Hybrid cars aren’t relatively new compared to the all-electric vehicles that manufacturers are either committing to or turning away from, but the segment has never been as competitive as it is today. While embracing EVs isn’t something all major brands are prepared to do just yet, investing in a hybrid fleet has proven to be successful across multiple vehicle types, with smaller cars now being able to stand firm against the rise of the crossover SUV.
While manufacturers from around the globe offer attractive hybrids in 2025, very few can compete with the expansive lineup that leading Japanese brands currently offer. The existing nameplates that dominate the market continue to make improvements as new and returning models enter the fray, giving us plenty of choice, but making said choice is quite difficult. One of the biggest selling points for hybrids is their unmatched efficiency, and these 10 Japanese cars receive the highest fuel economy ratings to keep costs down in the long run.
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. The models are listed based on their combined fuel economy from lowest to highest.
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10
2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 36 MPG
Toyota
Toyota hasn’t committed to producing all-electric models in comparison to some of its rivals, but the Japanese manufacturer is no stranger to offering some of the very best hybrid cars on the market. Pioneering the segment with the long-standing Prius, almost every available nameplate comes with a hybrid option, including the much newer Grand Highlander Hybrid, which debuted in 2024 with its electrified powertrain.
Toyota
The Grand Highlander Hybrid is only slightly more expensive than the standard Highlander Hybrid, with a starting MSRP of $44,210. This creeps the higher end of the mid-size segment, but with its third row of seating and increased cargo space, it certainly justifies the increase in price. Under the hood, you get a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine along with two electric motors, combining for an output of 245 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque. It’s not the fastest entry in the ultra-competitive segment, but it makes up for it with an efficiency rating of 36 MPG combined, saving you $2,000 in fuel costs over five years compared to the average new car.
9
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 39 MPG
Toyota
Moving down the pricing ladder slightly in Toyota’s hybrid range lands you at the RAV4 Hybrid, a nameplate that has been instrumental in taking the brand to new heights in recent years. While it trails the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado when it comes to overall sales, the RAV4 was easily the best-selling SUV throughout 2024 in the U.S., and it’s not hard to see why. Looking at the hybrid model, it comes with all the practicality and overall usability that you get with the gas-only variant, only this time with better fuel economy to keep the costs down over time.
Toyota
Unsurprisingly, the 2025 RAV4 Hybrid is slightly more expensive than its gas-only counterpart, with a starting MSRP of $32,300. For reference, the standard RAV4 comes in at $29,250. Powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 176 horsepower by itself, the three additional electric motors bump up the performance to 219 horsepower combined. These aren’t blistering numbers, but that can be expected with a compact SUV aimed at being as practical as possible, and one that keeps costs down over time with a combined efficiency rating of 39 MPG from the EPA.
8
2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 40 MPG
Honda
One of the RAV4’s closest rivals is undoubtedly the Honda CR-V, which falls into the same compact SUV category and comes in at a very similar price point. Starting at $34,650, the latest 2025 CR-V Hybrid is slightly more expensive than the Toyota, which could easily be one of the key reasons as to why it trails the RAV4 on the best-selling list of 2024, in fifth place. Looking at what you get for the money, there isn’t much in it, with the CR-V Hybrid managing to come out ahead in some of the key areas.
Honda
All four trims for the 2025 CR-V Hybrid come with the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing a humble 145 horsepower. This sort of power would have the Honda trailing almost every competitor in the segment; therefore, thanks to two electric motors, the output is boosted to 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. The horsepower rating is on the backfoot compared to the likes of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, but it slightly edges its rival out with a 40 MPG combined fuel economy rating from the EPA.
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7
2026 Toyota Crown
Fuel Economy Rating: 41 MPG
Toyota
The Toyota Crown is without a doubt one of the more unique models in the automaker’s lineup, with its sedan design style riding at an SUV-type height. Not only does this make the crown incredibly easy to recognize, but it’s a great choice if you want the increased practicality of the crossover SUV without sacrificing the sleek sedan philosophy that’s not too common on the new market in 2025. Starting at $41,440 for the latest 2026 model, which is unchanged from 2025, the Crown is one of the more expensive models on this list, but it does a solid job of justifying its price point.
Lyndon Conrad Bell – Photography
One way in which the Toyota Crown earns its price tag is through its standard luxury-focused features, such as heated, ventilated, and leather-trimmed front seats, ambient interior lighting, and dual-zone automatic climate control. In the XLE and Limited trims, you get a 2.4-liter four-cylinder along with three electric motors to produce 236 horsepower combined. All-wheel drive is also standard, but thanks to the hybrid system, you still get an impressive 41 MPG combined in these trims.
The top-spec platinum trim swaps out this engine for a 2.4-liter Hybrid MAX engine, which ups the power to 340 horsepower combined. However, this drops the estimated fuel economy down to 30 MPG combined. If you want a full-on SUV in a similar style, the Toyota Crown Signia is also available, but that also achieves a lower 38 MPG in its base guise. Still, this is enough to earn a spot on this list by itself and give you slightly more performance at 240 horsepower.
6
2025 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 42 MPG
Toyota
Another hybrid SUV from Toyota to earn a spot on this list, the 2025 Corolla Cross Hybrid, is the cheapest electrified SUV on sale from the brand this year, following suit with its sedan counterpart that also claims the same title within its respective segment. Starting at a generous $28,495, the Corolla Cross manages to stand out from many of its key rivals, such as the Honda HR-V, by simply offering a hybrid powertrain, something that many brands only introduce for their larger models.
TOYOTA
The 2025 Corolla Cross Hybrid is spurred on by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine combined with three electric motors, producing a decent 196 horsepower combined. One of the key features that these motors give to Toyota’s smallest hybrid SUV is an all-wheel-drive setup as standard, which doesn’t necessarily transform the experience behind the wheel, but makes it more capable of handling more difficult conditions on the roads. Efficiency also doesn’t take a hit by any means, with the EPA reporting a combined rating of 42 MPG.
5
2025 Toyota Corolla Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 47 MPG
Toyota
Keeping on topic with the smaller Toyota Corolla Hybrid, this compact sedan has been one of the most competitive cars in the segment ever since it was introduced in 2020. Over its relatively short life compared to the standard gas-only Corolla, the hybrid model hasn’t received too many changes aside from cosmetic updates and new packages, but that by no means makes the $23,825 sedan feel dated in any way.
Toyota
The biggest news for the 2025 Corolla Hybrid is the introduction of the FX trim for the gas-powered model, but that isn’t available for the hybrid model at the time of writing. The trims for the hybrid carry over from 2024, all of which feature a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors producing 138 horsepower and 105 pound-feet of torque. These numbers may be lower, but the 47 MPG efficiency rating certainly makes up for that, as the base Toyota Corolla is not designed with performance in mind.
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4
2025 Honda Accord Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 48 MPG
Honda
Moving over to the mid-size hybrid sedan segment, the competition is just as tough, if not tougher, than the likes of the compact scene. Almost all the key selling points are incredibly closely matched, and the Honda Accord Hybrid keeps the Japanese brand well in contention with its increased focus on technology and comfort, but at a higher price tag.
Honda
Starting at $33,655 for the base Sport Hybrid trim, the flagship hybrid car is positioned almost $5,000 ahead of some of its key rivals. Powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with two electric motors giving it some extra juice, the overall power output comes in at 204 horsepower, another area where the Accord Hybrid trails some rivals. Its cabin quality does a great job of justifying its higher price point, but the upfront costs are still quite hard to ignore. It’s one of the most efficient mid-size cars on the market, however, offering 48 MPG combined.
3
2025 Honda Civic Hybrid
Fuel Economy Rating: 49 MPG
Honda
The Civic Hybrid has been on the market for longer than most in Honda’s current lineup, being introduced back in 1976. Fast-forward to 2025, the Civic still ticks all the boxes for a compact sedan, but does once again come at a higher price point with some features to help justify it. For this year, the Civic has been brought back emphatically, giving us another enticing choice for a brand-new budget hybrid.
Honda
Priced at $29,950, the Hybrid is more expensive than larger cars such as the Toyota Camry, but Honda reserves many of the best technology features available with the nameplate for the Hybrid. As for its powertrain, the 2025 Civic Hybrid is also powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine along with two electric motors, producing 200 horsepower overall. Not far behind the Accord Hybrid by any means, the sedan offers slightly better efficiency at 49 MPG combined. Along with the sedan model, a hatchback is also available starting at $30,150, which is on par with the Accord at 48 MPG combined.
2
2025 Toyota Camry
Fuel Economy Rating: 51 MPG
Craig Cole | TopSpeed
One of the Accord Hybrid’s main rivals for years, and now most likely going up against the Civic Hybrid, the Toyota Camry is one of the best-selling models on the market, and for good reason. Previously, the Camry was offered as a gas-only and a hybrid, but for the 2025 model, Toyota decided to make it a hybrid-only, and a brand-new hybrid at that. Sales aren’t slowing, however, with its ultra-competitive price tag and powertrain, the renowned sedan is better than ever.
Craig Cole | TopSpeed
Starting at $28,700, the 2025 Camry manages to come in below the smaller Civic Hybrid, but with more interior space, more horsepower, and better fuel efficiency. Powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, you can either opt for front-wheel drive with two electric motors or all-wheel drive with three motors. The former produces 225 horsepower and the latter a higher 232 horsepower, but to make the most of the hybrid powertrain’s efficiency, the front-wheel-drive LE model offers an outstanding 51 MPG combined. All-wheel-drive isn’t far behind, however, rated at 50 MPG combined, again for the base LE trim.
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1
2025 Toyota Prius
Fuel Economy Rating: 57 MPG
Toyota
Seeing the Prius come out on top when it comes to efficiency isn’t a surprise. Ever since its introduction, the Prius has continued to set the standard for hybrids across the board, never sacrificing its ability to save fuel better than any other Japanese electrified car on the market, outside of EVs.
Toyota
The 2025 Toyota Prius is priced similarly to the Camry, at $28,350. Despite their similar price, the two are very different cars. Under the shell of the former is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, with one electric motor at the front axle providing a combined 194 horsepower. If you want all-wheel drive, an extra motor can be added at the rear to bring the power output to a slightly higher 196 horsepower. The all-wheel-drive model would still come out on top of this list with its 54 MPG rating, but the front-wheel-drive model’s 57 MPG is the most you can get from a Japanese vehicle in 2025.
AloJapan.com