Try this: make sure the engine is well warmed up, then on a flat road, accelerate to about 45 mph, then coast with your foot off of the gas. Almost always my TCH will go into EV and shut off the ICE by the time I coast down to 35 mph.

However, if the engine is not warm enough, or if you are not in ECO mode (no defroster, temp not on MIN or MAX, and the ECO button engaged so "ECO" displays between the driver and passenger temp readings), or the battery SOC is too low ( < 3 bars ), the ICE may continue running.

 

That's what I get when it's well below freezing, heater is running without ECO, and over short trips where the engine never warms up. Not good and doesn't sound right for a Tampa car. Follow Nash suggestion about trying to see if the engine will shut off when coasting. Also, is it shutting off when sitting at red lights? Try with climate control in Off position to test.

Make sure you are not driving too conservatively. The TCH gets best mpg when it's driving at a constant speed. If you are spending all the time accelerating gradually thinking its the best way to get good mpg, it's not. Accelerate somewhat briskly to get to a steady cruising speed then let off the pedal and gently re-apply to maintain speed. Maximize coasting!

One other thing to consider. It's not the gas pedal that wastes gas, it's the brake pedal. Even thought the TCH has regenerative braking, using the brake pedal generally throws energy away. Get up to cruise speed quickly, but anticipate and avoid heavy use of the brakes. Use brakes gently over longer distances rather than harder over a short distance. That is conservative driving for the TCH.

If you follow this pattern and don't get at least 33 to 35, I would tend to think that something else is going wrong...

 

I would love to see two users from this forum make a side-by-side comparison of their mpg. Take one of you that gets 38+ mpg and one of you that gets 30- mpg and have one of you follow the other along the same route for an hour or so and check mpg readings. There are so many variables it's impossible to tell from forum discussions if there are truely differences between cars off of the same assembly line or if it's all due to the other factors.

I'm on my 3rd tank and I've been averaging about 31 mpg. I was hoping to get a little better but I only have a 10 mile (15 minute) commute with 8 lights and no highway driving. I can usually go on EV for the last mile on the way to work so that helps but I think that the stop-and-go is killing me. I also get better mpg on the way to work so I think that it's either down hill or the fact that it's in the garage in the morning helps it warm up quicker.

I could take a highway route to work and probably get better numbers but sometimes that route can take up to 40 minutes. Not worth the frustration to save a couple gallons of gas a month. I'm still getting probably 10+ mpg more than I would have in another similar sized car so I'm happy!

 

I have exactly the same type of commute that you do (but shorter), and I get similar milage (maybe one mpg better) if I'm just driving to and from work. You have the right attitude--it is what it is. I didn't buy the car to save money.

 

Your car is broke!
I drive on the same streets as you and find it difficult to get below 40mpg on any length commute regardless of the outside temperature. I'm not sure I would be able to get 30 mpg even if I tried. I would take my car to a different dealer for a second opinion.

 

LOL TCH - Are you driving mostly on highways or city streets? I think that you and Kelly should meet somewhere and have a MPG drag race.

 

That's a pretty stupid billboard; hybrids, like all cars, actually get the worst mileage in cities, and the new EPA mileage for the Camry Hybrid is 33 mpg, not 40! 27 mpg is not surprising if all your driving is within San Francisco, especially because that probably also means all your driving is over short distances.

The most fuel-efficient car to use in SF is the lightest car you can find. In fact, a motorscooter might be ideal. Failing that, the Prius should be decent because it's 700 lbs lighter than the Camry.

Be aware, however, that your driving conditions are among the worst possible to drive any car.

 

You know after having my TCH for over a week I quickly realized how easy it would be to get below 30 MPG. Here is east TN we have a lot of hills and curves and I'm amazed how poor our gas mileage is going up moderate inclines. While going up these moderate inclines my instant MPG reading is in the low 20's and sometimes even in the teens.

I'm currently getting 38 MPG (according to the MFD) and I have to work to get those numbers. I force EV mode every opportunity I get. I go the speed limit or slightly above when on the interstate and I use cruise control all the time. If the speed limit is 45 MPG I will drive 40 MPG so I can use EV mode. I also coast as much as possible (coming up to stop lights or signs, exiting the freeway, before a turn and going down hills.)

Based on my experience so far I'm not surprised by the bad mileage in SF.

 

Problem with big hills is, no matter what the weather, traffic, stop signs, etc. it always takes lots of energy output to get up the hill. you don't get a break. Once you are at the top with all that potential energy available thanks to gravity, not too often can you expend it by cleanly coasting (no brakes, no gas) down to the bottom of the next hill. Although the regen brakes will recover some, you will lose a lot of it braking for traffic, road conditions, etc. On more level roads its a lot easier time avoiding such a wasteful thing as braking while going down hill.

 

I live in San Diego which has quite a lot of hills. Often, going up steeper hills my instant MPG reading goes to 10 or below. My current tank averages are around 33 MPG. When I first got the car, I was around 37, but over time I find that I no longer drive as miserly as when I first got the TCH. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely changed my driving habits some, but for me, I find it fatiguing to try to constantly maximize my coasting, or try to flip car into EV mode at every chance, etc. I've acknowledged that this "hyper-miling" type of driving is just not something that I'm good at, and at least by driving a TCH I'm making much less of a dent on the environment in terms of gas use and emissions than I did in my previous car.

Now my S.O. is very good at that type of driving. He routinely gets 37 mpg tank averages in his 4 cylinder, manual transmission, non-hybrid Honda Accord! But his driving style involves maximizing coasts at every possible opportunity, never going faster than 60 to 65 mph on the freeway, and avoiding braking as much as he can and as a result, takes turns much faster than I feel comfortable with.

When he drives my TCH, the tank average easily shoots up past 40 mpg. He is holding out for the next-gen prius, which may possibly switch to Li -ion battery technology.