Overview & Reviews

Until recently, driving a hybrid car required some sort of sacrifice, whether in terms of space, performance or anonymity. However, in the case of the Camry Hybrid, one could argue that Toyota has given the buying public a hybrid that demands few or no sacrifices.

If judged only on its merits as a competent midsize sedan, the Toyota Camry Hybrid would score well. We've found that it shares all the attributes that make the conventional Camry one of the best-selling family sedans out there: a comfortable and quiet ride, more than adequate power, lots of amenities and plenty of room for five. That its fuel economy beats that of most compact cars and its price is well within the normal range for an average midsize car are just icing on the hybrid cake.

Current Toyota Camry Hybrid
The current Toyota Camry Hybrid features a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor. Combined output comes to 200 horsepower and it's routed to the front wheels through a specialized continuously variable transmission (CVT). The EPA estimates combined fuel economy at an excellent 40 or 41 mpg, depending on the trim level.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid is offered in LE, XLE and (late introduction) SE Limited Edition trim levels. Standard feature highlights for the LE include keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, full power accessories, Bluetooth, a touchscreen display and a six-speaker sound system with a USB port. The XLE adds a power driver seat and an upgraded sound system. The SE Limited Edition is essentially an XLE with sporty styling cues and the sport front seats of the non-hybrid Camry SE. Main options include a sunroof, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a premium audio system, a navigation system and a smartphone integration system.

It should be noted that halfway into the 2014 model year, the Camry Hybrid saw a few minor changes. These include the aforementioned new trim level, the rearview camera becoming standard across the board and a renaming of the car's infotainment systems.

Inside, the Camry's new interior benefits from roomy seats, admirable outward visibility and well-placed controls. What the cabin design lacks in cohesiveness, it makes up for with generally good materials quality, especially the handsome stitching on the dash and door panels of upper trims. Toyota's Entune system is also praiseworthy in the way it easily adds enhanced audio, information and navigation features, although the touchscreen's virtual buttons can be a little frustrating to use at times.

While fuel economy gets top billing here, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is still pleasant to drive. Its hybrid powertrain is quite smooth in its operation and provides quick acceleration. Handling is unremarkable and the steering is quite light and uncommunicative, but for most buyers this will likely be a non-issue.

Used Toyota Camry Hybrid Models
This latest Toyota Camry Hybrid was redesigned for 2012, as was the conventional Camry. As such, it benefited from the same generational upgrades, such as a much nicer interior and new electronics features. Fuel economy and power are also considerably better than they were with the previous-generation hybrid. Note that these Camry Hybrids lack a few minor updates of the current version, including the addition of the SE Limited Edition trim level, the rearview camera becoming standard across the board and a renaming of the car's infotainment systems.

That previous, first-generation Toyota Camry Hybrid was produced for the 2007-'11 model years. While it shared much of the same advantages of the current car, it suffered from a rather small trunk, disappointing interior materials and inconsistent fit and finish issues. Additionally, its fuel economy, while high, was not as good as the current model's.

This Camry Hybrid was powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine working in concert with an electric motor. Power was sent to the front wheels through a specialized CVT. The gas engine produced 147 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque, and the electric motor added another 40 hp, yielding 187 maximum hp. Fuel economy was quite good for the time, checking in at an EPA-estimated 33 mpg city/34 mpg highway and 34 mpg combined.

For most of the first generation's production run, standard features included 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless ignition and entry, a power driver seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a trip computer and a six-speaker sound system. Main options were a sunroof, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power passenger seat, a navigation system and a premium sound system.

Changes were slight over the years, with revised front-end styling, a new instrument cluster and unique upholstery made of silk protein and synthetic fiber being introduced for 2010. In 2011, the alloy wheels were downgraded to steel wheels with plastic covers.

On the whole, the Camry Hybrid presented a complete package. It was roomy, comfortable and kept up to date with the latest features. And thanks to the Prius, Toyota has shown that its hybrid powertrains are able to meet consumers' expectations of durability and reliability. Our only suggestion would be to also check out the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which eclipsed the Camry Hybrid in terms of economy and interior design for the final two years.

User Reviews:

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  2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Happy driver - April 12 - 4:43 pm

  After reading all the web reports on the hybrids, we test drove each and bought the Camry Hybrid this February. It is so quiet that you can listen to classical music and hear it as you would in your living room. Our fuel economy has varied from 36.8 mpg in the bitter cold and covered with snow to 43.6 mpg last week on a 900+ mile trip. Daily avg. 40-41 mpg.

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  Underwhelming - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By B Walker - March 31 - 6:53 am

  After 10,000 miles, this car is a disappointment. Unless you drive in a way to aggravate those behind you, we average mid to high 20s when strictly in the city and 33 to 34 on the highway with cruise set between 70 and 75. The best we have done is 39 mpg on a downhill trip from the Vermont mountains to Connecticut. Go with the 4 cylinder and save $10,000. The ride is somewhat bouncy.

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  Good buy - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Chris E - March 26 - 1:13 am

  This is a really solid car. I consistently get 37 mpg and have had no problems with it so far. The interior finishes are a little spotty for a Toyota (seat material mars easily, hard plastics scratch easily, a couple of small rattles). Plenty of power. Overall, Toyota did a nice job.

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  disappointing - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By gramparoy - March 25 - 11:26 am

  Heres what I found out regarding small battery.....no warranty, has special battery..cost much more as it has no liquid( safety issue) You can toss out the milage amount.....somewhere between 26-28 mfg. I will never buy another hybrid as we put on only 380 miles per nonth. Am trying to lease either a fiesta or hyundai.

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  MPG Drops a lot in Winter - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By AB01002 - March 8 - 7:33 am

  This is a great car, but I live in New England. We were getting 35-38 MPG before winter. Now we are getting around 25 mpg. (Our Suburban gets 16 mpg!) I love our Camry but wonder if I would have bought it knowing the winter mileage is so much lower. We have a long winter and I wish I had known about the drop in MPG in the cold weather. By the way, I researched this and it is a normal characteristic of all hybrids.

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  Over the "ooh & aah" of having a hybrid - 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Mike from Delaware - March 6 - 11:53 am

  Ive had the car from 3 months now, close to 5,000 miles on it. Not that Im over the initial "ooh & aah" of having a hybrid, what I have is an excellently running, gas saving vehicle, but a little on the boring side. This is not a sports car by any means, and I realized that when I purchased. However, the interior just seems to bland and dull to me and the ride is way too soft. Come time for new tires, I will look into adding on the 18-inch rims and the TRD suspension to "sport up" the ride a bit. I didnt want the nav system because of not being able to program while car is in drive, so opted for cloth seats, but got everything else with it.

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  Mileage, comfort and reliability! - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Don - March 5 - 10:00 am

  Have only had the car for one week now, but it is outstanding. The fit and finish is excellent. The ride and lack of road noise is astounding. Mileage is every bit as good as advertised. It is near luxury in every aspect. There isnt a better overall value out there.

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  My 09 Camry - 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By longhoferj - March 1 - 4:43 pm

  Bought mine about 10 days ago, and have driven over 200 miles and still have 2/3 of a tank. I had an 08 RAV4 and I loved it but the gas was killing me, made the painful decision to trade before the value went down. My dealer got me into a loaded model which is nice. Love the bluetooth, works perfect with my Razor. Got the premium sound system which was satellite ready but required extra 500.00 to upgrade. I think at this price point it should have Sirius standard. Im still figuring out how to use some of the toys but already love it. I think when I break it in it will get about 40 a gallon. Moon roof, nav all work great. If you want to save money on gas and ride in style you cant beat it

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  GPS Problems - 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Pierre - February 28 - 6:23 pm

  Really like this car, only problems I encounter is the transmission "slipping" feeling and the feeling that the front of the Camry wants to "take off" with head and cross winds. Also, 8 of the last destinations entered into the GPS were not in the GPS software.

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  Highly Recommened - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Jim - February 28 - 3:26 am

  Owned car for 2 months. No rattles/squeaks mentioned in other forums. Perfect commuter. Road noise is noticeable but tolerable & easily over come by excellent stereo. TCH has virtually no engine compression braking, so it coasts great for good mileage, however this leads to more than normal use of brakes in hilly country. This is really noticeable when driving on slippery roads. You can’t use compression braking to slow down & the CVT has no lower gears to shift into. Shifting the CVT into “brake” mode slows the car dramatically if theres enough initial speed to generate regenerative braking. May be why ABS, stability/ traction control & airbags everwhere are standard.