After spending dozens of hours considering every hybrid that’s currently on sale (and driving and living with the better ones), we found the best choice for most is the standard 2015 Toyota Prius Two, which starts around $25,0001 but can be bought by most for as little as $23,000.2 No duh, huh?
Most hybrids have moved into the 2016 model year, and quite a few brand-new ones are waiting in the wings. That group includes an all-new version of our top pick, the 2016 Toyota Prius, as well as the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, which may rival the Honda Accord Hybrid as a more comfortable and conventional alternative. We’ll evaluate them both when they go on sale in January, but if you like the current Prius, now is the time to seek out a deal while Toyota sells off the 2015 model. We also received some reader requests to give our opinion of every hybrid that’s available to buy, so we’re doing just that in a new section called “The rest.”
The Prius is purpose-built for fuel efficiency and achieves the country’s second-best rating of 50 miles per gallon (2.0 gp1003) without much effort required by the driver. And unlike many of its competitors, it doesn’t cost that much more than a comparable non-hybrid compact car, but would start saving you gas money, and lots of it, from day one.
It prefers to be driven slowly and easy to burn less gas, but the Prius also has enough power to merge, pass, and pull away from stoplights with some gusto. It’s also durable, has plenty of room for people and cargo, and boasts what no other hybrid can: a 14-year record of proven reliability and the title of World’s Most Popular Hybrid. Until a new crop of competitors arrives later this year, including an all-new Prius, this current model remains atop the hybrid heap.
The Prius family includes three models: the small Prius c, the large Prius v (we’ll talk about both later), and the standard Prius lift-back. The last is our pick, and it’s the one you’re probably most familiar with because it’s been the poster car for hybrids for over a decade. There are five trim levels of the standard Prius lift-back. Some of them can cost as much as a luxury car when fully loaded, but the base model Prius Two is best for most because it’s equipped well-enough: with standard features like Bluetooth phone and audio, a rear view camera, and push-button start. Its lower starting price also means you’ll start saving money sooner.
This guide focuses on traditional parallel hybrids like the Prius, which make up the bulk of what’s for sale out there. We decided not to consider plug-in hybrids because they cost considerably more than traditional hybrids and work a little differently; they’ll get their own guide in the near future. We threw out mild hybrids too because they’re all but extinct and have always played second fiddle to full-on parallel hybrids like the Prius.
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