According to experts, these are the best-rated hybrid models for both safety and fuel economy

A funny thing happened on the way to an all-electric car future. More and more American drivers are eagerly embracing hybrid models these days for less cost and fuss — but still energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.

According to statisticians Kelly Blue BookNew vehicle buyers bought 41% more conventional gas/electric hybrid-powered cars, trucks and SUVs in the first half of 2024.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the most efficient hybrids by 2024 will boast 50 or more mpg, with average annual fuel costs as low as $900; Compared to the average new vehicle, that represents a savings of $4,750 over five years.

For the uninitiated, hybrid-powered vehicles use a conventional gasoline engine as the primary power source, with one or more electric motors augmenting the gas engine as needed to increase acceleration or fuel economy. A hybrid’s battery pack is self-charging, recovering energy lost through braking and deceleration through a process called regenerative braking, meaning it never needs to be plugged in to run, its range limited only by the amount of gas. Tank.

There are also plug-in hybrids that come with a large battery that can only drive a limited number of miles on electricity, but if their owners ignore the tether, the money will cost more to buy the little extras and buy them. They go to the power grid every night to charge.

While fuel economy is certainly an important issue among hybrid-vehicle buyers, safety — specifically how well a given model protects its occupants in a collision and prevents them from getting into an accident in the first place — is another important consideration. To that end, we’ve combined both the EPA’s official fuel economy ratings and lists of models deemed a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ by the industry-backed Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year.

To earn top marks here, a given model must score first in all of the IIHS’s crashworthiness tests, including front- and side-impact crash tests and driver- and passenger-side small overlap frontal crash tests that simulate hitting a tree. Or a lamppost. Notably, the IIHS recently updated its side-impact test to underscore how well the vehicle protects rear-seat passengers in T-bone type crashes.

Award recipients must also include highly rated forward emergency automatic braking systems to help avoid collisions with both other vehicles and pedestrians during day and night driving.

What’s more, top-ranked vehicles must offer acceptable or good-performing headlights as standard equipment. Lighting the road ahead is an often overlooked but important aspect of vehicle safety, as half of all traffic fatalities occur in the dark, and a quarter of those occur on unlit roads. Many inferior systems do not provide enough light to stop a driver in a timely manner after detecting an obstacle in the vehicle’s path traveling at 55 mph on a straight road.

The best safety choices without the „+” designation score well on most of the above criteria, but receive the second best acceptability score for the recently improved side-impact test.

To help steer shoppers toward the safest and most fuel-efficient rides on the road, we’ve identified the most fuel-efficient hybrid cars and SUVs for 2024 that IIHS says are also the safest. We cite the best EPA fuel economy estimates for each line, with an estimated cost of driving 15,000 miles per year in combined city/highway driving with regular-grade gas averaging $3.44 per gallon.

But the IIHS focuses its testing efforts on the industry’s best-selling vehicles, often leaving big-ticket luxury models at the upper end of the price spectrum and low-production sports cars. What’s more, some new or completely redesigned vehicles may not yet be put through their paces; Ratings are updated regularly.

Safety ratings for all vehicle types, current and past model years, can be found here www.IIHS.orgWith pre-1984 fuel economy numbers listed www.fueleconomy.gov.

18 Safer and More Fuel-Efficient Cars, Trucks, and SUVs for 2024

Both are gas/electric hybrid-powered models that have earned IIHS Best Safety Award and Best Safety Award+ status for 2024, and are EPA-rated to achieve at least 35 mpg in combined city/highway driving with annual fuel consumption estimates. Mentioned.

• Toyota Prius: Best Security Choice; 57 mpg; $900 annual fuel cost
• Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 54 mpg; $950 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Camry Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 52 mpg; $1,000 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Corolla Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 50 mpg; $1,050 annual fuel cost
• Honda Accord Hybrid: Best Security Choice+; 48 mpg; $1,100 annual fuel cost
• Hyundai Sonata Hybrid: Best Safety Pick: 47 mpg; $1,100 annual fuel cost
• Kia Sportage Hybrid: Best Security Choice+; 43 mpg; $1,200 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 42 mpg; $1,250 annual fuel cost
• Lexus UX 250h: Best Security Choice; 42 mpg; $1,250 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Crown: Best Security Choice; 41 mpg; $1,250 annual fuel cost
• Honda CR-V Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 40 mpg; $1,300 annual fuel cost
• Lexus UX 250h: Best Security Choice; 39 mpg; $1,300 annual fuel cost
• Lexus NX 350h: Best Security Choice; 39 mpg; $1,650 annual fuel cost (premium fuel)
• Toyota Venza: Best Security Choice; 39 mpg; $1,300 annual fuel cost
• Hyundai Tucson Hybrid: Best Security Choice+; 38 mpg; $1,350 annual fuel cost
• Kia Sorento Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 37 mpg; $1,400 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Sienna: Best Security Choice; 36 mpg; $1,450 annual fuel cost
• Toyota Highlander Hybrid: Best Security Choice; 36 mpg; $1,450 annual fuel cost

Sources: IIHS, EPA.