSRP: $28,600)

Other in-depth hybrid car reviews:

2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 750 (Base MSRP: $102,300 to $106,200)

2012 Honda Civic Hybrid (Base MSRP: $24,050)

2011 Honda CR-Z (Base MSRP: $19,345 to $19,727)

2011 Honda Civic Hybrid (Base MSRP: $23,950)

2011 Lexus CT 200h (Base MSRP: $29,120 to $30,900)

2011 Lexus GS 450h (Base MSRP: $58,050)

2011 Lexus HS 250h ( Base MSRP: $35,600 to $38,370)

2011 Lexus LS 600h L (Base MSRP: $111,350)

2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (Base MSRP: $34,645)

2011 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid (Base MSRP: $91,000)

2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid (Base MSRP: $26,800)

2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (Base MSRP: $95,000)

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (Pricing not yet announced)

2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid (Base MSRP: $26,675)