The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of All Time
Have you ever wondered just how much more fuel efficient modern cars have become? Which cars are the most fuel efficient now that electric vehicles are mainstream? In this article, we'll give you the 100 most fuel efficient cars of all time, with information on each of them!
How to Determine Fuel Efficiency
The list of the best fuel efficient cars on this page is based on one simple metric provided to us by the U.S. Department of Energy: the combined miles per gallon (MPG).
This metric is calculated by taking the total miles driven by the car and dividing it by the total gallons of fuel used.
Manufacturers provide this information to the Department of Energy, they provide it to us, and we provide it to you after sifting and organizing it.
The combined miles per gallon (MPG) is a measure of how much fuel the car uses per mile and is a good indicator of how efficient the car is. It's a combination of both city and highway driving, to give you a more overall accurate MPG.
With that out of the way, let's dive into the list. You can click the links in the table below to see more detailed information about each car.
Best Cars by Miles per Gallon
The list below is sorted by the combined miles per gallon (MPG) of the car, with the highest MPG at the top. This list includes both electric and regular fuel cars.
Best Regular Fuel Cars by Miles per Gallon
You might have noticed that the list above includes a lot of electric cars. We can remove those from the list by filtering out the electric cars, to give us the best fuel efficient cars that run on regular fuel.
Car |
Combined MPG |
Fuel Cost |
2003 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
53 |
$1,200 |
2002 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
53 |
$1,200 |
2001 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
53 |
$1,200 |
2000 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
53 |
$1,200 |
2006 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
52 |
$1,200 |
2005 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
52 |
$1,200 |
2004 Honda Insight (Manual 5-spd) |
52 |
$1,200 |
2006 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2005 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2004 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2003 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2002 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2001 Honda Insight (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
47 |
$1,350 |
2007 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
46 |
$1,350 |
2006 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
46 |
$1,350 |
2005 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
46 |
$1,350 |
2004 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
46 |
$1,350 |
2007 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
42 |
$1,500 |
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
42 |
$1,500 |
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2003 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2002 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
2001 Toyota Prius (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
41 |
$1,550 |
1984 Nissan Sentra (Manual 4-spd) |
41 |
$1,900 |
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
40 |
$1,550 |
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
40 |
$1,550 |
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
40 |
$1,550 |
2004 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
40 |
$1,550 |
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (Automatic (variable gear ra...) |
40 |
$1,550 |
2003 Honda Civic Hybrid (Manual 5-spd) |
40 |
$1,550 |
1986 Nissan Sentra (Manual 4-spd) |
40 |
$1,950 |
1985 Ford Escort (Manual 5-spd) |
40 |
$1,950 |
1985 Mercury Lynx (Manual 5-spd) |
40 |
$1,950 |
1985 Nissan Sentra (Manual 4-spd) |
40 |
$1,950 |
1984 Nissan Sentra (Manual 4-spd) |
40 |
$1,950 |
2003 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon (Manual 5-spd) |
39 |
$2,000 |
2002 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon (Manual 5-spd) |
39 |
$2,000 |
1984 Mercury Lynx (Manual 5-spd) |
39 |
$2,000 |
2003 Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2003 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2003 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2002 Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2002 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2002 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2001 Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2001 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2001 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2000 Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2000 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2000 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1999 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1999 Volkswagen New Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1999 Volkswagen New Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1998 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1996 Volkswagen Golf/GTI (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1996 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1986 Ford Escort FS (Manual 5-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1984 Toyota Corolla (Manual 4-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
1984 Volkswagen Rabbit (Manual 4-spd) |
38 |
$2,050 |
2019 Chevrolet Cruze (Automatic 9-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
2018 Chevrolet Cruze (Automatic 9-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
2018 Chevrolet Cruze (Manual 6-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
2017 Chevrolet Cruze (Automatic 9-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
2017 Chevrolet Cruze (Manual 6-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1999 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1998 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1998 Volkswagen Passat (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1998 Volkswagen Passat Wagon (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1997 Volkswagen Golf/GTI (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1997 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1984 Nissan Sentra (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1984 Toyota Corolla (Manual 5-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
1984 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 4-spd) |
37 |
$2,100 |
2019 Jaguar XE (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2018 BMW 328d (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2018 Jaguar XE (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2017 BMW 328d (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2017 Jaguar XE (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2015 BMW 328d (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2014 BMW 328d (Automatic (S8)) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2004 Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2004 Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2004 Volkswagen New Beetle (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1997 Volkswagen Passat (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1997 Volkswagen Passat Wagon (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1986 Chevrolet Chevette CS (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1985 Chevrolet Chevette (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1985 Pontiac 1000 (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1985 Toyota Corolla (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1984 Chevrolet Chevette (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1984 Nissan Sentra (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1984 Pontiac 1000 (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1984 Toyota Corolla (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
1984 Volkswagen Rabbit (Manual 5-spd) |
36 |
$2,150 |
2019 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback (Automatic 9-spd) |
35 |
$2,200 |
Conclusion
The most fuel efficient car of all time is the 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus RWD. It has a combined MPG of 142 and costs $450 per year to drive it.
The most fuel efficient non-electric car of all time is the 2003 Honda Insight. It has a combined MPG of 53 and costs $1,200 per year to drive it.
Most Fuel Efficient Cars By Year
If you want to continue researching the best fuel efficient cars of all time, you can also look at the list of cars by year.
Link To or Reference This Page
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<a href="http://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars">The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of All Time</a>
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"The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of All Time". MPG Buddy. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars.
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"The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of All Time". MPG Buddy, http://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars. Accessed 4 December, 2024
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The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of All Time. MPG Buddy. Retrieved from http://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars.