Read our 550-mile L.A. to Grand Canyon fuel economy challenge storyhere!

Today's SUVs and sedans are more efficient than before, but there's still a significant difference between a hybrid and a non-hybrid. Take the Toyota Camry, for example. According to the EPA, those who buy the Camry Hybrid LE will spend about $850 per year on gas, compared to $1,350 for the Camry LE—an increase of more than 58 percent. The difference is also significant in actual fuel economy numbers, as the hybrid gets 20 mpg better than the regular model. Of course, there's a $3,800 sticker price jump for the hybrid, so you'll need to drive a lot of miles to make up the difference.

2019 Ford Police Responder 2019 Honda Insight EX 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid behind the scenes 2

As gas prices continue to increase (and they will), you'll also notice a significant difference at the pump. In February, when we wrote this story, the national average for gas prices was $2.27 per gallon. Just four months later, the national average of gasoline prices increased to $2.86—an increment of more than 25 percent in four months.

The Honda Insight made it from Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon via Las Vegas on only $31.83 worth of gas. That's a bargain. Granted, Scott was trying to save as much fuel as possible, but even if he'd driven with the radio on, the Insight—or the Hyundai Ioniq Blue, for that matter—is a great example of how far you can drive without stopping to pump gas.

But real-world behavior matters, too—and that's also one of the reasons we wrote this story. Hybrid and regular cars will both take you from point A to point B, but how they do it is different.

For starters, hybrids are heavier, as they have to carry a battery, but that doesn't mean they have to be slower. Look at the Toyota RAV4. The all-wheel-drive RAV4 Hybrid delivers 219 hp and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds while getting 41/38 mpg. Compare that to the loaded front-drive RAV4 Limited with regular gas, which produces 203 hp and gets to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds, averaging 26/35 mpg. In this case, the hybrid is the clear winner, as it gets more power with less gas. But again, comparably equipped, the hybrid version carries a price bump.

As technology improves and hybrids deliver even better fuel economy numbers, engineers will also deliver them with better acceleration and handling. Hybrids are no longer just the green alternative. They are the mainstream, and as such, they need to carry mainstream driving dynamics. With manufacturers doubling down on their efforts to offer more hybrids, consumers will have even more choice.