Hi everyone, I’m about to buy a car (used but still new to me), and I’m kind of stuck. I was planning to go for a Camry Hybrid because I figured I’d save a lot on gas. But someone at work told me the regular 2023 Camry gets almost the same fuel mileage. Has anyone here owned both? I’ve never bought a car before and I don’t know much, so I’d really appreciate some honest advice.
Your coworker gave you the wrong info.
This is exactly where hybrids shine.
V6 Camry: 22 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway.
4-cylinder Camry: 28 city, 39 highway.
Hybrid Camry with bigger rims: 44 city, 47 highway.
Hybrid Camry LE with smaller rims: 51 city, 53 highway.
@Ashton
Yeah I kind of guessed he was off… and wow yeah that’s a huge gap. But honestly the hybrid ones cost so much more. A regular LE used one is around 23k and the hybrid version is closer to 27k. Feels kind of unfair.
If we’re talking about gas use alone, hybrids clearly win.
But over time, regular gas models might be cheaper to keep running.
Zayne said:
If we’re talking about gas use alone, hybrids clearly win.
But over time, regular gas models might be cheaper to keep running.
Thing is, hybrids don’t come with parts like a starter, alternator, or drive belts. That’s fewer things that can break. They also use regenerative braking, which can last over 100,000 miles. So how is a gas car cheaper to maintain?
Zayne said:
If we’re talking about gas use alone, hybrids clearly win.
But over time, regular gas models might be cheaper to keep running.
Really? I didn’t know any of this. Like I said, I’m not great with cars so this is all new to me.
@Sunny
Hybrids also have a large battery pack, different from the usual 12V battery in gas cars. That big battery can be expensive to replace—it usually costs a few thousand bucks. It’s something that comes up after years of use.
Zayne said:
If we’re talking about gas use alone, hybrids clearly win.
But over time, regular gas models might be cheaper to keep running.
I think hybrids end up being cheaper overall to take care of.
Not sure where you live, but in Ohio the yearly registration cost for a hybrid is way more than for a regular gas car—like four times more. They do this because you’re not spending as much on fuel taxes. Government always finds a way to get their share.
@Owen
I’m in Texas. I don’t really mind taxes—they help fund services and programs. Not sure if Texas has extra fees for hybrids but I guess I’ll find out.
The hybrid Camry is better than the gas one in pretty much every way.
Here’s a fuel savings calculator: https://www.edmunds.com/calculators/gas-guzzler.html
Try it out to see if the price difference is worth it for you.
If you drive a lot in the city, the hybrid gets around 50 mpg. On the highway, it’s more like 40–50 mpg. Real-world combined mpg is about 45.
Gas Camry averages 27–30 mpg in the city. On the highway, you can get 40–45 mpg pretty easily.
So if you mostly do highway driving, the difference isn’t huge. But for city driving, hybrids really save a lot more fuel.