We’ve Tested a Lot of Hybrids. Most Haven’t Met Their Fuel Economy Estimates

• What's new: We're looking back at many of the hybrids we've had in our One-Year Road Test fleet.
• Why it matters: Most of the hybrids we've tested haven't met their fuel economy estimates. 
• Edmunds says: Hybrids are definitely more economical than their gas-only counterparts, but as they say, your mileage may vary.

A story of three Priuses (Prii?)

We had a 2004 Prius back when folks were still getting used to what the word "hybrid" actually meant. We liked it so much we held on to it for six years, even though we didn't come close to hitting the 46 mpg combined rating as predicted by the EPA. We averaged just shy of 41 mpg.

I should note that the car's fuel economy got worse the longer we had it, so don't expect a 2004 Prius to match these numbers now in 2026.

In 2012, we moved on to the smaller Prius C. It was inexpensive and adorable but also slow with a cheap interior. And with an average of 45 mpg combined, it didn't match the EPA rating of 50 mpg. However, our best tank came out to 56 mpg.

However, it was the 2016 Prius that won the whole shebang. The EPA estimate was 52 mpg, and we averaged 49 mpg. While it still lied to us, this seems more like a little white lie than a huge whopper. Maybe if we'd driven more economically, we could've hit 50 mpg or more.

What about other hybrids?

Recently, our 2025 Civic Hybrid earned a measly 41 mpg up against the official EPA number of 48 mpg. The Ford Maverick we currently own is getting 33 mpg instead of 37 mpg. Our old 2021 Toyota Sienna saw 35 mpg, which is actually only a 2 mpg drop from the EPA's numbers.

Our 2006 Lexus RX 400h should have earned 26 mpg but barely cleared 20. The 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid came in at just under 20 mpg despite an official rating of 24 mpg. Our 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Hybrid did even worse with 18 mpg against an EPA rating of 23 mpg.

What about some modern crossovers? We had the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, and neither was impressive. The Santa Fe returned 26.7 mpg versus an EPA rating of 34 mpg, and the best fill-up didn't even crack 30 mpg. The Grand Highlander closed the gap a bit but still got worse fuel economy at 23 mpg compared to the EPA's 27 mpg. At least the Highlander's best fill-up of nearly 32 mpg exceeded the EPA rating. 

In the end, of all the cars we've had, the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid had the largest fuel economy gap: an average of 29.6 mpg compared to the EPA figure of 38 mpg. Yowza.

Driving a hybrid will definitely save you money at the pump. All of these vehicles get better fuel economy than their gas-only counterparts. But unless you drive like your granddad on the way to church, you're unlikely to meet those EPA ratings.