Here’s why carmakers are all in on hybrids, and what it means for you

With gas prices remaining elevated as the year approaches its back end, carmakers have gone all in on hybrids and their customers appear to be receiving them well.

In the first half of 2026, 22% of shoppers said they would consider a hybrid vehicle, which was up from 20% in 2025, according to Kelley Blue Book. By comparison, only 10% of car shoppers said they would consider buying a fully-electric model during the first half of 2026, according to the group.

"While durability and safety remain the most influential purchase considerations across all shoppers, affordability and fuel economy have become increasingly important over the past five years. Driving performance also has grown in importance among non-luxury shoppers," Kelley Blue Book said.

In 2025, there were 13,929,600 non-plug-in hybrid vehicles and 1,765,700 plug-in hybrids vehicles registered on U.S roads, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuel Data Center. By comparison, the agency said their were 5,689,100 fully electric cars and over 240 million gas cars registered in the nation last year.

With that in mind, the USA TODAY Cars teams took a look at why carmakers are pumping out more hybrids than ever, what it means for the U.S.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/