We've Driven 10,000 Miles in Our Long-Term 2025 Toyota 4Runner. How Efficient Is the Hybrid?

Key Points

• We’ve racked up more than 10,300 miles of driving in our long-term Toyota 4Runner hybrid, but fuel economy has dropped further from its EPA rating.
• Nothing turned up in our multipoint inspection during the regularly scheduled 10,000-mile appointment.
• Winter road trips and inclement weather are in the cards over the next few months, and we’ll be watching to see what happens with our fuel economy.

Following our long-term 2025 Toyota 4Runner’s 5,000-mile update in August, we’ve since managed to rack up another 5,000 miles in just a few months. At our last update, we were slightly disappointed that our hybrid 4Runner was averaging 21 mpg, but have the cooler — and sometimes downright frigid — temperatures since then done anything for our 4Runner’s efficiency?

Related: Long-Term 2025 Toyota 4Runner Update: How Efficient Is the Hybrid After 5,000 Miles?

How Efficient Is the 4Runner Hybrid?

• Average calculated fuel economy: 20.5 mpg
• Average speed per tank: 41 mph
• Miles driven: 10,330
• Gallons of gas pumped: 501
• Total cost of fuel: $1,640.96

Our dreams of achieving average fuel efficiency that resembles our 4Runner’s EPA rating of 23 mpg combined appear to be slipping away. At 5,320 miles, our calculated fuel economy was 21 mpg; 5,010 miles later, it’s dipped half a mpg. Our average speed between each fill-up (as determined by the SUV) is slightly higher now at 41 mph versus 38 mph at the 5,000-mile update. We’d noted previously a sweet spot of roughly 45 mph that seemed to produce the best fuel economy, but raising the entire average speed by 3 mph doesn’t appear to have been helpful.

Another growing disappointment besides average fuel efficiency is our 4Runner’s average distance driven between fill-ups. The EPA may list 437 miles of maximum driving range from full to empty, and while we admittedly don’t go all the way to an empty tank before filling up, only 30% of our trips between refueling have gone over 300 miles, and only two have exceeded 350 miles.

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How Was Our 10,000-Mile Service?

For 10,000 miles, the prescribed services are a tire rotation, oil and oil filter change, and a topping off of all fluids. Nothing turned up in our multipoint inspection, either, and all of this work was performed at no charge to us as part of the 4Runner’s two-year/25,000-mile factory-scheduled maintenance coverage. As with our prior service visits, it was easy to book an appointment with a local Toyota dealer using the Toyota app.

More Long-Term Toyota 4Runner News From Cars.com:

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• How Much Cargo Space Does the 2025 Toyota 4Runner Have?

What’s Next?

Winter road trips and inclement weather are in the cards over the next few months, and we’ll be watching to see what happens with our fuel economy while we’re having more fun with our 4Runner. And, if anything should break, we’ll be sure to let you know.

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