Compare the most economical hybrid cars

They can be, but it depends on the car and how you drive it. Previously, most hybrids were only economical around town and got wildly thirsty on long motorway runs, but thankfully those days have largely passed. Now, most hybrids can offer good economy on longer runs, and the best can break the 60mpg barrier.

Our fuel chooser tool can help you decide if a petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric car is right for you.

A hybrid car will only go for a short distance on electric power — say, a few miles at best — but the point is that a hybrid recharges its small battery as it drives, from the engine and from braking, so you get that electric mile back again, over and over. Hence the good fuel economy. A plug-in hybrid car, when charged up from the mains, will go much further on electricity but will penalise you with worse fuel economy on long runs when you’re using the petrol engine.

The short answer? Drive carefully. That sounds trite, but it’s true. The trick with a hybrid is to make the most of its electric power, so if you accelerate gently, the car can stick with electric power for longer, before it needs to wake the petrol engine up. Do that enough and you’ll maximise your electric running time, and minimise your fuel consumption. You can do other things, such as making sure that the car is serviced regularly, have the tyres set to the right pressures, take off any roof-racks and take any excess baggage out of the boot, but driving carefully is the best thing of all for economy.

To find out more ways in which you can improve your fuel economy and save money at the pumps, check out our guide on ways to get better mpg.