From supercars to daily drivers, why hybrids have become so popular

(NEW YORK) — They’ve got sleek styling, impressive fuel economy and added power. Hybrids are the hottest vehicles right now and some Americans are struggling to find one.

Jeff Buchanan, vice president of vehicle marketing and communications at Toyota, said there’s still a wait list for the newest Prius model, which launched in November of 2022. He expects a similar situation with the upcoming Camry, which will be sold exclusively as a hybrid powertrain for model year 2025.

“Some people are not ready to switch to electric vehicles,” Buchanan told ABC News. “Hybrids offer flexibility — you don’t have to depend on charging infrastructure but you can still reduce emissions.”

The hybrids on sale today — from sport utility vehicles to six-figure sports cars — are faster, sexier and more efficient. They’ve also lost that nerdy, uncool image from the early 2000s.

“The Prius was always known for great fuel mileage. But the new one has changed everyone’s opinion,” Buchanan said. “The styling is unbelievable, the performance is unbelievable. People say to me, ‘Wow, that’s a really good looking car.'”

If styling won’t convince consumers to buy a hybrid, fuel economy will, he said. Toyota’s popular hybrids — the Prius, Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 and Camry — get anywhere from 40 to 57 combined mpg, according to EPA estimates.

Nearly 1.2 million Americans bought hybrids last year versus 763,000 in 2022, according to Robby Degraff, an analyst at AutoPacific. He said hybrid sales will continue to grow year-over-year as more automakers pull back on their electric vehicle rollouts and add hybrids to their lineups.

“Hybrids are offered in such a greater mix of body styles and segments,” he told ABC News. “Electric vehicles don’t work for a lot of people. Plus, EVs are more expensive than hybrids and gas-powered cars and trucks. Hybrids are the most equitable way to lower your carbon footprint.”

Sports car makers are also turning to hybrid technology to boost performance and acceleration. British marque McLaren currently offers two hybrids for enthusiasts: the Artura coupe and Artura Spider, a convertible that went on sale earlier this year. The Spider, which company execs call the “most fuel-efficient McLaren convertible ever,” produces a combined 691 horsepower from a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 and E-motor powertrain. The E-motor is powered by a battery pack made up of five lithium-ion modules, allowing drivers to get up to 21 miles of EV range.

The E-motor and twin-turbo V6 give the Artura Spider “razor-sharp throttle response,” according to the company, and ridiculously fast acceleration (0-60 mph in 3 seconds). Dani Marcos, a longtime test driver for McLaren, said owners still get that exhilarating rush from the hybrid powertrain.

“The goal was to make the Artura Spider more engaging and enjoyable for customers,” Marcos told ABC News. “It’s comfortable for every day driving but we also preserved McLaren’s [racing] DNA.”

McLaren is not the only automaker to make a hybrid convertible sports car. The Corvette E-Ray’s electric motor adds 60 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels via a 1.9 kWh battery pack, giving the car a combined 655 hp from the motor and naturally aspirated Small Block V8 engine. Moreover, E-Ray owners can start their drives in “Stealth Mode,” an electric drive mode that operates at speeds under 45 mph.

“The first time I floored the E-Ray, it was just so quick,” said Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver. “People want sports cars as light as possible and the E-Ray is heavy. But you can’t really notice the weight compared to the regular [Corvette] Stingray.”

He added, “It’s a performance hybrid and not tuned for efficiency. But it’s spectacular and the electric motor fills in the power before the gas engine does.”

Stephanie Valdez Streaty, industry insights director at Cox Automotive, said ongoing education about hybrids, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and pure battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) will ease Americans’ “journey toward electrification.”

“What’s a mild hybrid? Gas hybrid? PHEV? Consumers still ask that,” she told ABC News. “Some people think you have to charge a gas hybrid.”

According to Cox Automotive data, the U.S. auto market will soon “pass the milestone of 1-in-5 new vehicles sold including a sizable battery pack – adding millions of batteries to our roads each year.”

“I am not surprised at this trend,” Streaty said. “There really are no barriers to hybrids. They’re easier to sell to consumers: ‘This is how you save money on gas.’ And a lot of popular models are under $35,000.”

Honda Motor executive Jessika Laudermilk said the introduction of the 2025 Civic hybrid would likely appeal to a broad range of motorists and could even account for 40% of overall Civic sales.

The Japanese automaker’s hybrid sales have been growing since the second half of 2022, she said, and set an all-time sales record in 2023. The CR-V and Accord hybrids represented over one-quarter of total Honda brand sales last year.

“The CR-V hybrid and Accord hybrid have carried this strong momentum into the first six months of 2024,” Laudermilk told ABC News. “The market for EVs is going to fluctuate in the early stages of this transition and hybrid vehicles play an important role during this period.”

Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America, said the company’s sales of hybrid rose 42% between April and June versus 15% for fully electric models.

The appeal of hybrids can help reassure “EV-curious and cautious customers” that electrification is the way to go, he noted.

“We have always understood the EV transformation to have near-term and long-term requirements,” he told ABC News. “That is why we developed a lineup with this diverse choice of drivetrains. We want to meet the customer where they are on their EV transformation journey, including the readiness of their local and regional charging infrastructure.”

He added, “More models are coming, and more buyers will continue to trade in their ICE [internal combustion engine] models for vehicles with appealing, efficient designs and advanced technology.”

For consumers still clinging to their big engines, Degraff said it’s time to give hybrids a serious look.

“Today’s hybrids are not the same hybrids from the early- to mid-2000s,” he said. “You can buy a Hyundai Elantra, for example, that gets almost 60 miles per gallon — that’s how far hybrid technology has come. Hybrids are pretty fantastic vehicles and are only going to get better.”

Buchanan of Toyota said the company “will build cars our customers want.” Right now, that’s gas hybrids.

“Demand used to be more specific to the East and West Coasts, but every dealer would take more hybrids right now,” he said. “It just underscores the overall acceptance of this technology.”

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