10 Mainstream Hybrids That Aren’t As Efficient As You May Think

Hybrid powertrains were originally intended to squeeze more miles out of every gallon of gasoline, using an electric motor, storing electricity in a battery pack, and recapturing energy through braking. It works to reduce engine load at low speeds and to provide a boost during acceleration, with the ultimate goal of frequenting the fuel pumps less often. By and large, this means a noticeable gain in fuel efficiency compared to non-hybridized engines.

But hybrid technology doesn’t always have fuel economy as its top priority. In performance-oriented vehicles, whether they are sporty on-pavement cars or off-roading trucks, electric motors often serve as torque boosters, helping engines deliver stronger acceleration and sharper response. The idea is to retain the vehicle’s performance cred, but as the following hybrids show, that often comes at the cost of fuel economy.

To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturers and other authoritative sources, including the EPA, Edmunds, and Car and Driver. The models below are presented in descending order based on their EPA-rated combined mpg.

2025 Toyota Sequoia

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 20 MPG

The 2025 Toyota Sequoia enhances its position at the top of the Toyota SUV food chain with a transition to an exclusively hybrid powertrain, using a twin-turbocharged V-6 paired with Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid system. This setup delivers the strong towing capability that’s required of Sequoia, with improved fuel efficiency from previous V-8-powered Sequoias. As a big, heavy brute, the gain is modest, though the instant torque is great.

Introduced at the turn of the century, the Toyota Sequoia has long been the brand’s answer to the demand for a spacious, three-row utility vehicle with truck-based durability, even as the buying public switched to more car-based SUVs. It adopted an exclusive hybrid powertrain for the 2023 model year, marking a significant change in character and aligning it with Toyota’s broader push toward electrification.

2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 23 MPG

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser is a downsized version of the long-serving 4×4 in Toyota’s line-up, now powered exclusively (in North America, but not worldwide) by a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder enhanced with Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid system. The system produces strong torque for the off-road use expected of the Land Cruiser name, while improving fuel efficiency on pavement, where most Land Cruisers are apt to be used.

The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of Toyota’s longest-serving vehicles, first introduced in the 1950s as the rugged, go-anywhere, Jeep-like FJ utility vehicle. It evolved into a more Jeep Cherokee-like large family wagon through the 1960s, but never lost its ties to ruggedness and durability, and today remains a respected choice for buyers seeking heritage, family room, and versatility, off-road capability, and modern efficiency.

2025 Toyota 4Runner

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 23 MPG

Like its Toyota SUV stablemates, the 2025 Toyota 4Runner enters a new generation with a significant update: the availability of Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain. The 4Runner borrows the electrically-assisted 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powertrain from the Land Cruiser to enhance low-end torque and provide greater responsiveness than the vehicle’s outgoing V-6, but only achieves a gain of two mpg from the non-hybrid version.

Since its debut in 1984, the Toyota 4Runner has built its reputation as a body-on-frame rugged midsized (initially, compact) SUV designed for serious off-road use. The hybrid option arrived with the newest generation (the model’s sixth) for 2025, reflecting Toyota’s push to extend electrification across the entire lineup, and tailoring it to suit each vehicle’s presence and intent.

2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 27 MPG

Combining the practicality of a three-row family SUV, the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is available with multiple powertrains and drivetrains to tick off many of the boxes on buyers’ wishlists. At the top of the line, the Hybrid Max versions use Toyota’s performance-oriented hybrid system (modified from SUVs like the 4Runner and Land Cruiser), which also happens to be considerably less economical than the 2.5-liter system it also offers.

The Toyota Grand Highlander was introduced in 2024 to expand Toyota’s crossover and SUV lineups, offering up better room utilization than the smaller Highlander and a more pavement-friendly drive than the similarly sized 4Runner and Land Cruiser. Part of the strategy involved a hybrid powertrain, and the Grand Highlander actually got two, so buyers could choose the eco-friendly powertrain to suit their driving needs.

2025 Toyota Crown Platinum

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 30 MPG

The Toyota Crown Platinum sits at the top of the 2025 hybrid-exclusive Crown lineup, equipped with the Hybrid Max 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder powertrain. Other Crowns use Toyota’s ubiquitous 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle hybrid system. The Hybrid Max system delivers 44 percent more power and double the torque, but considerably reduced fuel efficiency, clocking in with 25 percent reduced mileage (combined), according to EPA estimates.

The Crown nameplate is one of Toyota’s oldest (dating back to 1955), though it took a hiatus from the North American market for 50 years, between 1972 and 2022. It returned as a hybrid-only, AWD sedan, replacing the large Toyota Avalon. With the two hybrid powertrains, buyers can choose from a fuel-efficient family conveyance or a more performance-oriented car that borders on luxury sport sedan status.

2025 BMW 330i

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 31 MPG

The 2025 330i is the entry point to the revered BMW 3 Series, drawing power from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that uses a mild-hybrid system. The integration of a 48-volt starter-generator provides a small boost in torque during acceleration (slightly improving 0–60 times), but mostly smooths engine performance in stop-and-go traffic and marginally improves fuel efficiency without altering the character of the car.

It may seem strange to see a BMW in this company, but in the luxury-brand sphere, you don’t get much more mainstream than a BMW 3 Series. At one time considered an aspirational car for wannabe luxury buyers, the BMW 330i can now be had for less than some of the mid-size SUVs prevalent in today’s marketplace. Its main selling point has always been its driver-focused persona, which isn’t at all impacted by the mild hybrid that is spreading through the BMW showroom.

2025 Kia Carnival MPV Hybrid

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 33 MPG

The 2025 Kia Carnival MPV Hybrid is one of the largest hybrids in North America, powered by one of the smallest engines—a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that does an amazing job at efficiency, but won’t win any 0–60 mph sprints. It replaces the non-hybrid Carnival’s V-6, improving tremendously on responsive power delivery and fuel economy, without impacting people- and cargo-hauling too greatly.

The Kia Carnival has been around since the turn of the century, though it was named Sedona in North America for the first two decades. Since its inception, it has been a standout in the minivan segment, for its affordable price, roomy interior, and cargo versatility. It recently added the hybrid powertrain and simultaneously adopted an MPV designation (multipurpose vehicle) to its name, to affiliate it more closely with SUVs and farther away from minivans.

2025 Kia Sorento AWD Hybrid

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 34 MPG

The 2025 Kia Sorento AWD Hybrid uses the same 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain as its larger minivan sibling, offering the same balance of power and efficiency, but with different requirements. The smooth low-end torque characteristics of the powertrain are ideal for stop-and-go city driving, and its fuel economy ratings are slightly better than those of the Carnival MPV. Refinement and economy are also much improved from the Sorento’s standard V-6.

Like its smaller Sportage sibling, the Kia Sorento started life as a body-on-frame SUV, but evolved into today’s unibody crossover as market values changed. The hybrid powertrain was introduced for the latest generation in 2021 (Sorento debuted in 2002), and it’s one of the roomiest and most efficient three-row SUVs on the market, while still providing a healthy dose of off-roadability.

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 34 MPG

Like its Kia cousin, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Hybrid pairs a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with an electric motor to deliver a balance of efficiency and usable performance in a midsize SUV, with standard AWD. The Santa Fe has the looks and performance of a traditional SUV, and delivers confident power and traction over a variety of surfaces, though it is still more at home on city roads and highway pavement.

The Hyundai Santa Fe debuted in 2001 as a compact SUV to rival the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but has since matured into a midsize with broad family appeal, thanks to its box-like accommodations for people and cargo. The hybrid came along in 2021 as part of Hyundai’s electrification strategy, and continues in the redesigned 2025 model, which is one of the roomiest and most efficient packages in the market.

2025 Toyota Sienna AWD

EPA Combined Efficiency Rating: 35 MPG

The Toyota Sienna was one of Toyota’s first conversions to a hybrid-only model when it was unveiled for its fourth generation in 2020. Power comes from the tried and true 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid system with two motors for AWD. The benefits for all-season traction are unquestionable, and economy varies only minimally from the front-drive version, leading to questions about the value of the $2,000 price premium.

Although the Toyota minivan dates back to the Van of 1982, the Toyota Sienna debuted in 1998, and quickly rose to the number-one challenger to the crown that had been held steadfastly by the Dodge Grand Caravan. It also heralded a spate of rivals from Ford, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia, in addition to a bunch of smaller challengers from GM and Nissan. It is only one of two full-hybrid minivans currently on the market.