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Most Fuel Efficient Cars 2008

by Larry Carley c2008



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:


25 Most Fuel Efficient Cars for Model Year 2008 (ranked by best City Driving EPA mpg ratings):

NOTE: The first number in the parenthesis is the CITY mpg rating, the second number is the HIGHWAY mpg rating.

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

25 Most Fuel Efficient Cars for Model Year 2008 (ranked by best Highway Driving EPA mpg ratings):

NOTE: The first number in the parenthesis is the CITY mpg rating, the second number is the HIGHWAY mpg rating.

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)

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.

Picking A Fuel Efficient Car that is Right For You

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.




More Fuel Related Articles:

Gasoline Prices Still High
My Advice on Gas Saving Gadgets
Fuel Saving Tips from the Car Care Council
About Alternative Fuels
E85 Ethanol Alcohol Alternative Fuel
Biodiesel: Boom or Bust?

To More Automotive Technical Articles Click Here to read more Automotive Technical Articles

Fuel Resources:

Gasoline & Diesel Fuel Update (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
GasBuddy.com (Find Lowest Gas Prices In Your Area)





Thinking of buying a hybrid vehicle to save gas? Here are some helpful links:

Green Hybrid
HybridCars.com
Hybrid Vehicle Center

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