We always see what kind of mileage everyone is getting with their hybrid, I'm interested in how much your mpg has improved over your previous car. For example I used to drive a 06 Civic coupe and averaged 33mpg now in my Insight II I average 50.

Since we all drive in different conditions and different routes I think this would be a more meaningful number.

 

That's a very good point, and one that I often forget. Sometimes I will calculate a tank on my current car and be disappointed, totally forgetting that the same bad commute used to be so much worse with my old car.

I had a 1991 Oldsmobile Ciera. My around-town/ to & from work commute got me an average tank of about 18mpg. And that's with a car that coasted like crazy. It just hated short commutes. It was nice on the highway though, once getting me an all-highway tank of 40 mpg.

The '04 Honda Civic hybrid doesn't like the short commute or the stop & go traffic much either, but the average mpg is way better. Click on the link in my signature to see the best and worst data so far. If I remember correctly the worst winter tank was around 30 and the best tank average was nearly 49 mpg.

 

I do just a bit better than double the MPG of my previous vehicle - 40 MPG average vs. 19 and change. Do miss the cargo room of the old 'butch wagon' at times, though.

 

Zipo
But I went from a 1995 Saturn SL2 sports coupe to a 2007 Saturn Vue Hybrid.
My MPGs stayed the same

However, I can now carry two bikes inside along with our luggage when we travel. I also can transport 5 adults easily. So while MPG improvement is one factor - the quality of life is also another.

 

1999 Ford Taurus w/V6 - approx. 23.3mpg
2006 Toyota Prius - approx. 56.5mpg average.
Approximately +142% improvement.

 

I didn't buy a hybrid. but I did improve my mileage considerably by extensively modifying my existing non-hybrid car. I used to get a tank average of around 47mpg in my 92 Civic hatch in mostly highway driving, but since I aeromodded it for about $400 in materials (much cheaper than buying a hybrid), its been tank averaging around 68mpg. I'm still waiting for a 4 seat hybrid to be introduced that can get the 70-80mpg I average on interstate travel while driving at the posted speed limit.

 

I went from a 1995 Ford 4WD Explorer Sport Trac (which meant two doors at the time, not the bizarre SUV/Pickup mix) to a 2006 Ford 4WD Escape Hybrid. Which meant it got slightly smaller, added two doors, increased the interior space, and an average gain of 22.1 MPG for a 284% improvement.

 

Old car: '93 Mazda MX6 (2.5L V6): 22 mpg overall, 27 mpg best tank.
New car: '07 Nissan Altima Hybrid (2.5L I4): 36 mpg overall, 43 mpg best tank.

Improved by 62% overall. Best tank was 60% better than the old car's best, and 95% better than the old average.

 

My old car a 1997 Chev Cavalier convertible got a respectable 29MPG, but I chose something a bit more innovative. I got a Honda Accord Hybrid (HAH) two weeks ago.

My overall mileage around town is 26mpg. On the highway... at a steady 70mph, was 40/41, but a more realistic 38mpg would be more likely.

So far, I love the HAH. So well put together. It is a bit 'clunky' in the exchange between the gas/electric, but I am quite willing to put up with that for everything else the car IS!

 

I had a 2005 Civic 2 dr LX and averaged about 35mpg. I bought a 2008 Civic Hybrid and average almost 50mpg. I did some math and I have saved $500 in fuel so far with 25K miles on the car in almost 9 months. I will put another 12K miles on the car before my first year of driving is up and I should have a fuel savings around $750; basically three car payments for me.