The Honda City hybrid received a facelift recently that brought in an updated exterior design and a few feature additions like a 360 degree camera, a larger touchscreen, and front seat ventilation. However, it remains mechanically identical and is available only in a single 'ZX+' trim that is priced at Rs. 21.53 lakh (ex-showroom).
We've now put the 2026 Honda City hybrid through our real-world fuel efficiency tests to see how it performs.
- ARAI claimed efficiency is 27.26kpl
- Cannot choose 'EV Only' mode
- Weighs 1,294kg (14kg more than before)
2026 Honda City hybrid real-world mileage explained
The Honda City hybrid still uses the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine running on the more efficient Atkinson cycle paired with an electric motor. The hybrid system produces a combined maximum power of 126hp, with the engine and motor making 131Nm and 253Nm of torque, respectively. While there are no selectable driving modes, the vehicle switches between EV, Hybrid and Engine drive modes automatically, depending on your throttle input and vehicle speed. That said, there is an 'Econ' mode that helps you save fuel and we drove the car entirely in 'Econ' mode for our tests.
In our city run, the City hybrid delivered 17.65kpl, whereas on the highway it returned 20.15kpl, which averages out to around 18.9kpl. With a 40-litre fuel tank, you can expect a real world range of about 750km on a tankful.
What community is saying on the City?
The hybrid system always tries to maximize fuel efficiency and keeps the car in EV mode as long as there's enough charge left in the battery and given that you are gentle with throttle inputs. And quite similarly, we saw the car mostly run in EV mode most of the time during our city run.
In our tests, the pre-facelift City hybrid was more efficient and delivered 19.8kpl and 22.5kpl, in the city and highway respectively. Apart from the additional 14kg kerb weight, the lower efficiency in the current model could just come down to transitioning from E0 fuel to E20 fuel and different ambient temperatures.
Autocar India’s fuel-efficiency testing
Before conducting our real-world fuel-efficiency tests, we fill our test cars’ tanks to the brim and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendation. These cars are then driven on fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, we run the aircon at 22 degrees in full-auto mode and other electronics, such as the audio system, indicators, wipers and ventilated front seats, when required – just as a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralize variations in driver patterns. At the end of each cycle, we calculate efficiency by filling the tanks to full again.
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
Dipan Sur
