Buying guide: Top 10 most fuel efficient hybrids
Thinking of going hybrid? Read this first.
IN LIGHT of expected government tax rises on diesel fuel (in case you missed it, politicians, who have been asking us to switch from petrol to diesel in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, are instead targeting diesels due to even more harmful exhaust pollutants), small, ultra-efficient petrol engines and, to a greater extent, hybrid cars could be about to see a sharp increase in popularity.
Hybrids combine electric motors with an internal combustion engine to increase fuel efficiency, and sometimes performance. Petrol-electric combinations are most common but there are also diesel-electric hybrids hitting the showrooms, too.
But what hybrids are available to buy right now? More specifically, if we’re talking fuel efficiency here, which are the hybrids at the top of the pile?
It’s a tricky question, but there is one metric that will answer it best. While official miles per gallon (MPG) figures are generally accepted as wildly optimistic and no reflection of real-world fuel economy, they are still pretty much the only way to compare cars for their fuel-sipping ability.
We have included CO2 figures in our list below, too, as that is still the metric by which our VED (road tax) is calculated.
Top 10 best hybrids for fuel economy
Hybrids include an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. In a “series hybrid”, the electric motor powers the wheels and the engine acts as a generator, while a second type called a “parallel hybrid” connects the wheels to both the electric motor and the engine.
These are the 10 most efficient hybrids, according to the official NEDC combined cycle test, currently on sale.
1. Citroën DS5 Hybrid4 (£29,100 to £33,700)
Fuel type: Diesel-electric
Best fuel economy: 85.7mpg
Cost per mile (at 133p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 85g/km
Buy a Citroën DS5 on driving.co.uk
2. Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 (£27,245 to £28,245)
Fuel type: Diesel-electric
Best fuel economy: 85.6mpg
Cost per mile (at 133p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 85g/km
Buy a Peugeot 3008 on driving.co.uk
3. Toyota Yaris Hybrid (£16,195 to £17,695)
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 78.5mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 75g/km
Buy a Toyota Yaris on driving.co.uk
4. Lexus CT 200h (£20,995 to £29,495)
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 78.5mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 82g/km
Buy a Lexus CT 200h on driving.co.uk
5. Mercedes-Benz C 300 BlueTec Hybrid (£34,630 to £38,120)
Best fuel economy: 78.5mpg | CO2: 94g/km
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 78.5mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 94g/km
Buy a Mercedes-Benz C-class on driving.co.uk
6. Toyota Auris Hybrid (£20,645 to £22,890)
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 78.5mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 7p
CO2 emissions: 84g/km
Buy a Toyota Auris on driving.co.uk
7. Toyota Auris Hybrid Touring Sports (£21,745 to £23,990)
Best fuel economy: 76.3mpg | CO2: 85g/km
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 76.3mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 8p
CO2 emissions: 85g/km
Buy a Toyota Auris on driving.co.uk
8. Toyota Prius (£21,995 to £25,295)
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 72.4mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 8p
CO2 emissions: 89g/km
Buy a Toyota Prius on driving.co.uk
9. Peugeot 508 RXH Hybrid4 (£34,645)
Fuel type: Diesel-electric
Best fuel economy: 70.6mpg
Cost per mile (at 133p per litre): 9p
CO2 emissions: 104g/km
Buy a Peugeot 508 RXH on driving.co.uk
10. Honda Insight (£20,475 to £23,595)
Fuel type: Petrol-electric
Best fuel economy: 68.9mpg
Cost per mile (at 128.70p per litre): 8p
CO2 emissions: 96g/km
Buy a Honda Insight on driving.co.uk
The rest…
| Make | Model | Price | Best combined MPG | Best CO2 (g/km) |
| 11. Mercedes-Benz | E 300 BlueTec Hybrid | £39,880 to £42,375 | 68.9 | 109 |
| 12. Toyota | Prius+ | £26,145 to £29,445 | 68.9 | 96 |
| 13. Lexus | IS 300h | £29,495 to £38,495 | 65.7 | 99 |
| 14. Honda | Jazz Hybrid | £17,150 to £20,245 | 62.8 | 104 |
| 15. Mercedes-Benz | S 300 Hybrid | £72,260 | 61.4 | 120 |
| 16. Lexus | GS 300h | £31,495 to £43,745 | 60.1 | 109 |
| 17. Honda | CR-Z | £21,575 to £25,120 | 56.5 | 116 |
| 18. Lexus | NX 300h | £29,495 to £42,995 | 56.5 | 116 |
| 19. BMW | ActiveHybrid 3 | £40,685 to £43,685 | 47.9 | 139 |
| 20. Lexus | GS 450h | £45,495 to £51,495 | 46.3 | 141 |
| 21. Audi | A6 Hybrid | £43,980 | 45.6 | 145 |
| 22. Audi | A8 Hybrid | £63,505 | 45.6 | 144 |
| 23. Infiniti | Q50 Hybrid | £39,995 to £41,640 | 45.6 | 144 |
| 24. Lexus | RX 450h | £44,495 to £55,495 | 44.8 | 145 |
| 25. Mercedes-Benz | S 400 Hybrid | £69,895 to £74,930 | 44.8 | 147 |
| 26. BMW | ActiveHybrid 5 | £47,790 to £50,625 | 44.1 | 149 |
| 27. Land Rover | Range Rover Hybrid | £100,350 | 44.1 | 169 |
| 28. BMW | ActiveHybrid 7 | £69,300 to £74,575 | 41.5 | 158 |
| 29. Infiniti | Q70 Hybrid | £43,235 to £47,205 | 40.9 | 159 |
| 30. Volkswagen | Touareg Hybrid | £59,875 | 34.4 | 193 |
| 31. Lexus | LS 600h | £71,995 to £99,995 | 32.8 | 199 |
| 32. Ferrari | LaFerrari | £1.15m | 20.0 | 330 |
Enter the plug-in hybrids…
Plug-in hybrids are a step ahead in fuel efficiency. By incorporating a larger battery that can be charged via the mains, exhaust emissions are greatly reduced, too.
True, generating in power stations still burns CO2 but data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers states that under the current mix of power in the UK, it is still cleaner than burning fossil fuels in the cars’ engines. And as mains power generation gets cleaner, so do the cars. Expect to see a lot more of these over the coming years.
Another advantage of plug-in hybrids is that they generally qualify for the government’s plug-in car grant, which subsidises the cost of a car by £5,000 (or 25% of the cost of cars under £20,000). The prices below are shown without the grant applied.
| Make | Model | Price | Best combined MPG | Best CO2 (g/km) |
| 1. BMW | i3 REX | £33,830 | 470.8 | 13 |
| 2. Vauxhall | Ampera | £33,750 to £35,495 | 235.4 | 27 |
| 3. Audi | A3 e-tron Sportback | £34,950 | 176.6 | 37 |
| 4. Volvo | V60 Plug-in Hybrid | £49,975 to £51,675 | 155.2 | 48 |
| 5. Mitsubishi | Outlander PHEV | £32,249 to £32,899 | 148.0 | 44 |
| 6. BMW | i8 | £99,845 | 134.5 | 49 |
| 7. Toyota | Prius Plug-in | £33,395 | 134.5 | 49 |
| 8. Porsche | 918 Spyder | £712,088 | 94.1 | 70 |
| 9. Porsche | Panamera S E-Hybrid | £88,986 | 91.1 | 71 |
| 10. Porsche | Cayenne E-Hybrid | £61,474 | 83.1 | 79 |
| 11. McLaren | P1 | £866,000 | 34.0 | 194 |
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