So, you’re in the market for a new car and want to minimize your carbon footprint (or, at least, the dollars you spend at the gas station), but don’t want to mess with any plugs. A regular hybrid—that is, a car that runs on both a gas engine and electric motors, drawing power from a small battery—is perfect for that.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and pure-electric cars can be great, but much of their utility hinges on being able to plug ‘em in when they’re not in use. Not ideal for those without a garage. Or maybe you just want to stick to the old practice of filling up and letting the car do the rest. Nothing wrong with that! Ranked by official EPA ratings, here are the most fuel-efficient, non-PHEV hybrid cars of 2025.
Photo by: Lexus
- Fuel Economy: 45 MPG City / 41 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 456 Miles
- Base Price: $37,515
Mildly updated for 2025, the Lexus UX300h uses a version of the Prius and Corolla Hybrid’s powertrain to lock in 43 mpg combined and the final spot on this list. It’s more powerful than last year’s UX250h and now uses a lithium-ion battery rather than nickel-metal hydride. A decent subcompact crossover for those looking for a luxury badge and luxury vibe with basic-Toyota efficiency, basic-Toyota reliability, and a price tag not far off from a top-trim Prius.
Photo by: Lexus
- Fuel Economy: 43 MPG City / 44 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 581 Miles
- Base Price: $44,615
Running what is essentially the same powertrain as the Toyota Camry above, the heavier, plusher Lexus ES300h ekes out 44 miles per gallon combined and claims the title for the most efficient luxury hybrid vehicle you can buy new. Asterisk next to “new,” though, because Lexus has recently unveiled the next-gen 2026 ES, a car that will continue to be available as a regular hybrid ES350h in addition to its new BEV variants. Efficiency figures are still TBD, but your best bet may be waiting for that one instead, or, at the very least, try to get the 2025 for a nice discount.
- Fuel Economy: 44 MPG City / 51 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 620 Miles
- Base Price: $32,495
Like its little Elantra brother, the mid-size 47-mile-per-gallon Sonata Hybrid is more efficient on the highway than it is in the city, getting 51 mpg on the freeway but 44 around town. If your daily commute is mostly highway and ultimate efficiency is what you’re after, Hyundai’s hybrid system is likely the way to go.
Photo by: Toyota
- Fuel Economy: 50 MPG City / 43 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 531 Miles
- Base Price: $24,960
Getting 47 miles per gallon combined, the seventh-place Toyota Corolla Hybrid lags a bit against its direct peers when it comes to outright fuel-sipping, likely because it’s one of the oldest cars here. As a not-insignificant consolation, it also happens to be the cheapest car on this list, starting at a very affordable $24,960.
Photo by: Honda
- Fuel Economy: 51 MPG City / 44 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 614 Miles
- Base Price: $34,805
Want most of the efficiency and excellence of the Civic in an even more spacious package? The Honda Accord Hybrid is a great option that ekes out 48 miles per gallon combined. In my experience, this modern Accord isn’t as fun to drive as the Civic (or, arguably, the Toyota Camry). Although, there’s an argument to be made that the Accord Hybrid is actually more efficient than the Camry when comparing similar trims—the Accord is only electrified in its higher Sport, EX-L, and Touring models, whereas the Camry only beats the Honda on efficiency if you go for the base.
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Photo by: Honda
- Fuel Economy: 50 MPG City / 47 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 519 Miles
- Base Price: $30,100
Named Motor1’s Best Car of 2024, the Honda Civic Hybrid sits comfortably in fifth place, managing a more than respectable 49 miles per gallon combined. Like its Toyota rivals, the Civic is slightly more efficient in the city than it is on the highway, but its real appeal arguably goes beyond just efficiency. The Civic Hybrid is spacious, well-built, great to drive, and, as West Coast Editor Chris Rosales wrote, “easily the best small sedan money can buy.”
Photo by: Toyota
- Fuel Economy: 53 MPG City / 50 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 663 Miles
- Base Price: $29,835
New for 2025, the stalwart Toyota Camry is now only available as a hybrid. Despite its bigger, mid-size sedan shape, the base Camry LE gets 51 miles per gallon combined, beating both its rival in the Honda Accord Hybrid, as well as its smaller Corolla Hybrid sibling. This car is slightly more efficient in the city than it is on the highway, and official mpg takes hits if you go for AWD (50 mpg combined) or one of the higher SE, XLE, or XSE trims (47 mpg FWD, 46 mpg AWD). The Camry LE gets bonus points for having the longest total driving range of any car on this list, able to travel 663 miles on a single tank.
- Fuel Economy: 53 MPG City / 54 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 588 Miles
- Base Price: $28,385
The Kia Niro may not be the most top-of-mind economy car, but it approaches the top in terms of the most efficient hybrids available today. Even with a comparatively tall, small crossover-cum-hatchback form factor, the Niro hybrid (Kia also sells this car as a plug-in and an EV) manages 53 miles per gallon combined. Like the Prius, this is maintained during both city and highway driving, with the latter actually yielding 1 extra mpg over the former.
- Fuel Economy: 51 MPG City / 58 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 584 Miles
- Base Price: $26,695
Coming in second place is the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, specifically the base Blue version (not the Limited model pictured here)—that’s the name of the trim, don’t go around thinking any Elantra Hybrid painted blue is somehow more efficient. It achieves a mighty 54 miles per gallon combined, with a bit of a delta between city and highway efficiency. It’ll get 51 mpg in the city but beats even the Prius out on the open highway with 58 mpg at higher speeds, the highest mpg figure on this entire list, regardless of driving conditions.
Photo by: Toyota
- Fuel Economy: 57 MPG City / 56 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 644 Miles
- Base Price: $29,485
Arguably the one vehicle responsible for popularizing hybrid cars almost three decades ago, the Toyota Prius retains its crown as the most efficient new hybrid on sale at the moment. In base, front-wheel-drive form, it logs a chart-topping 57 miles per gallon combined, a figure that’s practically maintained whether you drive it in the city or on the highway. That number takes a hit to 54 mpg if you go for all-wheel drive and 52 mpg with the more luxurious XLE or Limited trims.
- Toyota Prius – 57 MPG
- Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue – 54 MPG
- Kia Niro – 53 MPG
- Toyota Camry LE – 51 MPG
- Honda Civic Hybrid – 49 MPG
- Honda Accord Hybrid – 48 MPG
- Toyota Corolla Hybrid – 47 MPG
- Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – 47 MPG
- Lexus ES300h – 44 MPG
- Lexus UX300h – 43 MPG