Hybrid car fuel efficiency: Better in the city or on the highway?

When one buys a new vehicle these days, one of the biggest questions asked is about its fuel consumption, particularly if a specific model is efficient and by how much. Thankfully, hybrid vehicles are here and they are proving to be very well efficient when it comes to sipping fuel.

Let’s start with a little background on hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) for those that aren’t too familiar. HEVs are powered by the combination of an internal combustion engine (ICE) and at least one electric motor and battery pack.

With the recent and growing popularity of electrified vehicles in the local market, we got the chance to drive more and more hybrid vehicles and one thing we noticed is how these vehicles tend to consume more fuel on the highway than when inside the city. This is the opposite of what we’re used to.

Case in point, in testing two different hybrid-powered vehicles available in our market, the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 V Hybrid and GWM Haval H6 HEV, we were able to achieve expected numbers. For the former, we achieved 30 km/l inside the city and 23 km/l on the highway. You’ll notice that the fuel consumption was a lot better inside the city. Meanwhile, for the latter, we achieved 16 km/l inside the city and 18 km/l on the highway, a very close number. 

For comparison, a typical ICE-powered vehicle like the Toyota Raize with its turbocharged engine can achieve 14 km/l inside the city, and 24 km/l on the highway. Another example, the Hyundai Stargazer, can also achieve the same numbers. As you can see, the discrepancy is much larger in favor of highway driving.

The reasoning behind this is simple. The engine is used less when driving inside the city as the vehicle relies more on the electric motor, especially in low speed driving and when coasting to a stop. Also when stopped in traffic, the engine does not run unless the battery pack is low on charge. On the other hand, the engine runs a lot more during highway driving as it is needed to keep the electric motor and battery pack charged.

Another important factor that allows hybrid vehicles to consume less fuel is a feature called regenerative braking. Found in most, if not all hybrid vehicles, this feature creates kinetic energy from friction in the vehicle’s brakes which is transferred to the electric motor. Since brakes are heavily used inside the city, this feature really helps.

It may not make sense for some, but come to think of it, the overall fuel saved is still much more with the engine working a lot less. Yes you’ll be using more on the highway than inside the city, but as long as you drive properly, the benefits of owning a hybrid are still unbeatable.