Average real world fuel economy numbers for hybrids from owner reports on www.fueleconomy.gov -
2005 Ford Escape 2WD Hybrid - 31.6 mpg combined (about 33 city, 31 hwy). That's 8% below EPA estimates in city, dead on for hwy.
2005 Toyota Prius - average of 47.6 mpg combined.
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - 44.9 mpg
That's what we get with ours. The City Driving promise of 60 mpg is ridiculous. The car does much worse in stop-and-go driving. But on the open highway, it's easy to do better than 50 mpg.