Best Hybrids to Buy in 2025

Automakers often talk about electrified vehicles, but that doesn’t always mean strictly electric. Hybrids combine a gasoline engine with electric motors to optimize fuel efficiency. From the introduction of mass-produced hybrids to the Canadian market in 1999, these gas-electric models have become a very common sight on our roads.

Our team of experts has considered every hybrid model available and voted for the best ones based on factors including efficiency, comfort, practicality, and value.

In alphabetical order, these are the hybrid models our experts are most confident recommending. Our fuel economy ratings are from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), while prices include the automaker’s non-negotiable delivery fee.

All of these are so-called “conventional” hybrids, meaning they can drive on gasoline, electricity, or a combination of both depending on driving conditions, and they self-charge their batteries using regenerative braking and the gas engine. Some other vehicles are “mild hybrids” that use a small electric motor to provide some fuel-free power during acceleration, but they can’t drive on electricity alone, so they are not included on this list. There are also plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which can be charged and driven on electric-only power and then revert to conventional hybrid operation when that depletes, so they can be driven for as long as there’s fuel in the tank. They’re also left off this list, although we note that two vehicles here offer a PHEV as well as a conventional hybrid.

Ford Maverick Hybrid

The Maverick is a compact pickup truck based on the underpinnings of the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport SUVs, which cause some people to dismiss it as “not a real truck.” We say that if it has a bed and it does the lighter-duty work, that’s all many buyers need, so yes, it definitely is a truck – and one good enough to be named our Best Overall Truck in the 2025 AutoTrader Awards.

It's offered in both hybrid and gas-only versions, and while all-wheel drive (AWD) was previously restricted to the gas-only Maverick, the 2025 hybrid now comes in front-wheel drive (FWD) or AWD. The hybrid uses a 2.5L four-cylinder engine, and combined with the hybrid motor, you get 191 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. Some full-size trucks also offer hybrid powertrains, but they’re primarily to increase the truck’s power, rather than make a substantial dent in their fuel consumption. Unlike them, the Maverick also prioritizes its performance at the pumps and is rated at 5.6 L/100 km city, 6.7 highway, and 6.2 in combined driving. The gas-only Maverick is rated at 9.4 L/100 km combined. Towing is up to 907 kg (2,000 lbs), but an optional package increases that to 1,814 kg (4,000 lbs). 

Our experts like the Maverick’s satisfying driving performance, excellent visibility, crossover-style ride and handling, interior storage, and, of course, that fuel economy. The Maverick Hybrid starts at $36,695 in FWD and $39,195 for AWD in the base XL trim, and goes to $48,695 for the AWD-only Lariat.

Honda Civic Hybrid

The Honda Civic lineup was named the Best Overall Car for 2025 in our AutoTrader Awards. The hybrid sedan returns to the Canadian lineup for 2025 after a 10-year hiatus and is built in Honda’s plant in Alliston, Ont. There is also a first-ever Civic Hatchback, which is made in Indiana.

Both the gas-only and hybrid Civic use a 2.0L four-cylinder engine. It makes 150 horsepower in the gas-only version, but when combined with the hybrid system, total output increases to 200 horsepower, along with 232 lb-ft of torque. As our experts point out, that gives it more power than some compact gas-only competitors even with turbocharged engines. And despite the extra weight of the hybrid system, it can “carve up corners with precise handling” and feels “more like a premium European sedan than an economy car,” as our expert Jeff Wilson described it.

The Civic Hybrid sedan is rated at 4.7 L/100 km city, 5.1 highway, and 4.9 combined. Our experts also like the Civic’s simple controls, comfortable seats, and generous 425-litre trunk. The Civic Hybrid sedan comes in two trims, with the Sport at $35,430 and the Sport Touring at $38,930. The Civic hatchback has the same trims, each at $1,900 more than the sedan.

Toyota Corolla Hybrid

The Corolla is one of three Toyota hybrids on our list and offers a gas-only model as well as the hybrid. The hybrid uses a 1.8L four-cylinder engine that, in combination with the hybrid system, makes 138 horsepower. That isn’t as powerful as the Honda Civic, but unlike the Honda, most of the Corolla’s Hybrid trims come with AWD, which is very popular with Canadians. While the engine/hybrid system drives the front wheels, an electric motor engages the rear wheels as needed to provide fuel-free AWD.

That AWD system was noted by our editor-in-chief Jodi Lai, who said that with a good set of winter tires, it adds “a ton of extra confidence in winter weather.” The front-wheel Corolla Hybrid is rated at 4.4 L/100 km city, 5.1 highway, and 4.7 combined, while the AWD model is almost on par at 4.9 L/100 km combined. The chassis is well-designed, and the Corolla performs well, with balanced handling, smooth and responsive steering, and a comfortable ride. 

All trims include features like heated front seats and steering wheel, wireless phone connectivity, and a full suite of driver-assist technologies, including blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, active lane-keeping assist, and traffic sign recognition. The Corolla starts at $28,850 for the LE in FWD, while the AWD models range from $30,350 to $38,155.

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid (although the Honda Insight came to Canada before the Prius did). It’s still a considerable contender in the segment and was named Best Hybrid Vehicle in the 2025 AutoTrader Awards. It also comes as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

The Prius was made over into an all-new model for 2023, including an improved powertrain and vastly better styling, along with standard AWD. It uses a 2.0L four-cylinder engine that makes 150 horsepower on its own, while the combination of gas and electric ups that to 196 horsepower on tap, along with 139 lb-ft of torque. The AWD system uses a rear electric motor to provide extra fuel-free traction as required. While all-wheel drive was offered on the last-generation model, it was only up to a maximum of 70 km/h, but now it’s available at all speeds.

Our experts found the steering quick and precise, the suspension soaks up bumps in premium-car fashion, and the dramatic interior redesign is high-tech but still user-friendly. Fuel consumption is 4.8 L/100 km city, 4.7 highway, and 4.8 in combined driving. It comes in two trim levels, with the XLE at $38,165 and the Limited at $44,280.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

The Toyota RAV4 – the automaker’s top-selling vehicle in Canada by a very wide margin — comes with gasoline-only, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains. The gas and hybrid models are built at Toyota’s facility in Cambridge, Ont. The hybrid version is popular enough that its five trims are the highest number among the three RAV4 variants, offering buyers a wide range of choices.

The RAV4 Hybrid uses a 2.5L four-cylinder engine that makes 176 horsepower on its own, but combines with its hybrid system for a net output of 219 horsepower, along with 163 lb-ft of torque. That drives the front wheels, while a second rear motor powers the rear ones as needed for AWD. Our experts like its roomy interior, user-friendly controls, numerous features, and cargo practicality. It drives well, with responsive steering and a well-planted feel, and all trims include such driver-assist technologies as adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic assist.

Fuel consumption is 5.8 L/100 km city, 6.3 highway, and 6.0 combined, and like all the entries on this list, it uses regular-grade gasoline. Its five trim levels, all with AWD, range from the LE at $38,435, to the top-line Limited at $49,455.