2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Toyota’s history in the United States stretches over 60 years now. The Camry stands as one of the three most important vehicles in the company’s history to this point along with the Corolla, which helped establish Toyota’s value equation, and the Prius, which made hybrids mainstream.

The Camry earned its place as the default family sedan in the mid-1990s and continues to sell in respectable numbers today. Toyota has sold the Camry sedan in the U.S. since 1983 through eight generations of production. The automaker started building the Camry in Kentucky in 1988 (and has built 10 million in the Bluegrass State since then) and added the Camry Hybrid to the lineup for the 2007 model year. The current-generation Camry debuted as a 2018 model, and got a mild makeover for 2021, so changes for 2022 are minimal.

It may be mostly carryover, but the 2022 Camry Hybrid can surprise and delight with its exterior design. Its front end is futuristic and expressive, with a sneering face and muscular features. The base model comes with 16-inch steel wheels, while upper trim levels get 17-inch, 18-inch, and even 19-inch alloy wheels.

The Camry’s interior is similarly futuristic and expressive. The dashboard is wild, with a sweeping curve from the top of the driver’s side slashing across the center stack and forming the passenger’s side of the center console. A control center occupies the upper half of the center stack, with a big infotainment touchscreen at the top. The gear selector and dual cupholder occupy space in the center console, leaving an open cubby below the center stack.

The second row is roomy and comfortable, even for the middle seat (usually a neglected perch), which gets a nicely bolstered seat cushion.

As always, Toyota’s level of fit and finish on the exterior and interior is very high, with even gaps, smooth, glossy paint and trim, and quality material selection.

If you’re shopping for a mainstream midsize sedan, you’re probably not considering track days. You’re probably hoping to stay away from the gas station as long as you can. The Camry Hybrid can help with that.

Entry-level LE models achieve EPA-rated fuel economy rating of 51 mpg city/53 mpg highway/52 mpg combined, while the other trim levels get 44 mpg city/47 mpg highway/46 mpg combined.

The hybrid uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with variable valve timing, direct injection, and port injection. It also uses two electric motors, and boasts a total system output of 208 horsepower. An electronically controlled CVT sends power to the front wheels. On SE and XSE models, the driver gets paddle shifters to simulate the operation of a six-speed transmission.

A center console-fixed button set controls drive mode selection between EV, Eco, Normal, and Sport. EV-only mode operates in a very narrow range of parameters—it’s challenging to feather the throttle lightly enough to keep from switching EV mode off again.

Handling in the Camry Hybrid is good, maybe even better than the gasoline-only Camry, thanks to a lower center of gravity with the placement of the lithium-ion battery pack low in the floor. If you’ve spent a lot of time in tall-riding crossovers or SUVs recently, the hybrid will feel like a race car to you.

Our only complaints with the Camry Hybrid’s performance are picky ones. As mentioned above, it's difficult to keep the car in EV mode. We also noticed some occasional droning from the drivetrain, and the focus on fuel economy comes at the cost of responsiveness.

The Camry does so much right in ride height, seating position, and general ease of use. Unlike a low-slung sports car, the Camry driving position is a reasonable, comfortable one. Unless you’re at one of the extreme ends of the height bell curve, you’ll be able to find your best setting in the Camry. Maybe you’ll even have a few favorite settings, depending on how you’re feeling or what kind of driving you’ll be doing on a given day. Whether you scoot closer to the wheel with knees bent for technical turns or splayed out and legs stretched for highway trips, the Camry's ample headroom allows for plenty of options.

The driver and front passenger have lots of options for storage, too. In addition to the spacious glove compartment and space under the front center armrest, there are multiple nooks and crannies throughout the dash.

The second row is easy to get into and out of, and once you’re back there, it’s a comfortable, roomy space, too. Bottle holders in the doors and map pockets in the backs of the front seats have to be considered generous, even if they’ve become expected in new cars.

The Camry Hybrid has the same 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space as the standard Camry, thanks to the low-mounted battery pack. A passthrough allows long items (like skis) to extend into the cabin, and the second row can fold down to accommodate even more oversized cargo. Don’t be surprised if your family and friends ask you to test this feature next time they buy something that won’t fit in their compact vehicle.

Toyota’s basic warranty covers the 2022 Camry Hybrid for three years/36,000 miles. The powertrain warranty is for five years/60,000 miles, while the hybrid battery is covered for 10 years/100,000 miles, and specific hybrid components are covered for eight years/100,000 miles. The vehicle’s body is warranted against corrosion perforation for five years/unlimited miles.

The Camry Hybrid is loaded with Toyota’s latest and most sophisticated technology features and options—including a specially tuned audio system.

Harman International’s JBL division tuned speakers, receivers, amplifiers, and equalizing software specifically for the Camry while the current generation was in development. The resulting premium audio system is very impressive, with nine speakers (including a subwoofer) and sophisticated algorithms that can extract and translate the most audio information from compressed digital sources like satellite radio and MP3 files. This system is an extra-cost option on the XLE and XSE models; a more basic six-speaker system is standard.

Embedded navigation is also available on XLE and XSE models. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa, along with a WiFi hotspot, are standard on all models, so as long as you’ve got a smartphone, you don’t need the embedded nav. The LE, SE, and SE Nightshade get a standard 7-inch touchscreen, while the XLE and XSE get a 9-inch touchscreen.

Every trim level of Camry Hybrid comes with Toyota’s smart key system and push-button start and a projected-path feature for the rearview camera. Automatic LED headlights are standard on all models, as is dual-zone automatic climate control.

A 10-inch color head-up display is available on XSE models, bundled with a bird’s-eye view camera, intelligent clearance sonar with rear cross-traffic braking, and multi-stage ventilated seats, bringing the upper trim level of Camry Hybrid close to Lexus levels of luxury and tech.

The Camry Hybrid comes with the latest iteration of Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+). This standard system includes a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection (encompassing forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking) adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assist, Lane Tracing Assist, automatic high beams, and traffic-sign recognition.

Camry Hybrid also gets Toyota’s Star safety system as standard equipment, including expected safety features like stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, and smart stop technology.

The Camry Hybrid comes with 10 airbags, including driver and front passenger advanced airbag systems, driver and front passenger side airbags and knee airbags, rear seat-mounted side airbags, and front and rear side-curtain airbags. There are three-point seatbelts for every seating position and LATCH lower anchors for child safety seats on rear outboard seats. The rear doors have child protector locks and window lockout controls on the driver’s door. A tire pressure monitoring system is standard, with direct pressure readout on all but the base LE model.

A blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert is available on LE, SE, and SE Nightshade Edition and is standard on XLE and XSE. Rear seat reminder is standard on all models, as is automatic engine shut-off and hill start assist control.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hasn't published safety ratings for the 2022 Camry Hybrid, but the 2021 model received the highest Top Safety Pick+ rating. We expect the essentially unchanged 2022 model to get the same rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2022 Camry Hybrid a five-star overall safety rating.

The 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid starts at $27,380 for a base LE model. The SE starts at $28,915 and the SE Nightshade starts at $29,615. Next up is the XLE, which starts at $32,270, and finally the top XSE starts at $32,820 (all prices include a $1,025 destination charge). These prices are about $2,000 higher than the corresponding gasoline-only Camry models. Equipment levels are mostly the same, but the gas model's option list includes all-wheel drive (AWD), a more powerful V6 engine, and a sporty TRD model.

Figuring out how much money you'll save on gas with a hybrid is always tricky because of fluctuating fuel prices, but to start, the Camry LE Hybrid's 52 mpg combined writing is 20 mpg higher than a comparable non-hybrid Camry LE. The LE gas will use about 468.75 gallons of gas to travel 15,000 miles (the average distance a U.S. driver goes each year), and the LE Hybrid will use about 288.46 gallons. At $3.00 per gallon, the LE gas will use $1,406.25 worth of gas per year, and the LE Hybrid will use $865.38—a potential savings of $540.87 per year for the Camry Hybrid.

At that rate, it will take about four years of ownership to recoup the difference in cost between the gas and hybrid models. Your math will be different if you drive less or more, if you choose a higher trim level with lower fuel economy, or if gas prices go up or down. That’s why the math is so tricky—there are many variables. There’s no math equation to apply to the positive vibes you can accumulate by driving a hybrid and avoiding burning hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons of gas throughout ownership, though. Money is only part of the ownership experience.

Of course, other mainstream midsize hybrid sedans like the Honda Accord Hybrid (starting at $26,670) and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (starting at $27,050) compete for the chance to give you those vibes. If you're willing to downsize, compact hybrid sedans like the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid ($23,750), Honda Insight (starting at $25,210 ), and Toyota's own Corolla Hybrid (starting at $23,650) are also worthwhile options. Toyota also offers the larger Avalon Hybrid (starting at $37,250), but it's expected to bow out after the 2022 model year. Toyota and its rivals offer multiple hybrid crossover SUVs as well.

The Camry has never run from the competition, and the 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid presents a solid case for itself as perhaps the best Camry ever built—and that’s saying something.