Most Economical Car

Most Economical Subcompacts

Below are the top 10 most economical subcompact cars ordered by their combined MPG figure.

None of these cars are hybrids. Expensive and heavy hybrid technology doesn't really suit lightweight and cheap subcompacts. The smaller engines in subcompacts are already very efficient and only relatively small gains would be made by the inclusion of an electric motor.

Its also worth noting that all of these cars have gasoline engines. In other parts of the world small diesel engines are becoming very popular in subcompacts but in the U.S. we see fewer diesels and they tend to be housed in larger cars.

Economical Car	Engine	City MPG	Hwy MPG	Combined
Smart fortwo	1.0L gasoline	33	41	36
Mini Cooper	1.6L gasoline	28	37	32
Toyota Yaris	1.5L gasoline	29	36	32
Honda Fit	1.5L gasoline	28	35	31
Chevrolet Aveo	1.6L gasoline	27	35	30
Pontiac G3	1.6L gasoline	27	35	30
Suzuki Swift	1.6L gasoline	27	35	30
Chevrolet Cobalt	2.2L gasoline	25	37	30
Pontiac G5	2.2L gasoline	25	37	30
Scion xD	1.8L gasoline	27	33	29

Smart fortwo

The most economical subcompact is the Smart fortwo.

Its easy to see why this car won - its tiny. Its only 106 inches long, has 2 seats and is powered by a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine. It only weighs 730 kg. The Chevrolet Cobalt by comparison is 180 inches long and weighs 1,216 kg.

The Smart fortwo is instantly recognisable by its body shape and is well known for having the ability to change its exterior plastic body panels for different colors. Its also famous for being able to park lengthways in a parallel parking space, although this is banned in many jurisdictions.