How do I drive an Hybrid?

[AndrueC]

6 hours ago, MarcusWatson said:

I've realised over time that accelerating carefully doesn't really improve mpg in the Corolla

I don't think it does in any car. I'm no mechanic but petrol ICE are most efficient at nearly wide-open-throttle. It's called a 'throttle' for a good reason and I don't think anything operates well while it's being throttled 🙂

So the engine itself will be extracting the most energy from the fuel being burnt while you are accelerating quite hard. However the vehicle might not be so efficient because driving at WOL all the time leads to heavy use of brakes (to say nothing of being uncomfortable and dangerous).

That would make the most fuel efficient way to accelerate (assuming you have an open road in front of you) being 'brisk' acceleration which is what I also do. For older cars this is usually about 3,000 RPM but modern engines can complicate this. My last Honda Jazz needed you to bump it above 2,000 RPM to get it out of Atkinson mode (1.3l engine in Atkinson mode couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding) but the car seemed to have an affinity for 2,500 RPM. A 'half kickdown' would tend to put the ICE there every time so I decided that was a hint from the ECU and let it be.

But on my 1.8 Excel 2,000 is usually (not always) where the PWR section lights up on the ECO gauge so that's the target I aim for. It's more than enough power for 99% of situations anyway.

But then you get the blue line on the ECO gauge which mostly seems to want you to accelerate as if there was an egg under the accelerator pedal (sometimes not though - sometimes it too wants you to go straight up to the edge of the PWR section). And ECO mode certainly retards accelerator response so it seems that Toyota think a very light touch on the accelerator is most economical.

6 hours ago, MarcusWatson said:

The thing that makes most difference for me is what others have mentioned: maintaining momentum (read the road ahead so you only lift off or brake gently).

I also noticed that keeping the ECO bar out of the PWR section helped with economy but still gives enough acceleration to keep up with most people. When I'm driving I will nudge the car into EV mode if I know I'm approaching the brow of a hill or there's a lower speed limit ahead but I don't try to force it into EV mode the rest of the time. I reckon that since all the energy in the Battery came from the ICE in the first place with some losses incurred it's probably best to use it as a supplementary power source to stop the ICE being used at light load rather than trying to make it the primary propulsion.

[TonyHSD]

All good answers and suggestions here👍, I will repeat few points so the op can make a note and prepare himself for the new hybrid that is coming:

 
1. Set the car into normal mode, no eco, no power

2. Accelerate smoothly but progressively with moderate power from both internal combustion engine (ice) and e motor 

3. Once you have reached your desired speed slightly release the accelerator and the car will go into ev mode, keep driving smoothly in ev if driving conditions allow so, if any upcoming uphill don’t try to keep in ev mode but use both power again, press more accelerator to get help from the ice to preserve Battery power for later glide again. 
4. Plan ahead, anticipate the road and try to avoid unnecessary stops and hard accelerations

5. When climbing uphill on motorways you have two options to choose to keep efficiency at its best, first one is to let the speed drops a bit and then accelerate again downhill, or increase slightly the speed before the initial climb and when you reach the top of the hill your speed will be equal to the speed before the hill, if you want to accelerate or need to accelerate while climbing, just floor the accelerator and once the car gains some extra speed depress the pedal again to maintain continuous speed,  all comes with practice so don’t lorry too much about been perfect from first drive. Toyota hybrids has no gears and all comes from managing the accelerator pedal correctly. 
6. When braking to a complete stop is unavoidable better to use moderate braking force instead of a light braking, doing so will recharge your hybrid Battery better and will gives extra time in ev mode later. 
7. When driving in town and pulling away from one set of lights to the next one or driving in very short, stop start traffic try to do it smoothly where possible, if the car is in ev mode and the car on the front of you is pulling away no need to follow exactly close , you can just remain in ev mode and smoothly follow behind, the car will remain in ev mode , otherwise the ice will kick in and out many times in a very short distance of travel, obviously unnecessary burning of fuel.

8. When driving through a street with a lots of speed bumps over short distance and you have a good amount of Battery you can use ev mode button to put the the car in EV mode to avoid unnecessary kick in of the ice that’s only if you are in flat area or downhill if you are going uphill or the car is fully loaded better not using ev mode button. 
9. When going downhill use the brakes more often to maintain speed and put some energy back into the battery, if driving outside town on country lanes downhill you can also use B mode , it’s an extra engine braking, it’s kind like setting lower gear on manual transmission. 
Once in a while you can slow down in N neutral using brakes to keep brake discs clean and rust free. 
10. When you arrive at your destination and for example your hybrid battery is empty and your engine is running to recharge the battery do not cut it off and switch off the ignition, put the car into P and let it run its cycle and wait ice to recharge the battery and switch off itself then turn off ignition. Do not leave the car in N neutral for long time while waiting inside and do not leave the car in Accessories mode ignition only ON to listen radio or charging your phone etc, make sure the car is started and ready light is illuminated on the dash, otherwise you may drain your 12v battery and make your car unable to start. 
That’s most important things about driving a Toyota hybrids safely and efficiently. 
Enjoy your car 👍🚙