The best gas mileage cars are not hard to find if you know where to look. Here are some great resources as well as our ranking of high mileage cars.
Fuel Efficient Car Basics
With the economy falling further into recession, many of us are looking for ways to reduce the amount of money we spend on our vehicles. Choosing a car with good gas mileage can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year on fuel costs.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the cars with the best gas mileage according to government tests and rate fuel efficient automobiles.
What is the most fuel efficient car for the money?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most fuel efficient car overall is none other than the 2009 Toyota Prius. This hybrid car delivers 48 miles per gallon city and 45 MPG highway. This is the highest rating regardless of class, which is very impressive when you consider that this mid size car beats out more compact rivals.
Fuel efficient compact cars
It stands to reason that the smaller a car is the less gas it will consume. In the compact category, two of the top models are the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid (40 MPG city, 45 MPG highway) with automatic transmission and the standard transmission 2009 Volkswagen Jetta (30 MPG city, 41 MPG highway).
In terms of subcompact models, Toyota does it again with their 2009 Yaris. The automatic transmission version gets 29 MPG city and 35 MPG highway. The manual version does even better with 29 MPG city and 36 MPG highway.
In the even smaller minicompact category, the MINI Cooper does very well with their automatic version yielding 25 MPG city and 34 MPG highway, and their standard version clocking in at 28 MPG city and 37MPG highway.
If you’re looking for a two-seater car with good gas mileage, look no further than the smart fortwo convertible or coupe; both automatic transmission models deliver 33 MPG city and 41 MPG highway.
Best mid size cars for gas mileage
As previously mentioned, the 2009 Toyota Prius is the most efficient car in any class. As you can imagine, this puts it in very high demand, which means that you will most likely be put on a waiting list and be forced to pay the full sticker price. Another fuel-efficient alternative in this range is the 2009 Nissan Versa; the manual transmission version nets 26 MPG city and 31 MPG highway.
Minivan with best gas mileage
While not inherently fuel-efficient compared to smaller cars, minivans can carry many passengers at once, which beats having to drive separate cars, making them ideal for larger families. In this category, Mazda dominates all challengers with the Mazda 5. The Mazda 5 automatic gives 21 MPG city and 27 MPG highway, while the standard version fares slightly higher at 22 MPG city and 28 MPG highway.
Fuel economy ratings wagons
If you regularly have a lot of cargo to carry around, a station wagon is often a very practical choice. This year’s most fuel economic wagons come in two flavors: small and midsize.
Taking the small station wagon category is Volkswagen with the 2009 Jetta SportWagen. You can choose the one with automatic transmission (29 MPG city, 40 MPG highway) or go with the standard transmission (30 MPG city, 41 MPG highway).
Those who need a larger station wagon can choose the automatic transmission 2009 Kia Rondo, which offers 20 MPG city and 27 MPG highway, or the 2009 Saab 9-5 SportCombi manual, which yields 18 MPG city and 20 MPG highway.
Top economy fuel saving SUVs
So what is the best gas mileage SUV? While SUVs have fallen out of favor lately because of their traditionally gas-guzzling tendencies, there are a few new hybrid SUVs that offer some pretty high gas mileage.
In the automatic category, there is a three-way tie between the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid FWD, the 2009 Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD, and the 2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD; each one rated at 34 MPG city and 31 MPG highway. Like the Toyota Prius, you’ll have better gas mileage with city driving than with driving at a constant speed.
If you’re looking for an SUV with standard transmission, try the 2009 Jeep Compass or 2009 Jeep Patriot; both deliver a city rating of 23 MPG and a highway rating of 28 MPG. You can select either the 2WD or 4WD version; both are identical when it comes to gas mileage.
Best fuel economy full size trucks
Now, you might be wondering what trucks have the best gas mileage. Full size trucks are certainly not known for good gas mileage, but a couple of hybrid models don’t fare too badly. If you need the most fuel efficient full size pick-up truck with automatic transmission, you can go with either the 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 15 Hybrid 2WD or the 2009 GMC Sierra 15 Hybrid 2WD; both of these offer 21 MPG in the city and 22 MPG on the highway.
For manual transmission, there is a tie between the 2009 Dodge Dakota Pickup 2WD and the 2009 Mitsubishi Raider Pickup 2WD. These are high mileage pickup trucks, each providing 16 MPG city and 20 MPG highway.
Dual exhaust vs fuel efficiency
You may think that installing a dual exhaust system on your car would improve gas mileage. After all, improving the air circulation system of the engine is bound to offer better performance. While installing a dual exhaust system can slightly improve your fuel efficiency, the cost for doing so may outweigh the money you’ll have to spend to get one installed. You would be much better off trying to simply maintain a constant cruising speed if you want to get better gas mileage.
Fuel efficiency pavement type
Does the type of payment actually affect fuel efficiency? It may seem that it does, but it doesn’t make that much of a difference unless you are trying to accelerate very quickly (read: pedal to the metal). If you are doing that on a regular basis, then you’re probably not that concerned about fuel efficiency to begin with.
What about diesel fuel economy?
If you compare diesel truck fuel economy ratings with those of traditional gasoline, you might be in for a surprise. Not only does diesel fuel pack 10% more energy compared to an equivalent gallon of gasoline, but advances in diesel technology have reduced engine noise and fuel odor while improving performance. Our take? If you’re in the market for a new truck, may want to also consider one that runs on diesel.
Where Can I Find Used Fuel Efficient Cars?
By far the easiest way for find used fuel efficient cars for sale is eBay Motors. At eBay motors, you can quickly find sellers of high gas mileage vehicles with a few clicks of the mouse. Select the type of car you are looking for, enter your zip code, and the website will give you an entire list of fuel efficient cars that are being sold in your area. You can specify the maximum mileage, regular or hybrid, and even the very make and model of the car you are searching for.
If you want to save money on a used fuel efficient car, give eBay Motors a try.
Can I Increase The Gas Mileage Of My Current Automobile?
Absolutely. In fact, did you know you can actually modify your car to run on electricity? Well it’s true, and thousands of people have discovered how.
It’s called Gas2Electric - a step-by-step guide on how to turn your existing car into electric one! With this system, people are driving their cars over 120 miles per charge and at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour!
The guide is very well written and lays out step-by-step instructions on how to do this yourself. Here are some of the results satisfied customers have been getting with Gas2Electric:
“Your guide was exactly what I was looking for. I saved $400 last month alone! It was the easiest way for me to solve the problem I was having with high gas prices. “
- Jesse Okoli, NY
“Did I mention I saved $300 on gas last month? Seriously this is the best decision I ever made. ”
- Masooda Sultani
“I’m really glad I did the conversion with Gas2Electric. Your guide made my conversion super simple.”
- Bill Clark
Best of all, there is an 60-day money-back guarantee on the guide, so you’ve really got nothing to lose! If you want to slash hundreds of dollars each year on your gas expenses, check out Gas2Electric today.
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