Look, everyone knows there’s a certain stigma surrounding driving a Toyota Prius. It’s not at all deserved. However, for whatever reason, the car enthusiast world would lead you to believe the award-winning Toyota Prius is embarrassing to drive. Sure, you can laugh your way past all the gas stations while they wallow in their monthly gas bills. However, if you just can’t bring yourself to purchase a Prius, consider the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

2022 Camry Hybrid gets similar fuel efficiency to the Prius

Thanks to the Edmunds car comparison tool, we can take a quick and easy look at the comparison points of the 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid and the 2022 Toyota Prius.

Obviously, the most prominent reason for driving a Prius is the fuel economy. Until fairly recently, the Prius stood out as an almost unbelievable efficient car. With its consistent MPG ratings of over 50 miles per gallon for decades, it’s a hard thing to beat. However, continuously growing engine and hybrid tech has allowed many cars to catch up to the Prius, including its sibling, the Camry.

A 2022 Toyota Prius L Eco sees fuel economy ratings of up to 58 mpg highway and 53 mpg city for a combined rating of 56 mpg. However, the 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE is not far behind with its own impressive set of numbers. According to the EPA, it sees ratings of 51 mpg city and 53 mpg highway for a combined rating of 52 mpg. Sure, it’s a bit lower than the Prius, but it’s quite impressive for a midsize sedan.

What’s even more impressive, though, is the 2022 Camry Hybrid’s power output. At the same time, the Prius has only 121 horsepower from its 1.8-liter four-cylinder. So, the Camry’s 208 horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder dominates the power category. Despite its additional curb weight of nearly 400 pounds over the Prius, the Camry still has a good bit more punch to its acceleration.

The Camry has a better overall fuel range, too

The Prius comes with an 11.3-gallon fuel tank. So, its full tank range is rated at 655 miles when city driving or 599 miles on the highway. However, the Camry’s 13.2-gallon fuel tank will net you longer range. Obviously, it costs a bit more to fill up, but you’ll still spend less time at the gas station thanks to its ratings of 673 miles in city situations and a remarkable range of 700 miles on the highway.

When it comes to styling, the Camry is the clean and clear winner here. Despite the Prius’ face getting angrier with every model year, it still very much retains its origins in terms of design. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, the modern Camry has aggressive body lines and sports car-esque styling cues that are just hard to beat.

Of course, the Camry Hybrid does come with a bit of extra cost. The starting MSRP of the 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE Sedan is $27,380. That’s nearly $3,000 more than the 2022 Prius Eco L’s starting MSRP of $24,525.

It’s also worth remembering that getting your hands on one for MSRP is virtually impossible with the current state of the car market. Edmunds shows the “average price paid” around $800 higher than MSRP for both cars at the moment.

Ultimately, the Camry Hybrid makes a bit more sense for long-haul road tripping with the family, and it’s a lot more stylish. However, there’s genuinely nothing wrong with driving a Prius. If you’re comfortable in yourself and don’t really care what other people think, by all means, soak up those mpgs!