Hybrid driving tips for best fuel economy

Toyota C-HR driving tips

Want to get the very best out of your ground-breaking Toyota hybrid? We’ve gathered a number of hybrid driving hints and tips that will help you to get the best from the system, improving fuel consumption and getting you further for less.

Whichever Toyota hybrid you’ve set your heart on, the following tips and pointers should maximise the range and fuel economy of your Toyota.

The basics

It’s not just hybrids that benefit from the first seven tips – these will help to improve any car’s fuel efficiency:

  • Clear out the boot! Keeping the boot free of unnecessary weight will give your car and immediate boost in performance and economy.
  • Check your tyre pressures – dig out your owner’s manual, and do a weekly check to ensure that your tyres are correctly inflated in line with Toyota’s recommendation. Or read our handy tyre pressures article here.
  • Think ahead – by planning your journeys, you can avoid traffic jams and minimise the likelihood of getting lost.
  • Shut up! Closing the windows and sun roof at speeds above 45mph will reduce drag, reducing fuel consumption.
  • Remove unused roof racks, boxes and bike racks – they’re a real drag too!
  • Steady as she goes – maintain a steady speed and don’t go over the speed limit.
  • Smoothly does it! Try to avoid sudden braking or acceleration.

Hybrid driving: hybrid-specific tips

Sorry everyone else, but these tips are for hybrids only:

  • Become familiar with the hybrid information display so you can know how much energy is being used.
  • EV does it! Keep the car in EV mode as much as possible by using the accelerator gently, pressing it lightly but consistently.
  • Improve efficiency with ECO mode, which reduces aggressive throttle response.
  • Harvest time – braking gently and early helps the regenerative braking harvest more energy, which means EV mode can operate for longer periods.
  • Keep an eye on the dials and gauges to fully understand the hybrid system and manage the charge levels in the hybrid’s high-voltage battery.
  • If you’re in stop-start traffic, don’t put the car in neutral (‘N’) when stationary, as electricity will not be generated and the hybrid battery will discharge.
  • Consider using cruise control (where fitted) to maintain steady speeds.
  • When using climate control, Re-circulate mode reduces energy usage.
  • Think about the environment! Constant or heavy use of systems like air-con, lights and wipers will increase energy consumption.

Hybrid driving: drive modes

Toyota hybrids have four drive modes: Normal, EV, Eco and Power. When you first start your hybrid, the car defaults to the ‘Normal’ drive mode, which automatically manages the most efficient use of both the engine and the battery.

Drivers can also select one of the car’s on-demand drive modes to achieve better fuel consumption in certain settings.

hybrid driving hints and tips

These drive modes are: EV Mode where the car is powered by the battery only during city driving, running near-silent and with no tailpipe emissions; Eco Mode that reduces A/C output and lessens throttle response to limit harsh acceleration; and Power Mode which boosts acceleration by using the hybrid battery to assist the petrol engine.

The shift lever offers four positions: R (Reverse), N (neutral), B (engine braking) and D (drive). For normal driving, D (drive) is absolutely fine, but should you need it, position B has the effect of engine-braking handy when descending a steep hill, for example. It’s not recommended to leave the car in position B for normal driving, mainly because you’d end up using more fuel than necessary!

hybrid driving

Hybrid driving: read the road ahead

Another great hybrid driving tip is to use the car’s battery whenever possible.

Another great hybrid driving tip is to use the car’s battery whenever possible. You can do this in town and urban driving by accelerating to your required speed, easing off the accelerator and then gently easing the accelerator on again. By doing this, you can activate EV mode – indicated by the dashboard light – which means that the engine has switched off and you are using the electric battery.

hybrid driving

Try to maintain a constant speed and, as always, it’s important to read the road ahead. By doing this, you can reduce the amount of unnecessary braking and accelerating, using less fuel. Braking slowly and gently also maximises the amount of energy recovered by the regenerative braking system on the car.

Other factors to consider

Bear in mind that there are many factors that can affect a car’s performance, hybrid included. On cold days, your car will use more fuel as it warms up, but once it’s reached its optimum temperature, the MPG figures will increase.

Also, during the winter, you’re more likely to be using the air-conditioning, lights and wipers, all of which will use some electrical power from the battery. If you regularly travel the same route, don’t be surprised if you get better MPG figures during the summer than in the winter!

Toyota highlander

If you’d like more hybrid driving tips or want to discuss your driving technique with other hybrid owners, it’s worth visiting the Hypermiler website.

As a final note, please remember that these hybrid driving tips are published as general guidance on how to get the best fuel economy from your Toyota hybrid. Toyota encourages and supports safe driving at all times – please adhere to the rules of the road.

Read more: Toyota hybrid – how does it work?

582 comments

  1. Hi Kay
    One quick point regarding the your concern with the blackout, are your light settings set to auto? This can cause the lights to come on when going through dark areas for example and can mean the dashboard lights change (decrease in illumination) to account for this.
    Hope this helps.

  2. Have bought a Auris hybrid touring sports, getting 56 to 73 mpg on mixture long trips and town driving which is excellent. Are there any plans to introduce a plug in kit to allow a conversion of this car to make it similar to the new Prius plug in vehicle?

  3. Hello David
    Thanks for your post and great to hear about your Auris Hybrid Touring Sports.
    To answer your question though we have no plans to introduce a Plug-in kit for this car and this is basically down to the technical complexities between Plug-in hybrid and our conventional hybrid. For example the Plug-in uses lithium-ion batteries while your Auris uses nickel metal batteries so there is no straightforward compatibility. In other words we have to manufacturer Plug-in vehicles at the factory. A very good question though and we hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other queries.

  4. I have a 2014 auris Hybrid I would like to know if the average miles per tank can be reset on each fill up.I know that the trip milage can be reset but I can’t find average milage reset.

    1. Hi R Hackett
      Thanks for your post.
      You can reset all the settings by keeping “settings” button on your dashboard (long thin button on instrument screen) pressed down for a couple of seconds. Hold this when you scroll through to the average consumption screen. Let us know how you get on.

  5. I have a Yaris 1.0 manual drive. It displays it’s average mpg as 68mpg. When I work it out in practice it’s doing 58 mpg. Why is there this discrepancy, please?

    1. Hi AS
      Thanks for your post.
      The driving tips are meant as a guide as fuel consumption does vary for individuals and there are many factors which can influence this. It is also worth pointing out that the fuel consumption figures which we have to quote are from a standardised EU test which it is accepted does not mirror real world driving conditions (it is undertaken indoors on a rolling road for example). The test is there to provide the consumer a level playing field when looking at consumption across all vehicle brands. More information about the test can be found here.
      http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/fcb/the-fuel-consumption-testing-scheme.asp
      Hope this helps clarify but let us know if you have any other questions.

  6. Are hybrids really worth it? I was looking at a new Yaris today standard and hybrid. The standard was approx €17k and the hybrid was €20k. €3k price difference. The salesman said the standard yaris does 55mpg and the hybrid does 74mpg. What I do when comparing cars is check the price difference and cost of fuel over a year. eg. for standard yaris 12000 miles a year/ 55mpg = 218 gallons x €7/g = €1526 for year. Hybrid 12000/74×7=€1135 for the year. €1526-€1135=€391. So you save €391/yearly with the hybrid. The cost difference is €3000 so €3000/€391=7.67. So it would take 7.67 years to recover the extra cost of the hybrid doing 12k miles a year.Unless you want to be an eco warrior or something the hybrid is a gimmick. The only way the hybrid could compete would be if the price dropped to the same level as the standard car. Also the salesman said in real driving conditions the hybrid would do 65mpg which would make it even a worse choice.

    1. Hello Mike
      Thanks for your post.
      We do take on board your comments but we have now sold seven million hybrids across the world since we launched the Prius back in Japan in 1997. Taking the point about fuel consumption though, we know that this will vary across individuals as many factors can influence this and the decision will boil down to understanding the owner requirements and making sure that the vehicle meets their needs. For example a key strength of a hybrid is use in urban environments as at lower speed (when in traffic for example) it will run solely on electric power so will use no fuel and emit no emissions. There are also other elements to consider such as preferential taxation, with Yaris hybrid exempt from vehicle excise duty for example. Finally consumption is one area why owners choose to go hybrid but not all, some like the quiet serene drive and lack of engine noise. We accept that hybrid may not be everyone’s cup of tea but more and more are being sold across the world each year. Have you tried driving one? We would be very interested to hear what you think if you have. Have you thought about a back to back test drive at your dealer with a conventional Yaris? Let us know.

    2. Hi Mike
      I love Toyota. I bought a Corolla, a Crown, a Prius and about 6 months back I bought a Auris, top of the range Excel Hybrid.
      BUT I suggest the brochure for the Auris ought to be condemned as being misleading in many ways that left me very disappointed.
      You ask about fuel consumption.
      The brochure and the salesmen would have to believe the car will achieve 76 or even 78 mpg
      WHAT PLANET ARE THEY ON?
      I suggest you will be lucky to achieve 40 mpg. Toyota suggest the figures are based on EU regulations
      That is ridiculous and certainly does not justify 100% inaccuracy!
      I suggest caution and do not buy an Auris based on fuel consumption.
      The Auris Excel is still a great car but be very careful you know EXACTLY what you are buying!
      Regards
      John

      1. Totally agree John. I have been saying this since I bought my Toyota Auris Touring Sport Hybrid brand new 2 and a half years ago. I have never achieved any better than an average over that time of 48mpg. Got fed up of people from Toyota telling me how to drive to get better consumption. The 72mpg promised could never be achieved in normal day to day driving, I don’t care what they say. The figure is very misleading and I must say I will never buy a Toyota Hybrid again and would advise others to look elsewhere if they are after better fuel consumption.

      2. A friend has the Auris hybrid estate and regularly achieves 60mpg +. Assuming the vehicle is well maintained and fault free then maybe you need to consider your driving style.

      3. In the winter i get just over 40mpg. Now in summer i get 55mpg. I had the car checked and nothing was found wrong apart from there was two digit missing from the car computer that identifies the car. I love the car but hate the mpg. If i got 60mpg all the time i would be very happy. They think its the short distance i drive every day plus bigger wheel gives less mpg and the location i drive in. Full tank i get 400miles in summer 300miles in winter.

      4. I’ve just bought a used Auris touring sports hybrid and am frequently getting 70mpg. It must be the way you’re driving it!!

      5. Hi Mike,

        Have to say, if you’re only achieving 40 mpg, then you’re not driving it correctly.

        I’ve had an Excel for over 2 years, initially my total anal driving would give me 600 miles on a full tank(42 litres) which from memory was around 64mpg.

        Even since then, with not such an OCD approach I will comfortably get 60mpg in the summer and 55mpg in the winter.

        Kind Regards

        Simon

  7. Re “13. When in stop-start traffic, do not select ‘N’ neutral when stationary, as electricity will not be generated and the hybrid battery will discharge”, this seems an odd statement – please explain further why this is a fuel economy measure.
    If you do not select neutral when stationary, the car uses power trying to “creep”, and so is surely working LESS efficiently than in neutral. So it would seem to me that engaging neutral when stationary saves energy and is MORE fuel-efficient.
    Also, if the battery does discharge sufficiently to need recharging, the car will start the ICE and charge the battery anyway.

    P.S> You do not mention in your reply below that people also choose hybrids because of the low environmental impact. They are very low Co2, without all the very unhealthy particulate emissions of competing diesels.

  8. Hi Geoff
    Thanks for your post. A good question and we have checked this further with our technical team for you.
    This essentially is to do with consumption and emissions. When the vehicle is put in neutral it basically allows the generators and transmission to freewheel. If therefore the vehicle is kept in neutral for a long period this would not be allowing the generator to trickle charge the battery. This could then cause the battery level to drop meaning that when the vehicle was put in drive the petrol engine would start straight away. Over time this would have a detrimental effect on consumption and emissions. One of the key benefits of a hybrid is the vehicle’s ability to drive solely on electric power at lower speed. We would recommend that the vehicle is kept in drive or put in Park where the transmission is locked but still allows the generator to start.
    Lastly we do take accept that a further reason for owners to choose hybrid is because of the environmental impact.
    We hope this helps address your question but please let us know if you have any other queries.

    1. Thanks for the reply. Park seems a good option, as you say, and also because of not using battery power for the “creep” function. This is what I do. How much battery power does the creep function use on a level road?
      Is there any risk of abnormal wear to the Park aspect of the transmission by using this frequently when stopped at traffic lights etc? This is a question that seems much debated amongst owners.
      Also, if the car were to be hit from behind when in Park in a traffic queue, could this inflict severe damage to the transmission which would be expensive to repair?

  9. I asked about fuel consumption on October 18th, My point is that the display in the car states it is doing 66 – 67 mpg but when I work out its actual mpg (by filling it up, counting the miles and doing the maths as I have done on lots of occasions) in reality it is doing 57 mpg. The Toyota garage can’t give me a straight answer and tells me that either every garage is short changing me on fuel/it’s the way I drive it/I can’t do maths (!) etc. This is again missing the point. The display does not match the actual mpg. They have told me, though, that if the display says 67 mpg that’s what it will be doing because the display is accurate. I don’t agree. Why is the mph display in the car 10 miles out on mpg, please?

    Thank you

  10. Hi AS
    Thanks for your post and sorry that this question was not answered correctly.
    We have double checked this with our technical team and the reason for the difference is because the in car display calculates the MPG over time and previous trips to provide an accurate average. Calculating on one tank full is not a comparison as only that journey is taken into account and may not be indicative of true consumption achieved.
    Hope this helps but let us know if you have any other questions.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To be the first to hear about all of our latest news, offers and events, check the box below, we’ll send these communications by email, phone, SMS or post. Be assured that Toyota will only share your personal information with companies that are an integral part of fulfilling the services we deliver. If you would like to find out more about how we process your data please visit our privacy policy for details.

I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time.