Most Economical Car

Most Economical Compacts

Below are the top 10 most economical compact cars based on combined MPG.

The compact class includes all types of powerplant. Hybrids are the most economical and fill the top 5 positions, followed by some thrifty European diesels, and finally 2 efficient gasoline cars finish off the list. Note the Chevrolet Volt's figures are calculated when running on gasoline. If run on electricity alone it manages a comparative 93 MPG!

The compacts offer a good compromise - they have more space and power than the subcompacts, which can be a bit impractical, yet they still have amazing fuel economy.

Economical Car	Engine	City MPG	Hwy MPG	Combined
Honda Civic Hybrid	1.3L hybrid	40	45	42
Lexus CT200h	1.8L hybrid	43	40	42
Honda Insight	1.3L hybrid	40	43	41
Chevrolet Volt	1.4L hybrid	35	40	37
Lexus HS 250h	2.4L hybrid	35	34	35
Audi A3	2.0L diesel	30	42	34
Volkswagen Golf	2.0L diesel	30	42	34
Volkswagen Jetta	2.0L diesel	30	42	34
Mazda 2	1.5L gasoline	29	35	32
Kia Rio	1.6L gasoline	28	34	31

Honda Civic Hybrid

The most economical compact is the Honda Civic Hybrid.

Its 1.3L four cylinder gasoline engine combines with a 15kW electric motor to provide 110 horsepower combined (approximately 20 hp coming from the electric motor). 120 V nickel-metal hydride batteries with a capacity of 6.0 Ah powers the electric motor.

Some of the Honda Civic's features to help reduce fuel consumption include cylinder shutdown (3 of its 4 cylinders are able to shut down during braking), continuously variable transmission, low rolling resistance tires and regenerative braking.