Kind of depends. How much do you drive? Do you do a lot of city or highway driving?
If you don't drive a lot IMO it takes a heck of a lot of fuel savings to pay for the extra price for a hybrd.

 

I drive mostly in a rural area not a city or highway and drive 25k miles a year mostly rural non highway/city miles

 

I recently purchased a 2023 non-hybrid. I only drive about 10K-12K miles a year and while I could only find a hybrid at MSRP I found a non-hybrid significantly discounted off of MSRP so I ended up with a non-hybrid. The non-hybrid also has better acceleration and torque vectoring AWD that the hybrid does not currently offer.

 

Hybrids are going to get better gas mileage in the city then on the highway.

 

I now have 600 miles on my 23 Hybrid Bronze edition. I am in the Capitol region of NY...snow...cold...hills....My last tank was 33.11mpg combined on winter blend fuel. Including some remote start warm ups...

 

Wow that is pretty damn good considering all. If it was warm and all, you'd be getting a lot more, and hell it's only suppose to get 35MPG

 

I drive mostly in a rural area not a city or highway and drive 25k miles a year mostly rural non highway/city miles

There are tons of factors in play to determine if the hybrid or traditional gas engine is better for you.

First is climate. While the hybrid does get very impressive fuel economy- roughly 35mpg- that's under ideal circumstances. If you live in an area that has really hot summers or cold winters- your MPG will fall during those times- sometimes significantly. First because it takes a lot of energy to heat and cool the cabin at extreme temperatures- which will result in the gas engine kicking on more often. Second because the gas engine, in cold temperatures, will run more often to maintain operating temperature. As a result, it isn't uncommon to see winter MPG in colder temperatures fall down into the mid-20s. Hybrids will perform best between about 50 degrees F and 75 degrees F- when the heat doesn't have to work hard and the a/c doesn't have to run much. The gas engine will also see a MPG drop from extreme temperatures- but from experience, the MPG loss is more severe with the hybrid engine.

Second is typical use- and there are a lot of factors here. First, you mentioned that you generally drive in rural areas. How long are those trips? Lots of short trips will cause lower MPG than longer trips- again because the gas engine will generally run more when the Highlander is first started in order to reach the normal operating temperature of the engine. So if you drive a lot of shorter trips, the Highlander Hybrid won't be nearly as efficient compared to if you combine all of those trips together back-to-back or your normal commute involves 20-30 minutes of rural driving rather than several 5-10 minute shorter trips. Related to the idea of typical use is how you drive. If you accelerate briskly or have a heavy foot- that obviously will reduce MPG of the Hybrid. (The same could be said about the regular gas engine.). Hybrids are most efficient when they are driven calmly- gradually increasing speed or reducing speed. Slowing down, for example, is better in the hybrid if you do it gradually so that the regenerative braking does most of the work rather than your brake pads. Thinking 20-30 seconds ahead with the hybrid will produce better MPG. If you know that you'll need to be slowing down soon- doing so gradually- and just lifting your foot off the accelerator will be more efficient than waiting until the last minute to hit the brake pedal.

Lastly is your long-term plan. You say that you normally drive 25k miles/year. How long do you plan on owning the vehicle? The batteries that Toyota uses in their hybrids are generally pretty reliable long-term. The nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery in my 2007 Camry Hybrid was still going strong when we traded the car in after nearly fifteen years and 180,000 miles. The longer you keep it, the more savings that you'll experience in terms of gas expense. One thing to note is that very gradually- over time- the performance of your hybrid in terms of MPG might go down as the battery gets older. For example, my 2007 Camry easily exceeded its official MPG numbers when new. When it had 180,000 miles on it, it had a bit of trouble meeting those figures- just because the battery's capacity was lower than it was when it was new. It's just something that happens with hybrid batteries as they age.

One more thing- is simply preference. Do you want the additional power that the 2.4 turbo engine offers, or the better MPG of the hybrid? When I bought my 2022 Highlander last year- it was an easy choice. Toyota's 3.5L V6 is pretty legendary and I knew that I wanted one before Toyota stopped producing that engine. If I were to buy a Highlander in 2023, I'd probably go for the hybrid engine over the new 2.4 turbo. I want an engine that's proven to be reliable and not going to give me headaches as the car reaches 100,000, 150,000, or even 200,000 miles. Last year, that made the 3.5L V6 the better choice for me. Now that that engine is gone, I honestly believe that the hybrid engine is the better one in terms of long-term reliability and durability. AWD systems might be another point to consider. Toyota offers three different AWD setups for the Highlander. If you want the torque vectoring AWD system- that's only available on the XSE, Limited, and Platinum gas models. The hybrid uses an electronic AWD system that's still capable, but probably doesn't perform as well. The L, LE, and XLE gas models uses the old AWD system that can send power to the rear wheels, but can't differentiate that power between the back two wheels. Both wheels will get equal power and traction in those models- even if only one of the rear wheels has traction.

 

There are tons of factors in play to determine if the hybrid or traditional gas engine is better for you.

First is climate. While the hybrid does get very impressive fuel economy- roughly 35mpg- that's under ideal circumstances. If you live in an area that has really hot summers or cold winters- your MPG will fall during those times- sometimes significantly. First because it takes a lot of energy to heat and cool the cabin at extreme temperatures- which will result in the gas engine kicking on more often. Second because the gas engine, in cold temperatures, will run more often to maintain operating temperature. As a result, it isn't uncommon to see winter MPG in colder temperatures fall down into the mid-20s. Hybrids will perform best between about 50 degrees F and 75 degrees F- when the heat doesn't have to work hard and the a/c doesn't have to run much. The gas engine will also see a MPG drop from extreme temperatures- but from experience, the MPG loss is more severe with the hybrid engine.

Second is typical use- and there are a lot of factors here. First, you mentioned that you generally drive in rural areas. How long are those trips? Lots of short trips will cause lower MPG than longer trips- again because the gas engine will generally run more when the Highlander is first started in order to reach the normal operating temperature of the engine. So if you drive a lot of shorter trips, the Highlander Hybrid won't be nearly as efficient compared to if you combine all of those trips together back-to-back or your normal commute involves 20-30 minutes of rural driving rather than several 5-10 minute shorter trips. Related to the idea of typical use is how you drive. If you accelerate briskly or have a heavy foot- that obviously will reduce MPG of the Hybrid. (The same could be said about the regular gas engine.). Hybrids are most efficient when they are driven calmly- gradually increasing speed or reducing speed. Slowing down, for example, is better in the hybrid if you do it gradually so that the regenerative braking does most of the work rather than your brake pads. Thinking 20-30 seconds ahead with the hybrid will produce better MPG. If you know that you'll need to be slowing down soon- doing so gradually- and just lifting your foot off the accelerator will be more efficient than waiting until the last minute to hit the brake pedal.

Lastly is your long-term plan. You say that you normally drive 25k miles/year. How long do you plan on owning the vehicle? The batteries that Toyota uses in their hybrids are generally pretty reliable long-term. The nickel-metal hydride hybrid battery in my 2007 Camry Hybrid was still going strong when we traded the car in after nearly fifteen years and 180,000 miles. The longer you keep it, the more savings that you'll experience in terms of gas expense. One thing to note is that very gradually- over time- the performance of your hybrid in terms of MPG might go down as the battery gets older. For example, my 2007 Camry easily exceeded its official MPG numbers when new. When it had 180,000 miles on it, it had a bit of trouble meeting those figures- just because the battery's capacity was lower than it was when it was new. It's just something that happens with hybrid batteries as they age.

One more thing- is simply preference. Do you want the additional power that the 2.4 turbo engine offers, or the better MPG of the hybrid? When I bought my 2022 Highlander last year- it was an easy choice. Toyota's 3.5L V6 is pretty legendary and I knew that I wanted one before Toyota stopped producing that engine. If I were to buy a Highlander in 2023, I'd probably go for the hybrid engine over the new 2.4 turbo. I want an engine that's proven to be reliable and not going to give me headaches as the car reaches 100,000, 150,000, or even 200,000 miles. Last year, that made the 3.5L V6 the better choice for me. Now that that engine is gone, I honestly believe that the hybrid engine is the better one in terms of long-term reliability and durability. AWD systems might be another point to consider. Toyota offers three different AWD setups for the Highlander. If you want the torque vectoring AWD system- that's only available on the XSE, Limited, and Platinum gas models. The hybrid uses an electronic AWD system that's still capable, but probably doesn't perform as well. The L, LE, and XLE gas models uses the old AWD system that can send power to the rear wheels, but can't differentiate that power between the back two wheels. Both wheels will get equal power and traction in those models- even if only one of the rear wheels has traction.

I decided to get the Hybrid since i keep my cars until they become too old to drive and cars last a long time in south eastern Colorado since we use a different ice remover that does not use the rusty salt the east coast uses since colorado is less humid then the east coast

 

I can give you actual fuel consumption for the hybrid AWD because I log every fuel purchase since we bought the vehicle in 2020. The lifetime consumption is 7.6 l/100 km. (Google can translate that to 31 MPG US...)

In the summer, with summer tires, we get it down to 6.0 l/100 km. In the winter, with winter tires it goes up to 8.0 l/100 km. There is the effect of doing more travel to school (short distance on hill) the effect of the actual tires and the effect of running the engine just to heat it up.

When towing a 2500 lbs travel trailer (folded down), in the summer it goes to about 9.5 l/100 km, depending on the slopes and wind.

We just got from Montreal to Orlando Florida, with winter tire and the trailer, going through the snow storm in New-York state, the hills of Pennsylvania, the 70 MPH of Virginia, and so on and overall trip fuel consumption was 10.5 l/ 100 km. With the Toyota Venza 2009, 2.7l engine with summer tires and with the same trailer, the fuel consumption would go up to 14 l/100 km.

So it all comes down to how much you travel per year, how much you pay for gas (and in the future), in what conditions and for how many years you want to keep the vehicule and what is the actual hybrid premium currently at your location. For us in 2020, it was about 2000$ CAN and I saved at least 1/8 of that initial investment in my last 3 weeks of vacations. Imagine on 10 years...

jf

 

Thinking of the hybrid (not sure which one) on the new GHL. MPG will play a bit of a role. Towing won't.

I put on 35,000 a year so pay back shouldn't be to long, but not concerned with payback, just savings per tank

 

My 2012 hybrid Cam from Jersey to Tenn and back avg 37.9 mpg at approx. 73 mph.

 

I doubt if I will buy another hybrid. Our Prius v will be ten years old next month, only has 70K miles on it. We have to pay 100.00 extra each year for license plates/registration, The battery has been worrying us for the last year but hasn't failed yet. It will run down while in a McDonalds drive through for example, and If I am close to home I drive it an extra 5-10 miles before I turn it off to be sure it will run the next time we try to start it. We had a problem were a bird flew into the radiator for the drive unit, not the water radiator, made a small puncture, that cost 1000.00 to fix. And any day now the hybrid battery will have to be replaced at 2500-3000 dollars if I do the work. So In ten years I don't think we saved much money.

 

It sounds like you are ready to move on from the Prius no matter what. Nothing wrong with that.

The battery in your Prius V will last a lot longer than 10 years/70K miles. I think you are being a bit premature by sentencing your car to death at this time. The radiator problem certainly can happen with any vehicle.

The difference in price between the hybrid and ICE vehicles is so marginal now, that is barely a consideration.

 

Pvee you are correct about the costs not only the HV battery but the ABS braking system is an aditional cost$
My friend has a 2004 prius with 200k and a new $3k HV battery and waiting for this ABS system to blow.
You might have corrosion on the HV battery terminals??? Buy a kit with buckles and nuts on ebay for $30

 

Sounds like it could be your 12v battery, not the HV battery, that is kaput. The 12V battery provides the power to the hybrid system to start the car. After starting, the hybrid system creates 12v to recharge that battery. Have your 12V battery tested (along with inspection of all connectors to that battery back to its remote location).

 

The 12 volt battery is pretty new. I'm talking about the dashboard display that shows the Hybrid battery levels it's up in the 90-95% range when charged and driving, on short trips it will go down into the blue danger area if stopped for 5 minutes, but starts recovering pretty quick once you are driving or if you set there long enough it will start coming back up but won't go up over 40-50% unless i'm driving it. The good news is it seems to come up some overnight and so far it has not shown a code or failed to start the next morning..
What I am seeing now, started about a year ago.

 

OK - but you reported that it wouldn't start when 'low.' If the 12 v battery is charged OK, then it should power the hybrid system to turn on. If the hybrid battery is low, it should signal the ICE to turn on. I had an '09 Prius for ten years (150000 mi) and replaced the 12 V battery preemptively at 6 years, with no problems ever showing in the HV battery. The only other remedy I can think of is to go to MacDonalds with shorter lines!

 

I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid and I had the same questions before I decided on purchasing the Hybrid back in June 2006 when they first came out in our area of Massachusetts.
I took the difference in price between the Hybrid and the regular, added in the cost difference between the two on the interest on the 5 year loan. I then figured out how much I would save in gas between the two over the length of the loan and came up with a time when I would roughly break even...back in 2006, gas was over $3.50 so getting 50% better gas mileage more than made up for the added cost of the Hybrid. I think I broke even after 3.5 years, and started paying itself back soon thereafter. 16+ years and 233,000 miles later, and still getting 38 mpg, it was the best decision I ever made.

PS Just remember that there is a 10 year/150K mile warranty on the hybrid battery (at least when I bought mine...not sure if its the same now), plus the cost of parts and labor, and rental for the time out of service, so you have to factor in how long you intend on keeping your car. I was lucky that mine died at 10 years/147K so it was replaced free of charge, thanks to a great dealership. So I intend to get another 60-70K miles and 4-5 years out of this battery.

 

In Ohio it's the normal prius battery warranty. 8 years or 100k miles. I hope our last that long but it goes down to the warning bars, as long as the motor is running it will try to charge back up like it use to, 5-6 years ago,

 

The only reason we didn't buy a hybrid a little over a year ago was because we were already two or three years beyond replacing our SUV and it was the difference between getting the trim/color/options we wanted almost immediately vs. months waiting for whatever they could have delivered.

We are looking to replace another vehicle now and it will be a hybrid without a doubt, regardless of color/trim etc. I'm really glad we got the Highlander with the 3.5 gas, and I think we'll be really glad that our other car will be a hybrid based on our driving habits and the fact our state got rid of the stupid extra registration fees for a hybrid.

 

We were getting 35-37 MPG with our 2023 Highlander Hybrid in the fall. It's an LE version, in a color we like. Took three weeks from deposit to delivery in December 2022. Paid MSRP.

 

Not sure where you live, but a lot of states have (and likely will continue) to implement extra fees at registration on Hybrids and EV's. This is supposed to make up for the gasoline tax your not paying because the hybrids (and even more so EV's) aren't paying at the gasoline pump.

Whether it's "fair" or not, is open for discussion, but personally I think the EV's are absolutely taking advantage of the rest of the drivers as their vehicles weigh a lot more than most on the road, and consequently cause more wear and tear on the highways/streets. Kind of like if Semi-Trailer trucks paid fees based on their weight, they (we?) would pay a lot more for our products purchased as everything we buy moves by big trucks at some point.



.

 

I did a 50 mile round trip today. Light on the gas and brakes, rural, paved roads at 50 mph or less, I averaged 43 miles per gallon. Highlander Hybrid LE.

 

I'd say 2022 V6 versus hybrid it might be a toss-up

but now turbo 4 vs hybrid I rather have hybrid, seems to be more reliable than turbo 4

 

There are numerous other advantages to the hybrid over just the gas mileage. obviously if you drive a lot of miles a year and/or if you drive a lot in town the hybrid has its advantage just in the gas mileage! But there are other things like the ECVT transmission that is smoother and quieter, if you go for AWD the hybrid has electric rear drive which delivers more torque at take off and doesn’t seem to impact the mileage very little or any compared to an AWD non hybrid!. I like the dependability, the quietness and the technology of the hybrid and the gas mileage, I like the low speed electric only capability and generally the low maintenance and dependability I have experienced. I am on my 7th toyota Hybrid and think that the hybrid and hybrid plug in will be the real transition solution to all electric for the next 10 years or more!