The Toyota Camry Hybrid is an excellent car. It does everything well, from commuting to carrying four people comfortably and providing solid performance and great gas mileage. Plus, the Camry Hybrid has a reputation for excellent reliability, making it a dependable, long-lasting car. However, one Toyota boasts a longer life: the Prius.     

According to iSeeCars, the Toyota Camry Hybrid has a long potential lifespan but ranks below the Prius in total miles. Both cars share the same hybrid architecture, including some of the same parts. But in terms of distance, the Prius bests the Camry Hybrid by almost 20,000 miles. 

How does iSeeCars determine the longest-lasting hybrids?

iSeeCars collected data on more than 2 million cars produced for at least 10 of the past 20 model years. It ranked the top 20 models based on their highest mileage achieved. Each of the top 20 models had at least 2.5% of their vehicles exceed 200,000 miles, and the top 1% lasted 230,000 to 297,000 miles.   

The Toyota Prius is the longest-lasting hybrid

The top 1% of Toyota Camrys clocked an average of 230,547 miles. That’s an impressive number, placing the Camry third on the list. However, the Toyota Prius bested its midsize sedan sibling, with the top 1% of Prius models clocking an average of 250,601 miles.

iSeeCars notes that hybrids are relatively new to the market, putting them at a disadvantage against traditional models when considering potential lifespan. Their powertrains are also more complex than standard internal combustion engines. Yet Prius owners following proper car maintenance regularly clock more than 250,000 miles, and Highlander and Camry hybrids aren’t far behind. Better still, all these models save their drivers substantial money on fuel costs.

Is the Toyota Prius a better buy than the Camry Hybrid? 

The Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid provide excellent value thanks to their reliability and fuel efficiency. However, the MSRP of a new Prius is about $3,000 less than a Camry Hybrid, whose base model starts at over $27,000. That price difference doesn’t necessarily make the Prius a better buy than the Camry Hybrid. The midsize sedan makes more sense for families and is more stylish than its quirky-looking sibling. But there’s no denying that a well-maintained Prius can outlast a Camry Hybrid by about 20,000 miles. 

According to Kelley Blue Book, the average vehicle on the road today is 12.2 years old, and that number continues to increase. Cars and trucks have gotten more reliable and are better made, but Toyota still has a reputation for building some of the longest-lasting vehicles. Assuming a Toyota hybrid is driven more than 15,000 miles a year and is the average age of 12.2 years old, it will have almost 200,000 miles on it. 

However, hybrid vehicles are typically used as commuter cars and fleet vehicles, so they usually average more than 15,000 miles a year. It’s not unusual for a hybrid to cover 25,000 miles or more a year, which is why you see these cars for sale with higher-than-average mileage. 

According to iSeeCars, there’s no reason why the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Toyota Prius can’t rack up more than 200,000 miles. And with proper care and regular maintenance, they can even hit 300,000.