10 Best Hybrid Cars to Buy in 2017

2017 Hyundai IONIQ Hybrid rear exterior ・ Photo by Hyundai

If you think 2016 was a great year for new cars, 2017 will up the ante with an ever-broadening selection that includes more hybrids than ever. Here, Autobytel takes a look at the 10 best hybrid cars to buy in 2017. We've mainly focused on cars for this list, but did include some other body styles where pertinent. These hybrids are presented in order of increasing MSRP. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a hybrid that meets your needs perfectly.

2017 Toyota Prius — MSRP $24,685

The Prius family has expanded in recent years as Toyota rushes to make the hybrid nameplate its own sub-brand of sorts. Nothing wrong with that; they’re good cars, and manage to be just different enough from each other that we can see how they’d broaden the Prius’ appeal to slightly different groups of customers. The Prius is a good car, not just a “good car, for a hybrid,” and that’s the reason it helps kick off our list of the best hybrids to buy for 2017. For 2017, Toyota has added the Safety Sense suite of active safety and driver-assistance features to the Prius’ list of standard equipment.

Photo by Toyota

2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid — MSRP $25,675

We’re fans of the regular Ford Fusion, but we think the affordable midsize sedan is considerably better as a hybrid. Typically, this class of cars isn’t particularly fun or interesting to drive, but the 2017 Fusion Hybrid manages to add a little pep to the daily commute thanks to its better-than-average handling. The Fusion Hybrid is also known for its surprisingly upscale interior, which goes a long way toward making this budget-friendly hybrid feel like a premium one. And, yes, the Fusion Hybrid is one of the more affordable such cars on the market—especially considering that it’s larger and more comfortable than the entry-level compact options.

Photo by Ford

2017 Kia Optima Hybrid — MSRP $25,995

The Kia Optima Hybrid has been on the market since 2011, and remains, in our opinion, a wholly underrated midsize sedan (not unlike the regular Optima). That’s why it’s one of our best hybrid cars to buy for 2017, and one that also happens to be one of the most affordable cars on this list. The Optima Hybrid follows the Kia formula of surprising shoppers with a nicer interior than they’d expect, and loading up the car with lots of standard equipment and features. Kia cockpits are easy to navigate and provide a comfortable experience for the driver and passengers. The Optima isn’t the most stylish car on this list, but it blends into the crowd well.

Photo by Kia

2017 Toyota Camry Hybrid — MSRP $26,790

If you’re looking for one of the best hybrid cars to buy in 2017, you can’t go wrong with a Toyota. Pretty much any Toyota. The Camry Hybrid isn’t the first Toyota vehicle on this list, and it's not the last. The reason Toyota so dominates the hybrid world? The company was one of the first to make a hybrid car that people wanted to drive. The Camry, of course, is time-tested, too—this midsize sedan’s been a value-laden class leader for years. With its reliable and efficient powertrain, the Camry Hybrid is a winner, thanks also to its spacious seating, easy-to-use technology, and great fuel economy.

Photo by Toyota

2017 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid — MSRP $27,875

While there’s a solid case to be made for unique and interesting hybrid cars that are designed as such from the ground up, there’s also something to be said for a hybrid car based on a regular old gas car—provided, of course, that the regular old gas car is good car to begin with. The 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid is a solid example of this strategy, retaining the comfort, convenience, and familiarity of Chevy’s classic and affordable midsize sedan, yet making it a bit more efficient and sustainable. The Malibu Hybrid is noted for providing rather strong acceleration for a hybrid, and for coming with numerous standard features that including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration.

Photo by General Motors

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid— MSRP $29,605

The Honda Accord Hybrid is back for 2017. After a year off, it’s a smart move on Honda’s part, even though the model, in the past, has failed to find a sizable audience. The Accord midsize sedan is better than ever, though, and the Accord Hybrid is a faithful adaptation. In addition to the Accord Hybrid’s sophisticated style and comfortable interior, this car boasts high horsepower (for a midsize hybrid) and excellent fuel economy. It’s not the best-handling car in the class, but it’s composed, smooth and steady. The 2017 Accord Hybrid has lots of standard features, making its relatively high price seem more reasonable.

Photo by Honda

2017 Lexus CT Hybrid — MSRP $31,250

The Lexus CT is a hybrid luxury hatchback that’s a little different from any other vehicle on our list of the best hybrid cars to buy in 2017. Like other models in the Lexus lineup, the CT Hybrid has the pretense of sportiness, but whether it actually delivers in that department is a conversation perhaps best held elsewhere. This Lexus hybrid sacrifices handling in favor of comfort, and acceleration for fuel economy. Yet, it has enough favorable attributes to earn a spot on our list. Compact luxury cars are popular for good reason, and the Lexus CT Hybrid has the added benefits of unique looks and generous cargo space. If run-of-the-mill hybrids aren’t doing it for you, give this Lexus a look.

Photo by Lexus

2017 Toyota Highlander Hybrid — MSRP $41,330

The 2017 Highlander Hybrid takes Toyota’s successful midsize SUV formula and makes it more efficient, pairing three electric motors to a V6 engine for a total of 280 horsepower and fuel economy ratings that are excellent for the class. Though the Highlander Hybrid’s easily one of the best hybrid SUVs on the market and an easy contender for our list of the best hybrid cars, it’s still something of a tough sell thanks to its hefty price premium over the regular Highlander. We’d urge potential buyers to give it a shot. For the 2017 model year, Toyota added a couple more trim levels to the Highlander Hybrid’s lineup, and also increased the seating capacity to eight.

Photo by Toyota

2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid — MSRP $43,090

Chrysler is undeniably (and understandably) proud of the 2017 Pacifica Hybrid: It's the first and only hybrid minivan in the world. And it’s not just any hybrid; it’s of the plug-in variety, which means that it can travel up to 30 miles on electricity alone before the gas V6 engine kicks in, yielding excellent EPA ratings. On top of that, it’s a really nice minivan, considerably more expensive than the all-new Pacifica that it’s based on, and also more expensive than most other minivans. So be it. The Pacifica Hybrid is smart, it’s comfortable, it’s loaded with value-boosting standard features, and it’s breathing some much-needed new life into the minivan segment.

Photo by Chrysler

2017 Hyundai Ioniq — MSRP unknown

Plenty of hybrid cars have joined (and left) the market since the Toyota Prius basically created the category, but few competitors have made any headway attempting to take on the Prius directly. That’s about to change with the all-new Hyundai Ioniq due to arrive any day now in early 2017. Hyundai designed the Ioniq to present the almighty Prius with its first real challenge, and from what we’ve seen so far, we think it’ll be an interesting battle. Electric and hybrid versions are on the way, but you’ll have to wait a while for the plug-in hybrid, which isn’t due to arrive until the summer. We don’t know the price yet, but expect it to be within cross-shopping range of the various Prius models.

Photo by Hyundai