When you’re shopping for a new car, price and practicality are important, but so is fuel economy. The Environmental Protection Agency provides fuel economy ratings for almost every vehicle currently on sale, but how does that translate to real life? Our friends over at Consumer Reports independently test new cars to see what kind of fuel economy they actually get in the real world and recently published a guide to the cars that perform the best in that particular test.
It’s broken down by category, and the top vehicles were judged based on the category they’re in, so getting 25 mpg would be considered impressive for a truck but not for a midsize car. We’ve also only included the top five finishers for each segment even if Consumer Reports included more entries on its list. Now, let’s take a look at what made the list.
[Update: Because this list shows Consumer Reports’ real-world observed fuel economy, any vehicles that it hasn’t tested itself were not included.]
Electric Compact Cars
Kia Niro Electric EX – 113 MPGe
Nissan Leaf SL Plus – 104 MPGe
Subcompact Cars
Mitsubishi Mirage ES – 37 mpg
Nissan Versa SV sedan – 32 mpg
Compact Cars
Toyota Prius XLE (AWD) – 51 mpg
Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue – 48 mpg
Toyota Corolla LE Hybrid – 48 mpg
Kia Niro PHEV – 47 mpg
Kia Niro EX – 45 mpg
Sporty Cars
Mazda MX-5 Miata Club – 34 mpg
Honda Civic Si – 32 mpg
BMW 230i – 31 mpg
Mini Cooper S – 30 mpg
BMW Z4 sDrive30 – 29 mpg
Midsize Cars
Hyundai Ioniq 6 – 103 MPGe
Toyota Camry Hybrid LE – 47 mpg
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid SEL – 44 mpg
Honda Accord Hybrid Sport – 40 mpg
Honda Accord EX (1.5T) – 32 mpg
Large Cars
Toyota Crown – 42 mpg
Upscale/Luxury Cars
Lexus ES300h – 42 mpg
Acura Integra A-Spec – 31 mpg
Buick Envista – 29 mpg
BMW 330i xDrive – 29 mpg
BMW 330e xDrive – 28 mpg
Electric Upscale/Luxury Cars
Tesla Model 3 Long Range – 130 MPGe
Lucid Air Touring (AWD) – 121 MPGe
Polestar 2 Long Range Dual-Motor – 106 MPGe
Tesla Model S Long Range – 102 MPGe
BMW i4 M50 – 96 MPGe
Wagons and Hatchbacks
Nissan Kicks SV – 32 mpg
Hyundai Venue SEL – 32 mpg
Chevrolet Trax – 31 mpg
Subaru Impreza Sport – 29 mpg
Kia Soul EX – 28 mpg
Small SUVs
Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid – 41 mpg
Lexus NX350h – 38 mpg
Lexus UX250h – 37 mpg
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE – 37 mpg
Ford Escape PHEV (FWD) – 37 mpg
Electric Small SUVs
Tesla Model Y Long Range – 121 MPGe
Kia EV6 Wind – 105 MPGe
Subaru Solterra Limited – 102 MPGe
Toyota bZ4X Limited – 102 MPGe
Hyundai Ioniq 5 SEL – 98 MPGe
Midsize/Large SUVs
Toyota Venza XLE – 37 mpg
Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE – 35 mpg
Lexus RX350h – 34 mpg
Kia Sorento Hybrid EX – 28 mpg
Kia Sorento EX (2.5 Turbo) – 25 mpg
Electric Midsize/Large SUVs
Lexus RZ – 107 MPGe
Tesla Model X Long Range – 87 MPGe
BMW iX xDrive50 – 86 MPGe
Kia EV9 Wind – 83 MPGe
Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV 350 (AWD) – 82 MPGe
Minivans
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid – 84 MPGe
Toyota Sienna XLE – 36 mpg
Honda Odyssey EX-L – 22 mpg
Chrysler Pacifica Touring-L – 21 mpg
Kia Carnival EX – 21 mpg
Pickup Trucks
Ford Maverick Hybrid Lariat – 37 mpg
Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL Premium – 24 mpg
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Diesel – 23 mpg
Ford Maverick XLT (2.0T) – 23 mpg
Ram 1500 Big Horn Diesel – 23 mpg
Source Agencies