Toyota’s electrified vehicle sales are in the stratosphere. The automaker now has a grand total of 30 electrified models—the most of any brand—including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles and (admittedly few) fully electric models. Apart from a couple of high-end Lexus cars and the hydrogen-powered Mirai, electrified Toyotas had a stellar year, selling over a million units—that's 53% more than in 2023.
The Japanese automaker has been a laggard in the EV race. Its notorious anti-climate-policy efforts have drawn the ire of environmentalists and pro-EV activists. And while we wait for the world's biggest automaker to catch up on fully electric cars, Americans are snapping up Toyota hybrids in droves, with sales up for Ford and Hyundai hybrids as well.
That’s why we’re beefing up our coverage of hybrids here at InsideEVs.
It’s why I drove a plug-in hybrid and a regular hybrid back-to-back last year to find out which powertrain was better. It was one of InsideEVs’ top reads at the time, which means many of you are intrigued by gas-powered cars with small lithium-ion batteries.
So here’s some more of that: Enter the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid.
The small crossover is part of the frugal Corolla family but aims to offer more utility than the Corolla sedan and the Prius. Positioned a notch below the RAV4, it’s powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, larger than the Corolla Hybrid sedan’s 1.8-liter unit but smaller than the RAV4 Hybrid’s 2.5-liter engine.
Unlike the Corolla or Prius, this SUV has three electric motors, including one at the rear, giving it on-demand electronic all-wheel drive. It’s primarily front-wheel drive, but when the system senses a loss of traction the rear electric motor can spin up the rear wheels and help you get through tricky road conditions.
The motors are powered by a 4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that sits under the rear seats. That makes it qualify as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) like any other hybrid, which, despite sounding like a marketing ploy, is kind of true. It has an EPA-rated combined fuel economy of 42 miles per gallon, far exceeding the average fuel efficiency of light-duty vehicles in the U.S., which was between 18-24 mpg in 2022.
But the electric motors don't make it an EV. It's far from that. This one is a traditional hybrid. That means the electric motors and the battery exist not for zero-emissions driving like on pure EVs or PHEVs, but to assist the engine, improve fuel efficiency and give it AWD capability.
It’s also heart-warmingly cheap. At a starting price of $28,395, it’s one of the cheapest all-wheel-drive hybrids in the U.S.
Over the next few days, I’ll put the humble Toyota through its paces, running efficiency tests in and around New York City. Let me know what you're curious about and I’ll do my best to answer your questions. Drop them in the comments, or reach out on Instagram, Threads or BlueSky.
Have a tip? Reach out to the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
