Fuel-efficient cars by body style
- Best overall
- Sedans
- SUVs
- Trucks
Choosing a new car? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet. The following cars are ranked by city miles per gallon (MPG), followed by highway MPG based on the Environmental Protection Agency's Fuel Economy Guide for the 2009 model year. (For details of the testing, see the notes below.)
| Rank | Model | MPG: city/hwy | Annual fuel cost * | Carbon footprint (tons/yr of CO2) |
Additional info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) |
Ford Escape Hybrid |
34/31 | $1634 | 5.7 tons | front-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gas |
| 1 (tie) |
Mazda Tribute Hybrid |
34/31 | $1634 | 5.7 tons | front-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gas |
| 1 (tie) |
Mercury Mariner Hybrid |
34/31 | $1634 | 5.7 tons | front-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gas |
| 4 |
Toyota Highlander Hybrid |
27/25 | $2010 | 7.1 tons | front-wheel drive, 6 cylinder, 3.3 liter, automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, regular gas |
| 5 |
Saturn Vue Hybrid |
25/32 | $1864 | 6.6 tons | 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter, automatic 4-speed, regular gas |
| 6 (tie) |
Jeep Compass |
23/28 | $2088 | 7.3 tons | two-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gas |
| 6 (tie) |
Jeep Patriot |
23/28 | $2088 | 7.3 tons | two-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gas |
| 8 |
Chevrolet HHR |
22/32 | $2010 | 7.1 tons | front-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.2 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gas |
| 9 (tie) |
Ford Escape |
22/28 | $2177 | 7.7 tons | two-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gas |
| 9 (tie) |
Mazda Tribute |
22/28 | $2177 | 7.7 tons | two-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline |
| 9 (tie) |
Toyota RAV4 |
22/28 | $2177 | 7.7 tons | two-wheel drive, 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, automatic 4-speed, regular gas |
Notes:
* Annual fuel cost estimates are based on the assumptions that you travel 15,000 miles per year (55 percent in the city and 45 percent on the highway) and that fuel costs $3.48 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline, $3.75 per gallon for premium and $3.88 for diesel. Visit www.fueleconomy.gov to calculate fuel costs based on current fuel prices and your driving habits.
Each model is allowed to appear on the list only once regardless of variations in its trim, options and/or specs except the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute and Toyota RAV4, which appear on the list twice because of their availability in both regular gasoline and gasoline-electric hybrid versions.
Note that the models featured on the research pages linked here may have slight variations to the models specified in this list.
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