TrueDelta Reviews the Real Gas Mileage of the Honda Insight
Honda Insight Real Gas Mileage: Pros
Year
Comment
2020
Honda's initial approach to hybrid powertrain technology wasn't a winner. A weak electric motor (13 horsepower in the case of the 2010 Insight) sandwiched between a gas engine and a CVT wasn't able to deliver nearly as much of a performance or fuel economy bump as the much stronger electric motors in Toyota's radically different hybrid system.
Starting with the 2014 Accord Hybrid, Honda tried a new approach. The new system relied entirely on a much more powerful (166 horsepower) electric motor to drive the wheels up to 43 mph, and only then directly engaged the gas engine via a single-speed transmission. This was the sort of elegant "we keep it simple" solution Honda used to be known for, and it worked far better. EPA ratings of 50 mpg city and 45 mpg highway were best-in-class, topping the Toyota Camry Hybrid. This system received further tweaks when the Accord was redesigned for 2018, with mixed results for mpg (now 48/47). The Toyota Camry, also redesigned for 2018, now scores 51/53 or 44/47 depending on trim level.
When I learned that a new Honda Insight would utilize a similar hybrid system with a 1.5-liter engine instead of the Accord's 2.0-liter in a smaller, lighter car, I had high hopes. Could a 60-mpg rating happen? Well, it didn't. The Honda Insight LX and EX score 55 mpg city and 49 mpg highway in the EPA's testing. The tested Touring trim, with larger tires and a higher curb weight, scores a little lower, 51/45. Pretty good. But a Toyota Prius (58/53 or 54/50, depending on the variant), a Toyota Corolla Hybrid (53/52), or a Hyundai Ioniq (57/59 or 55/54) scores better.
In my testing, the trip computer reported averages ranging from 45 mpg to 75 mpg in suburban driving. (Whether the system opts to charge or draw energy from the battery pack has a big effect on the reported average during short drives.) In one 20-mile drive around hilly Ann Arbor the trip computer reported an impressive 64 mpg--and 93.6 mpg during the initial three miles. But in a Toyota Prius I averaged 65 mpg over the entire week despite some colder weather--it struggled to top 60 when the air temperature fell to 40--and observed trip averages over 90 a couple of times. Air temperatures were usually in the 60s during the week I had the Insight, optimal for fuel economy.
The Honda Insight disappointed in highway driving. When cruising near 80 mph, a speed at which it can't take much advantage of its hybrid configuration, the Insight averaged 40 mpg. Good, but little better than a non-hybrid Civic. I observed a bit over 60 mpg on the highway in the Prius.
Given these results, I struggled with listing fuel economy among the reasons to buy the new Insight. On the one hand, all of its direct competitors have higher EPA ratings. On the other, the Insight's mpg compares very well to non-hybrids, and fuel economy will be a primary reason people buy one.
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Real Gas Mileage of the Honda Insight
getting 52mpg highway and about 46 city, maybe someone at toyota paid off the epa to rate this car low, because i have NEVER gotten under 45 mpg on the highway.
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Econ Mode for just a three mile drive and got 53 mpg though traffic was very light. Afterwards during normal traffic driving, not using the Econ Mode, plus a very short drive 1/2 mile up and 1/2 mile back I got 36 mph engin cold.
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Unlike other fuel economy surveys, TrueDelta's Real-World Gas Mileage Survey includes questions about how and
where a car was driven. So you can get an idea of the Honda Insight's
real-world MPG based on how and where you drive a car.
TrueDelta Reviews the Real Gas Mileage of the Honda Insight
What Our Members Are Saying about the Real Gas Mileage of the Honda Insight
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD
7-speed shiftable CVT FWD