# Why Do Hybrids Do So Little For Gas Mileage? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676 "2013-06-10T23:36:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/41 "2013-06-13T04:52:58Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > And your fuel cost, while not halved, is close to halved: you are paying .57 percent (14/8.60) of what you’d be paying for gas without an electric battery. > > Seems all too good … did I screw up the math anywhere? Only messed up the math in one way: you’re paying 57%, which is about half, not .57%, which is about 1/200. Drop your decimal point when you switch to percentages. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/42 "2013-06-13T06:58:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Does braking “feel” different in a car using regenerative breaking? Yes. I drove a friend’s Escape and it was very different. I didn’t like it but not a deal breaker if I was buying one. It felt aggressive like I was throwing it down a gear. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/43 "2013-06-13T17:04:27Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Wouldn’t it be cool if you could [just text yourself at the pump](https://www.fuelly.com/) instead of having to remember the mileage and gallons? Bonus: You can enter your spreadsheet data into the site so you don’t have to start from scratch. Similar: there are fuel-tracking apps on smartphones. The fuelly thing sounds interesting though in that it lets you compare to other cars, must check that out. A hybrid will definitely not do as well in colder weather as my brother found out (Chicago area, mostly very short trips); the car uses the gas engine to warm things up in cold weather. He found more of an improvement in warmer weather and (I think) longer trips. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/44 "2013-06-13T17:24:08Z")
Yes, that’s true about short trips, especially in cold weather: in such situations, a hybrid will have to rely entirely on the gasoline engine, and so the mileage will be more like a conventional motor. Where I live, in a small town, that is hilly and can be quite cold in the winter, the hybrid advantage in terms of mileage is reduced by a lot when making short, cold, trips up and down hills. I did find something that helps in cold weather to improve mileage of a hybrid (or, actually, any car): don’t use the main cabin heater until the engine is fully warm. Most hybrids will still shut off the ICE while stationary in cold weather when the engine is not yet warm, if the cabin heater isn’t turned on. We use the seat warmers instead – the ICE still shuts off. Obviously this won’t work if you need to defrost the car; it only works for us when departing from our garage. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/45 "2013-06-13T17:30:55Z")
In the winter we also have snow tires on the Prius, so there’s really no chance that it’ll get as good mileage as it gets in the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/46 "2013-06-13T18:51:00Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > In the winter we also have snow tires on the Prius, so there’s really no chance that it’ll get as good mileage as it gets in the summer. well that’s going to be true of any car. Are you saying it’s a bigger margin with a hybrid? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/47 "2013-06-13T19:46:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > well that’s going to be true of any car. Are you saying it’s a bigger margin with a hybrid? That hasn’t been my experience – I would say the effect is the same. I will point out that in general people who drive hybrids pay a lot more attention to what affects mileage. Part of the reason is that hybrid cars’ instrumentation makes it undeniably apparent when your mileage is poor, and when it’s good; an alert driver starts to make adjustments when possible. But also it’s a bit part of owning a hybrid – a desire to maximize mpg. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/48 "2013-06-13T19:54:26Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > …do not get all that spectacular an improvement in gas mileage compared to standard gasoline powered cars that are designed for gas efficiency. For example, the Honda Fit has been getting 33 mpg consistently for most drivers, whereas most hybrids get just 43 mpg or less. The Prius is about 30% heavier, is slightly more spacious on the inside, and has a bit more power (134 vs 117 HP). Yet, it gets 30% better mpg, by your numbers, than a car that is sold largely on the merits of its fuel economy. That’s pretty spectacular in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676/49 "2013-06-13T20:21:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Citroen and Peugeot are selling diesel hybrids in Europe, and Volvo, Land Rover, BWM, and Volkswagen are in development or selling them too. They are expensive but the price will come down and they will make more sense economically. I believe Mercedes as well. The European manufacturers seem to like diesel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hybrids-do-so-little-for-gas-mileage/660676.md?page=2)