Observations from a Newbie
 

Granted, I've only been driving a hybrid for a week. However, there's some distinct advantages that I've nocticed:

1. Your display is your friend. This applies whether you have an advanced Navigation system or not. I have a bare-bones Ford Escape Hybrid with the basics. At first, I looked at the mpg calculator, which I saw raise from 23 mpg when I got it to, currently, 31.4mpg. Recently, I've focused more on the instantaneous mpg calculator. This will tell you what you are doing right now. I found that this was higher than what I expected. When I thought about why, I realized when I thought I was wasting energy, I was actually gaining it.

2. What mode are you running in? If you are in EV, you are saving gas, not using it. If you can, with traffic permitting, be in EV, by all means do it.

3. Follow the traffic. If you can't stay in an energy saving mode safely, don't do it. There are times that I kick in the ICE just because there are others behind me.

4. Drive the speed limit. No one can fault you for going the speed limit, although they are going much faster. Remember, you may get there a little behind them, but you'll have more money in your're pocket.

4. Learn the L setting. I've been able to cruise up to 40mph on EV using the L. Without this, I can acheive only about 32 mph. I have not, however, mastered when to turn this on. For this, I rely on my fellow hybrid owners. As of right now, I don't konw the best timing for the L drive. Please, let me know.