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As fuel prices continue to soar, everybody wants to know what kind of vehicles can deliver the best fuel economy. As a rule, you will get the best fuel economy in the lighest vehicle, with the smallest engine and a manual transmission. The most efficient means of transportation, of course, is public transportation, or walking, or riding a bike, or driving a motorcycle. But if none of these are practical or available, here's a list of the four-wheeled vehicles that will give you the most miles per gallon ranked by City/Highway EPA fuel economy ratings:
1. Toyota Prius hybrid (48/45)
2. Honda Civic Hybrid (40/45)
3. Nissan Altima Hybrid (35/33)
4. Ford Escape & Mercury Mariner Hybrids (34/30)
5. Mazda Tribute Hybrid (34/30)
6. Smart fortwo (33/41)
7. Toyota Camry Hybrid (33/34)
8. Toyota Yaris (29/36) with manual transmission
9. Toyota Yaris (29/35) with automatic transmission
10. MINI Cooper (28/37) with manual transmission
11. Toyota Corolla (28/37) with manual transmission
12. Honda Fit (28/34) with manual transmission
13. Honda Fit (27/34) with automatic transmission
14. Scion XD (27/33) with manual transmission
15. Hyundai Accent (27/32) with automatic transmission
16. MINI Cooper (26/34) with automatic transmission
17. Nissan Versa (26/31) with manual transmission
18. Chevrolet Cobalt XFE (25/36) with manual transmission
19. Honda Civic (25/36) with automatic transmission
20. Kia Rio (25/35) with automatic transmission
21. Nissan Sentra (25/33) with automatic transmission
22. Hyundai Elantra (25/33) with automatic transmission
23. Ford Focus (24/35) with manual transmission
24. Chevrolet Aveo (24/34) with manual transmission
25. Honda Accord (22/31) with manual transmission
1. Toyota Prius hybrid (48/45)
2. Honda Civic Hybrid (40/45)
3. Smart fortwo (33/41)
4. MINI Cooper (28/37) with manual transmission
5. Toyota Corolla (28/37) with manual transmission
6. Toyota Yaris (29/36) with manual transmission
7. Chevrolet Cobalt XFE (25/36) with manual transmission
8. Honda Civic (25/36) with automatic transmission
9. Toyota Yaris (29/35) with automatic transmission
10. Kia Rio (25/35) with automatic transmission
11. Ford Focus (24/35) with manual transmission
12. Toyota Camry Hybrid (33/34)
13. Honda Fit (28/34) with manual transmission
14. Honda Fit (27/34) with automatic transmission
15. MINI Cooper (26/34) with automatic transmission
16. Chevrolet Aveo (24/34) with manual transmission
17. Nissan Altima Hybrid (35/33)
18. Scion XD (27/33) with manual transmission
19. Nissan Sentra (25/33) with automatic transmission
20. Hyundai Elantra (25/33) with automatic transmission
21. Hyundai Accent (27/32) with automatic transmission
22. Nissan Versa (26/31) with manual transmission
23. Honda Accord (22/31) with manual transmission
24. Ford Escape & Mercury Mariner Hybrids (34/30)
25. Mazda Tribute Hybrid (34/30)
NOTE: The EPA city/highway mpg ratings for model year 2008 are somewhat lower than those for previous years because of a change in the way these numbers are measured. The new EPA test procedures better reflect real-world driving conditions, and are more typical of the results most motorists get when driving normally.
Buying a new car is often an emotional decision. But if you are trying to save money at the gas pump, your choice should be based on hard economics and maximum fuel efficiency, not emotion. What you have to decide is (1) what kind of driving you do most often (city or highway), and if you want the convenience of an automatic transmission. A manual transmission is almost always more fuel efficient, but it can be really tiresome when driving in heavy city traffic. Constantly pushing the cluch pedal in and out, and shifting gears back and forth as traffic creeps along demands a lot of your attention. On the positive side, you're buring extra calories working the clutch pedal and gear shift while you are saving gas.
Availability of the car you want is another issue. Hybrids are hot, but hard to find and over-priced. Dealers are taking full advantage of current market conditions to stick it to buyers on hybrid models. For less money, you can get almost the same mileage from a conventional model in a different make/model.
Once you're decided on a model, always test drive it BEFORE you buy it. I would also recommend test driving at least two other models you would consider buying before you make your final decision. You're stuck with a car for at least three or four years after you buy it, so make sure you are going to be happy with it before you sign on the dotted line.
For 2009, GM offers 18 models in the U.S. that get 30 miles per gallon on the highway, more than is expected of any other automaker. They include cars, crossovers and SUVs from GM's Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn brands.
Chevrolet, GM's largest brand, leads with eight, along with five each from Pontiac and Saturn. Four-cylinder, six-speed models of the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura lead among non-hybrid midsize sedans with 33 mpg highway, along with the Pontiac G6. The Chevy Cobalt XFE and Pontiac G5 XFE win among non-hybrid, gasoline-fueled subcompacts at 37 mpg highway.
Here are the GM models, along with their EPA-estimated highway fuel economy:
Chevrolet:
Aveo sedan, Aveo5 (34 mpg with automatic or manual)
Cobalt coupe and sedan (30 mpg for SS Turbocharged; 33 mpg for 2.2L automatic);
Cobalt XFE (37)
Malibu 2.4L (30 mpg with four-speed automatic; 33 mpg with six-speed)
Malibu Hybrid (34)
HHR (30 mpg with 2.2L and automatic or manual) and HHR Panel (30 mpg with 2.2L and automatic or manual)
Pontiac:
G3 (34 mpg, new model for 2009)
G5 (33 mpg automatic,35 mpg manual)
G5 GT (32 mpg automatic,35 mpg manual)
G5 XFE coupe (37)
G6 2.4L sedan (30 mpg with four-speed automatic, 33 mpg with six-speed)
Vibe (1.8L model,31 with automatic,32 mpg with manual)
Saturn:
Astra 5-Door; Astra 3-Door (all 30 mpg with automatic, 32 with manual)
Aura four-cylinder (33); Aura Hybrid (34)
Vue Hybrid (32)
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