Three years in the past, should you needed a hybrid, you had been most likely caught in a dealership parking zone arguing over markups. Sellers couldn’t maintain Toyota RAV4 Hybrids round, used Honda CR-V Hybrids had been going for greater than new, and something with an electrical motor was handled like they shot gold mud from their pipes. Quick-forward to 2025, and the market has lastly come right down to Earth. Not all the way in which down, thoughts you—hybrids are nonetheless the blue chips of the used-car world—however they’ve discovered a stability between fever dream and actuality.
For those who purchased a 2022 hybrid, you most likely paid a fortune. For those who’re purchasing for one now, you’ll discover strong worth, regular reliability, and—most significantly—some perspective. The used hybrid market has matured.
To supply probably the most correct and up-to-date info, this text makes use of information sourced from numerous producers and authoritative sources.
Hybrids Nonetheless Holding Robust
Based on current information from iSeeCars and Kelley Blue E book, the typical 2022 hybrid retains round 70–75 %, on common, of its unique worth after three years, a determine that makes most standard fuel automobiles appear like melting ice cream cones. For comparability, the general market common sits nearer to 63 %, and electrical automobiles hover round 55 %. Hybrids, it seems, are the candy spot: environment friendly, acquainted, and comparatively reasonably priced to take care of.
Take the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, for example. A brand new one listed at about $32,000 when it launched; right now, you’ll pay roughly $23,000–$25,000 for a clear, low-mileage instance. That’s an unusually mild depreciation curve in a world the place SUVs usually lose a 3rd of their worth earlier than the guarantee expires. The 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid follows an analogous sample, averaging $22,500–$24,000 used, relying on trim. In the meantime, the Toyota Prius—a hybrid so confirmed it’s virtually a model unto itself—continues to defy depreciation altogether. The 2022 mannequin nonetheless fetches $20,000–$21,000, down lower than 25 % from its unique sticker.
Why 2022 Was A Excellent Storm
To grasp why 2022 hybrids are such a candy spot within the used market, it’s important to rewind to the pandemic bubble. Provide chains had been twisted in knots, semiconductor shortages choked manufacturing, and demand for environment friendly automobiles spiked as fuel costs surged. Sellers marked up hybrids by hundreds, typically tens of hundreds, over MSRP.
That artificially inflated place to begin made depreciation inevitable as soon as provide normalized. However whereas EVs cratered as new tech arrived, hybrids stayed resilient as a result of their formulation didn’t change drastically. The 2025 RAV4 Hybrid is barely incrementally higher than the 2022 mannequin, so used patrons don’t really feel shortchanged. Would not you simply comprehend it? Stability through the years is definitely a bonus.
The Luxurious Hybrid Paradox
Luxurious hybrids, nevertheless, inform a distinct story. They’re stunning, comfy, and technologically superior—however in addition they drop worth like acorns from an oak tree. The 2022 Lexus RX 450h, for instance, initially price round $51,000. Three years later, it averages $36,000–$38,000 on the used market—a roughly 30 % loss that’s really higher than most European rivals.
The BMW 530e and Mercedes-Benz E 350e haven’t been so fortunate. Each luxurious plug-in hybrids have dipped nearer to 50 % residual worth, largely as a result of fast advances in electrical vary and onboard tech. A 2022 530e that after stickered for $56,000 now trades fingers for $27,000–$29,000. The Mercedes-Benz GLE 350e, initially pushing $65,000, hovers round $35,000–$37,000 right now.
That will sound grim—till you keep in mind the flipside. For used patrons, these luxurious hybrids are actually relative bargains: comfy, high-performing, and half the worth they as soon as had been, with simply sufficient battery energy to make metropolis errands emissions-free.
Hyundai, Kia, And The Catch-Up Impact
The Korean automakers had been making large strides in hybrid tech round 2022, however they’re victims of their very own momentum. Newer fashions just like the 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and Kia Sportage Hybrid supply higher vary, extra environment friendly powertrains, and slicker interfaces, leaving their 2022 counterparts behind on the depreciation curve.
In consequence, the 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, which retailed for about $30,000 new, now averages $18,500–$20,000 on the used market. The Kia Sorento Hybrid exhibits related numbers, hovering round $22,000—roughly 60 % of its unique MSRP. These automobiles aren’t worse; they’re merely older in a class that’s evolving quick. Nonetheless, in comparison with gas-only SUVs from the identical 12 months, they’re holding their very own. A 2022 gas-only Tucson or Sorento can simply dip into the mid-teens. The hybrid premium stays intact.
Plug-In Hybrids: The Wildcards
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) sit in an odd place between the sensible hybrid and the futuristic EV. In 2025, their resale values are all around the map. Fashions with good electrical vary—just like the Toyota RAV4 Prime—have aged gracefully, whereas these with restricted vary or excessive complexity are struggling to maintain tempo.
A 2022 RAV4 Prime, which initially price round $40,000, nonetheless brings in a powerful $33,000–$35,000 right now. Distinction that with a 2022 Ford Escape PHEV, which began close to $36,000 and now averages $23,000–$25,000, or the 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge, which may dip under $30,000—a pointy fall for a luxurious SUV that was as soon as pushing $55,000.
The important thing distinction? Vary and repute. Customers now count on plug-in hybrids to supply significant electric-only mileage—no less than 35 miles—and Toyota stays the one model constantly assembly or exceeding that bar.
Hybrids vs. EVs: A Market Correction In Actual Time
In 2022, EVs had been scorching. In 2025, they’re nonetheless fashionable—however their used values have cooled quicker than a lithium-ion pack in January. Whereas the typical hybrid loses about 25–30 % of its worth over three years, the typical EV sheds almost 45 %. That is prone to change, nevertheless it’s a actuality because the EV market crawls by way of its nascency.
A part of that’s tech turnover. A 2022 EV would possibly really feel outdated subsequent to right now’s 400-mile fashions with 800-volt architectures and ultra-fast charging. A 2022 hybrid, in the meantime, nonetheless feels present as a result of its strengths—effectivity, reliability, simplicity—haven’t modified a lot. If something, the hybrid’s balanced formulation has aged higher. It’s the reliable center floor between fuel and full electrical, and used patrons comprehend it.
So, What’s The Play In 2025?
For those who’re available in the market for a used hybrid, intention for fashions that hit that three-year mark—new sufficient for contemporary tech, sufficiently old to skip the new-car price ticket. Toyotas stay king of residual worth, Hondas comply with shut behind, and Lexus continues to be the gold normal for hybrid luxurious.
For those who’re chasing efficiency, plug-in hybrids just like the RAV4 Prime or BMW 530e supply a style of EV torque with the security internet of gasoline. Simply know that vary expectations and battery warranties matter greater than ever; a plug-in with degraded vary is simply an costly common hybrid. On the flip facet, should you’re promoting a 2022 hybrid, now’s time. Costs are holding OK, demand is regular, and depreciation is slower than it’s been in years. Wait too lengthy, and the incoming wave of cheaper, higher-range hybrids may begin consuming into your fairness.
TopSpeed’s Take: 2022 Hybrid Fashions Are A Blissful Medium Between Previous And Current
The 2022 hybrids have hit a uncommon equilibrium—sufficiently old to be reasonably priced, new sufficient to really feel trendy, and dependable sufficient to encourage confidence. They’re the rational selection in an more and more irrational market. Three years on, they’ve confirmed what hybrid loyalists have stated for 20 years: fuel and electrical don’t should battle.
They’ll coexist, maintain worth, and make extra sense than virtually anything on the street. In a world nonetheless chasing the following large battery breakthrough, the standard 2022 hybrid stands as proof that typically the good play is the straightforward one.
Sources: iSeeCars, KBB