Hybrid Cars and Miles Per Gallon

When it comes to hybrid cars, most people think of fuel efficiency.  How many miles per gallon can you get if you're driving a hybrid car?  What kind of improvement can you expect if you buy a hybrid over a gas-only car?

The answer is, of course, it depends.  Not all hybrid types are born equal and not all fuel efficient cars are hybrids.

Miles Per Gallon for Hybrid Cars

	MPG
Vehicle	City	Highway	Combined	GPM
Toyota Prius 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular	48	45	47	2.1
Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular	40	45	42	2.4
Nissan Altima Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular	35	33	34	2.9
Toyota Camry Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular	33	34	33	3.0
Ford Escape Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33	3.1
Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33	3.1
Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	34	31	33	3.1
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular	26	34	30	3.4
Saturn Aura Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular	26	34	30	3.4
Saturn Vue Hybrid 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular	25	32	28	3.6
Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	29	27	28	3.6
Mazda Tribute Hybrid 4WD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	29	27	28	3.6
Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD 4 cyl, 2.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	29	27	28	3.6
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD 6 cyl, 3.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular	27	25	26	3.8
Lexus GS 450h 6 cyl, 3.5 L, Automatic (S6), HEV, Premium	22	25	23	4.3
Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 2WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	21	22	21	4.7
GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 2WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	21	22	21	4.7
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 2WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	21	22	21	4.7
GMC Yukon 1500 Hybrid 2WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	21	22	21	4.7
Lexus LS 600h L 8 cyl, 5 L, Automatic (S8), HEV, Premium	20	22	21	4.8
Dodge Durango HEV 8 cyl, 5.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, HEV, Regular	20	22	21	4.8
Chrysler Aspen HEV 8 cyl, 5.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, HEV, Regular	20	22	21	4.8
Cadillac Escalade Hybrid 2WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	20	21	20	4.9
Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 4WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	20	20	20	5.0
GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 4WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	20	20	20	5.0
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid 4WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	20	20	20	5.0
GMC Yukon 1500 Hybrid 4WD 8 cyl, 6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular	20	20	20	5.0

As a side note, the new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid are going to be right up there (41/36 mpg) when they arrive over the next few weeks.  So will the new Honda Insight (40/43 mpg).  The new Prius will set the bar a little bit higher at over 50 mpg.


Miles Per Gallon v Gallons Per Mile
Note that miles per gallon can be pretty misleading.  If I told you could go from 35 to 50 mpg or from 15 to 20 miles per gallon, which would you say is a bigger improvement?  Turns out going from 15 to 20 saves you 200 gallons a year if you drive 12,000 miles.  Going from 35 to 50 only nets 100 gallons a year.

Now, there's no doubt that, given the choice, you would rather get 50 mpg.  The problem I'm talking about is the scaling.  That's whay in Europe, they talk about how many liters per 100 km.  If we could switch to gallons per 100 miles (GPM), we'd be better off.

That's not likely to happen any time soon, but it would be nice.

If you glance at the miles per gallon to gallons per 100 miles chart above, you'll see what I'm talking about.  Going from 15 mpg (6.66 GPM) to 20 mpg (5 GPM) gives you 1.66 GPM difference.  But going from 35 mpg (2.86 GPM) to 50 mpg (2 GPM) gives you only .86 GPM difference.  Clearly, going from 15 to 20 mpg gives you more improvement than 35 to 50 mpg.

Which is why the hybrid SUVs from GM are better than they seem.