Just about 10 years ago, there were only about four brands of hybrid cars in the American market. Today, the number has tremendously grown. One of the original hybrid cars in the market was the Toyota Prius. At the time, the most fuel-efficient car in the market was the original Honda Insight. The Prius swiftly overtook this position and took up the mantle of being the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the market. This sparked competition from most of the other car manufacturers and they quickly started to divert some of their resources into developing and rolling out their own version of hybrid cars. Honda for instance, released their first Civic hybrid in 2004 to counter competition from the Toyota Prius. Ford also released their version of the hybrid car through the Ford Escape hybrid car, which was also released in 2004.
This is a simple guide to the hybrid cars that are currently in the market. This only contains hybrid cars. Pure electric cars of course, don’t have concerns about fuel savings since they do not use any gasoline.
Compacts and Small Cars
The Toyota Prius C is top of the list in this category of hybrid vehicles. The car has a combined mpg of 50 and a very impressive city rating of 53 mpg. Consumers who are very concerned about fuel savings in the city would be very happy with this vehicle.
Next on the list is the classy CT 200h manufactured by Lexus. Most critics say that it is a Prius in a different body. The vehicle has a slightly lower mpg of about 42 mpg combined. The major advantage of this vehicle is the fact that it has some extra prestige that some of the buyers in the market are always looking for. The vehicle also comes at a relatively high-end price. This means that despite the favorable mileage, it is not a vehicle for people with a small car buying budget.
Third on the list is the 2014 Honda Insight. Despite the big name, the vehicle does not carry the prestige associated with it. However, the vehicle manages to use the same 42 mpg combined mileage. The car has a city mileage of about 41. This is a cheaper alternative to the above cars. They are not very many in the market so if you would like to grab one for yourself you don’t have much time!
Another other good option is the sporty Honda CR-Z. The car has a combined mpg of 37. This is also a good option for low-end buyers.