Types of Fuel-Efficient Cars

Fuel economy is an important factor if you're looking to save money on gas or to protect the earth. There are several types of fuel-efficient cars on the market. Some are gas/electric hybrids; some run efficiently on gasoline or diesel.

Toyota Prius

According to FuelEconomy.gov the Toyota Prius gets more city miles per gallon than any other vehicle. A hybrid, this vehicle averages 46 miles per gallon of gas.

Most Efficient Two-Seater Cars

The Smart for Two coupe and convertible are three-cylinder vehicles with automatic transmissions. These two-seaters average 36 mpg.

Most Efficient Mini-Compact and Subcompact Cars

The Mini Cooper manual and automatic top the charts for efficiency in the mini-compact category, with the manual averaging 32 mpg and the automatic averaging 29 mpg. The most efficient subcompact car is the Toyota Yaris, with the manual averaging 32 mpg and the automatic averaging 31 mpg.

Most Efficient Compact and Midsize Cars

The most efficient compact cars are the Honda Civic hybrid and the Volkswagen Jetta. The Civic averages 42 mpg; the Jetta averages 34 mpg. In the midsize car category, the most efficient are the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Nissan Versa. The Prius can go a whopping 46 mpg, while the Versa averages 28 mpg.

Most Efficient Large Cars

The Hyundai Sonata and the Honda Accord are the most efficient large cars, both averaging 25 mpg.

Most Efficient Station Wagons

The Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon is the most efficient small station wagon, with its manual transmission averaging 34 miles per gallon of diesel; the automatic gets 33. The Kia Rondo gets 22 mpg, and the Saab 9-5 SportCombi gets about 21 miles per gallon.

Resources

• Most and Least Fuel-Efficient Cars