Automotive engineers and researchers have proposed different topologies for series-parallel hybrid electric vehicles (SP-HEVs). The Toyota Hybrid System (THS) is the best known SP-HEV-based vehicle, but alternative solutions, such as electric variable transmission (EVT), have been also proposed. An efficient comparison between these different solutions is a key point to estimate the added value of each topology. This paper presents the application of optimal control to two series-parallel hybrid architectures for efficiency assessment purposes. The dynamic programming method is applied to the THS and to a virtual hybrid vehicle with an EVT. The way to take into account the supplementary degree of freedom provided by the decoupling of the wheels and the engine in both topologies is presented. The optimal fuel consumption is then compared on different driving cycles and brings out an overconsumption of the EVT topology. Then, a parametric study shows that inserting an appropriate gear ratio on the internal-combustion-engine (ICE) shaft can improve the EVT efficiency that becomes close to the THS efficiency.