EPA Lists Cars with Best Fuel Economy, Past and Present

November 21, 2011

3 min to read

The federal fueleconomy.gov site that carries information from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency about fuel economy, fuel prices and related topics released its annual list of cars with the best fuel economy.

One notable development is that all of the vehicles on the top-10 list for the 2012 model year have pure electric or hybrid powertrains. The results reflect the growing range of these vehicles available as well as their overall efficiency, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The site also named the top-10 cars in fuel-economy rankings dating to 1984. While half of the all-time greats on this year’s list are 2012 models, it is still worth noting that cars like a mid-1980s Chevy Sprint, a mid-1990s Honda Civic and the 2000 Honda Insight hybrid make the cut despite their advanced age. Older, relatively low-tech vehicles apparently still have a few lessons for modern automotive engineers.

The following charts show which cars lead the pack in fuel economy today, and which older models are still among the all-time leaders.

Top Ten Fuel Economy: Vehicles with Internal Combustion Engines, 1984 to Present*

Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		EPA Rating (mpge)*
Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		Combined	City	Highway
1		Chevrolet Volt (2011–12)Plug-in hybrid, 4 cyl, 1.4 L, auto (variable gear ratios), premium gasoline	60**	58	62
2		Honda Insight (2000)3 cyl, 1.0L, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline	53	49	61
3		ToyotaPrius (2010–12)4 cyl, 1.8L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	50	51	48
4		Chevrolet Sprint ER (1986)3 cyl, 1.0L, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline	48	44	53
5		Geo Metro (1986)3 cyl, 1.0L, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline	47	43	52
6		Honda Civic CRX HF (1986–87)4 cyl, 1.5L, manual 5-speed, regular	46	42	51
7		Honda Civic Hybrid(2012)4 cyl, 1.5L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	44	44	44
8		Honda Civic HB VX (1994–95)4 cyl, 1.5L, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline	43	39	50
9		ToyotaPrius v(2012)4 cyl, 1.8L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	42	44	40
10		Lexus CT 200h(2011–12)4 cyl, 1.8L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	42	43	40

* MPGe is miles per gasoline gallon equivalent, assuming 33.7 kwh equals the amount of energy in 1 gallon of gasoline.

Top Ten Fuel-Economy: All-Electric Vehicles, 1984 to Present

Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		EPA Rating (mpge)*
Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		Combined	City	Highway
1		Mitsubishi i-MiEV (2012)	112	126	99
2		Nissan Leaf (2011–12)	99	106	92
3		MINI Mini E (2008)	98	102	94
4		smart fortwo electric drive cabriolet (2011)	87	94	79
4		smart fortwo electric drive coupe (2011)	87	94	79
5		Nissan Altra EV (2000)	85	81	91
6		GMC EV1 (1999)	85	79	84
7		Toyota RAV4 EV (2002–03)	78	87	69
8		Nissan Hyper-Mini (2001)	75	84	66
9		Ford Th!nk (2001)	65	74	58
10		Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Wagon(2012)	62	62	62
10		Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Van(2012)	62	62	62

The list of top ten fuel economy vehicles for the 2012 model year is comprised solely of hybrids, all-electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids.

Top Ten Fuel Economy: 2012 Model Year Vehicles, All Types

Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		EPA Rating (mpge)*
Rank	Vehicle Model and Configuration		Combined	City	Highway
1		Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric vehicle	112	126	99
2		Nissan Leaf Electric vehicle	99	106	92
3		Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Van Electric vehicle	62	62	62
3		Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Wagon Electric vehicle	62	62	62
4		Chevrolet VoltPlug-in hybrid, 4 cyl, 1.4 L, auto (variable gear ratios), premium gasoline	60**	58	62
5		ToyotaPrius4 cyl, 1.8L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	50	51	48
6		Honda Civic Hybrid4 cyl, 1.5L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	44	44	44
7		ToyotaPrius v4 cyl, 1.8L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	42	44	40
8		Lexus CT 200h4 cyl, 1.8 L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	42	43	40
9		Honda Insight4 cyl, 1.3 L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	42	41	44
9		Honda Insight4 cyl, 1.3 L, automatic (AV-S7), regular gasoline	42	41	44
10		Toyota Camry Hybrid LE4 cyl, 2.5 L, automatic (variable gear ratios), regular gasoline	41	43	39