Some hybrid cars thirstier than their petrol peers | Australian Markets

They are offered as automobiles that can cut petrol consumption however exams on Australian roads show some hybrid cars use more fuel than customary fashions.

In one case, a delicate hybrid vehicle used 12 per cent more petrol than its inside combustion equal on highways and a typical hybrid used nearly three per cent more fuel.

The Australian Automobile Association revealed the findings on Monday in an evaluation of 16 real-world exams on hybrid and petrol automobiles from 5 manufacturers.

The news follows a spike within the reputation of hybrid cars, with gross sales of new fashions rising by more than 34 per cent in Australia over the previous 12 months.

The affiliation examined 16 automobiles together with six typical hybrid cars, two delicate hybrid automobiles and their petrol equivalents.

Mild hybrid automobiles characteristic a small battery and electric motor to help a petrol engine during short bursts and each hybrid kinds promise to cut petrol consumption.

The real-world exams carried out in Victoria confirmed three out of 4 Toyota hybrid automobiles cut petrol use by more than 30 per cent on average, whereas a Honda CR-V hybrid and a delicate hybrid Suzuki Swift diminished fuel consumption by 23 and 17 per cent, respectively.

But GWM’s Jolion hybrid vehicle cut consumption by considerably much less than promised, with a 17 per cent fuel saving in comparison with 38 per cent indicated by laboratory exams.

It additionally used more petrol than the usual Jolion model when travelling on highways.

The Subaru Forester delicate hybrid used more petrol than its inside combustion equal by 2.8 per cent on average, though the model has been discontinued.

The findings had been stark given hybrids usually commanded a increased price than petrol automobiles, Australian Automobile Association managing director Michael Bradley mentioned.

“Our program continues to show that lab test results on the windscreens of new cars can differ significantly from real-world performance and cost-focused customers should do their research before spending their money,” he mentioned.

Tests revealed hybrid automobiles had been considerably more fuel-efficient on city areas than rural roads and had been at their least environment friendly on highways.

The Toyota Camry hybrid vehicle cut fuel consumption by 50 per cent on metropolis roads, however solely 13 per cent on highways.

The discrepancy was common for hybrid automobiles however many shoppers weren’t conscious of it, Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Chris Jones mentioned.

“The conventional hybrid, which is basically a very efficient petrol vehicle, has been optimised for start-stop traffic and that’s where most driving in Australia is done,” he mentioned.

“It’s that optimisation for the low speeds that has resulted in a decline in the efficiency at high speeds.”

As a outcome, typical hybrid automobiles is probably not as helpful for drivers in regional or rural Australia as a plug-in hybrid or an electric vehicle, Dr Jones mentioned.

Australian motorists purchased more than 47,000 new hybrid cars within the first three months of 2025, in accordance with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.