What Are the Best 2025 Hybrids for the Money?
Demand for electric vehicles continues to fluctuate, but hybrids are having a popular moment. According to a recent AAA survey, only 18% of U.S. adults say they would be “very likely” or “likely” to buy a new or used EV, compared with 31% saying they would be “very likely” or “likely” to buy a hybrid. With so many hybrid vehicle choices on the market and more coming, such as the 2026 Hyundai Palisade, which hybrids meet their mission best?
Related: So You Want to Buy a Hybrid Car: 6 Things to Know
Best 2025 Hybrid Vehicles for the Money
The overall winner is the 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid with a score of 2.03, dethroning last year’s winner, the 2024 Toyota Corolla. Check out our list organized by vehicle class.
- Compact car: 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
- Mid-size sedan: 2025 Toyota Camry
- Hatchback: 2025 Toyota Prius
- Full-size sedan: 2025 Toyota Crown
- Pickup truck: 2025 Ford Maverick
- Subcompact SUV: 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Compact SUV: 2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid
- Mid-size SUV: 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
- Minivan: 2025 Toyota Sienna
How Do We Determine the Best Hybrid Cars for the Money?
Often, a hybrid powertrain comes at a higher cost. To determine if a hybrid vehicle’s added expense is worth the cash for buyers, we devised an efficiency-cost rating, which is simply the EPA’s combined mpg rating divided by the base price (MSRP plus destination charge). We then multiply that result by 1,000. A high mpg rating and low price provide a high efficiency-cost rating. The higher the score, the better it is.
This list is composed of model-year 2025 hybrids without a plug, and we don’t account for vehicle equipment levels, quality judgments, cost of car ownership or any variances from EPA mileage estimates. The goal here is to pay the least for the most mileage, barring all other considerations. We also denote where the vehicle is assembled to account for any tariffs that could affect the price of the car.
Compact Car
2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid | Manufacturer image; Cars.com illustration by Erin Williamson
2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
- Price (including destination): $26,645
- Gas mileage (city/highway/combined mpg): 51/58/54 mpg
- Efficiency-cost rating: 2.03
- Assembly point: South Korea
The 2025 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid tops the list overall and is the compact-car class winner; it’s a practical, affordable and efficient sedan. After a price reduction for 2025, the Elantra dethroned last year’s winner, the 2024 Corolla. The Elantra Hybrid pairs a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor and battery pack.
The 2025 Corolla Hybrid comes in at a not-too-distant second place with a score of 1.88. The Corolla starts a little lower than the Elantra at $24,960, but it gets a less efficient 50/43/47 mpg rating (all prices include destination).
Mid-Size Sedan
2025 Toyota Camry | Manufacturer image; Cars.com illustration by Erin Williamson
2025 Toyota Camry
- Price: $29,835
- Gas mileage: 53/50/51 mpg
- Efficiency-cost rating: 1.71
- Assembly point: U.S. (Georgetown, Ky.)
The 2025 Toyota Camry is a five-seat mid-size sedan with a sterling reputation for reliability, value and safety. For 2025, it comes only with a hybrid powertrain: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two electric motors and a battery pack.
In second place, the 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid sedan has a higher base price and a lower combined mpg rating; it earned a score of 1.45 on our efficiency-cost scale.
Hatchback
2025 Toyota Prius | Manufacturer image; Cars.com illustration by Erin Williamson
2025 Toyota Prius
- Price: $29,485
- Gas mileage: 57/56/57 mpg
- Efficiency-cost rating: 1.90
- Assembly point: Japan
Toyota’s five-seat hybrid hatchback has long been a standard bearer when it comes to excellent fuel efficiency for the money. Power comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s coupled with two electric motors and a continuously variable automatic transmission.
With a score of 1.87, the 2025 Kia Niro Hybrid comes in second place. It looks like an SUV but does not come with all-wheel drive, so it does not fit our definition of an SUV. The Niro starts a little lower than the Prius and also gets a lower combined fuel economy rating (53 mpg).
Full-Size Sedan
2025 Toyota Crown | Manufacturer image; Cars.com illustration by Erin Williamson
2025 Toyota Crown
- Price: $42,575
- Gas mileage: 42/41/41 mpg
- Efficiency-cost rating: 0.96
- Assembly point: Japan
Toyota debuted the Crown, its all-new flagship hybrid sedan, for the 2023 model year. It comes with two hybrid powertrain choices: one that prioritizes fuel efficiency and the other that leans more into horsepower. As far as competition, the Crown has the class to itself, as other full-size hybrid sedans hail from luxury automakers.
Pickup Truck
2025 Ford Maverick | Manufacturer image; Cars.com illustration by Erin Williamson
