Fuel-efficient cars by body style
- Compact cars
- Sports cars/coupes
- Wagons
- Minivans/vans
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 2010 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 |
Nissan Altima Coupe |
23/32 | $1542 | 7.1 tons | 4 cylinder, 2.5 liter, Auto(AV-S6), regular gas |
| 2 |
Audi A5 Cabriolet |
23/30 | $1681 | 7.1 tons | 4 cylinder, 2 liter, automatic (variable gear ratios), premium gas |
| 3 |
Pontiac G6 |
22/33 | $1542 | 7.1 tons | 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter, automatic (S6), regular gas |
| 4 |
Honda Accord Coupe |
22/31 | $1602 | 7.3 tons | 4 cylinder, 2.4 liter, manual 5-speed, regular gas |
| 5 |
Volkswagen Eos |
22/29 | $1746 | 7.3 tons | 4 cylinder, 2 liter, automatic (S6), premium gas |
| 6 |  Mazda MX-5 |
22/28 | $1820 | 7.7 tons | 4 cylinder, 2 liter, manual 5-speed, premium gas |
| 7 |  Hyundai Genesis Coupe |
21/30 | $1670 | 7.7 tons | 4 cylinder, 2 liter, manual 6-speed, regular gas |
| 8 |
Audi TT Coupe Quattro |
21/29 | $1820 | 7.7 tons | 4 cylinder, 2 liter, automatic (S6), premium gas |
| 9 |  Lotus Elise/Exige |
21/27 | $1899 | 8 tons | 4 cylinder, 1.8 liter, manual 6-speed, premium gas |
| 10 |
Porsche Boxster |
20/29 | $1820 | 7.7 tons | 6 cylinder, 2.9 liter, automatic 7-speed, premium 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.
Note that the models featured on the research pages linked here may have slight variations to the models specified in this list.
3 Comments
By Mark Andrews on May 20, 2011 1:55 AM
Wow i didn't think that the nissan altima will be the number 1 on this. P.S. is it true that washer pump can trigger more fuel consumption?
By Germain on July 27, 2011 3:38 AM
Hi,
Thanks for a great list. I am a bit surprised to see a 6 cylinder car in the top 10!
From 4 Cylinder SUVs I expected this entire list to be containing 4 cylinder sports cars.
Thanks again for the post!
Germain
By Germain on July 27, 2011 3:39 AM
Hi,
Thanks for a great list. I am a bit surprised to see a 6 cylinder car in the top 10!
From the 4 Cylinder SUVs blog, I expected this entire list to be containing 4 cylinder sports cars.
Thanks again for the post!
Germain