MPG Buddy Fuel economy and gas mileage for every car, 1984 to today

The 100 most fuel-efficient cars in 1990

The 100 most fuel-efficient cars of the 1990 model year, ranked by combined MPG and MPGe. The data comes straight from the EPA fuel economy dataset and includes both gasoline cars and electric vehicles.

Combined MPG (or MPGe for electric vehicles) is the EPA's headline efficiency figure. It blends a city test cycle and a highway test cycle, weighted 55% city and 45% highway, into a single number that lets you compare cars across the entire dataset.

Electric vehicles dominate the very top of the ranking because moving electrons through a motor is several times more efficient than burning gasoline. If you are shopping for a regular gasoline car, scroll down to the second table, which excludes battery-electric vehicles.

All 1990 vehicles, including electric

Every 1990 model year vehicle the EPA rated, sorted by combined MPG from highest to lowest. Battery electric vehicles use MPGe, which converts their electricity use into a gasoline-equivalent figure so the ranking remains on a single scale.

# Make and model Combined MPG(e) Annual fuel cost
1 Geo Metro XFI 47 MPG $1,250
2 Honda Civic CRX HF 43 MPG $1,400
3 Chevrolet Turbo Sprint 34 MPG $1,750
4 Daihatsu Charade 34 MPG $1,750
5 Pontiac Turbo Firefly 34 MPG $1,750
6 Volkswagen Jetta 34 MPG $2,400
7 Chevrolet Sprint 33 MPG $1,800
8 Geo Metro 33 MPG $1,800
9 Geo Metro LSI 33 MPG $1,800
10 Pontiac Firefly 33 MPG $1,800
11 Suzuki Swift 33 MPG $1,800
12 Geo Metro LSI Convertible 30 MPG $2,000
13 Subaru Justy 30 MPG $2,000
14 Ford Festiva 28 MPG $2,150
15 Honda Civic CRX 28 MPG $2,150
16 Subaru Justy 4WD 28 MPG $2,150
17 Toyota Tercel 27 MPG $2,200
18 Ford Escort 26 MPG $2,300
19 Honda Civic 26 MPG $2,300
20 Honda Civic Wagon 26 MPG $2,300
21 Hyundai Excel 26 MPG $2,300
22 Isuzu Stylus 26 MPG $2,300
23 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo 26 MPG $3,100
24 Mitsubishi Precis 26 MPG $2,300
25 Pontiac Lemans 26 MPG $2,300
26 Chevrolet Cavalier 25 MPG $2,400
27 Dodge Colt 25 MPG $2,400
28 Dodge Colt Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
29 Eagle Summit 25 MPG $2,400
30 Ford Escort Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
31 Mazda 323/323 Protege 25 MPG $2,400
32 Mitsubishi Mirage 25 MPG $2,400
33 Mitsubishi Mirage Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
34 Nissan Sentra 25 MPG $2,400
35 Nissan Sentra Coupe 25 MPG $2,400
36 Nissan Sentra Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
37 Plymouth Colt 25 MPG $2,400
38 Plymouth Colt Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
39 Suzuki Samurai Hardtop 25 MPG $2,400
40 Suzuki Samurai Soft-top 4WD 25 MPG $2,400
41 Toyota Celica 25 MPG $2,400
42 Yugo GV Plus/GV/Cabrio 25 MPG $2,400
43 Chevrolet Beretta 24 MPG $2,500
44 Chevrolet Cavalier Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
45 Chevrolet Corsica 24 MPG $2,500
46 Dodge Omni 24 MPG $2,500
47 Geo Prizm 24 MPG $2,500
48 Geo Storm 24 MPG $2,500
49 Isuzu Impulse 24 MPG $2,500
50 Nissan Pulsar NX 24 MPG $2,500
51 Plymouth Horizon 24 MPG $2,500
52 Pontiac Sunbird 24 MPG $2,500
53 Suzuki Sidekick 2WD 24 MPG $2,500
54 Suzuki Swift GT 24 MPG $2,500
55 Toyota Camry 24 MPG $2,500
56 Toyota Camry Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
57 Toyota Corolla 24 MPG $2,500
58 Toyota Corolla Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
59 Volkswagen Fox 24 MPG $2,500
60 Volkswagen Fox Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
61 Alfa Romeo Spider 23 MPG $3,000
62 Buick Century 23 MPG $2,600
63 Buick Skylark 23 MPG $2,600
64 Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon 23 MPG $2,600
65 Dodge Colt Wagon 4WD 23 MPG $2,600
66 Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD 23 MPG $2,600
67 Mazda MX-5 Miata 23 MPG $2,600
68 Mitsubishi Eclipse 23 MPG $2,600
69 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 23 MPG $2,600
70 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera 23 MPG $2,600
71 Plymouth Colt Wagon 4WD 23 MPG $2,600
72 Plymouth Laser 23 MPG $2,600
73 Pontiac 6000 23 MPG $2,600
74 Pontiac Grand Am 23 MPG $2,600
75 Toyota Celica Convertible 23 MPG $2,600
76 Toyota Corolla All-Trac Wagon 23 MPG $2,600
77 Volkswagen Cabriolet 23 MPG $2,600
78 Volkswagen Golf/GTI 23 MPG $2,600
79 Acura Integra 22 MPG $2,700
80 Audi 80 22 MPG $2,700
81 Dodge Shadow 22 MPG $2,700
82 Geo Tracker 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
83 Geo Tracker Convertible 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
84 Honda Accord 22 MPG $2,700
85 Honda Civic Wagon 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
86 Mazda 626/MX-6 22 MPG $2,700
87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 22 MPG $2,700
88 Plymouth Sundance 22 MPG $2,700
89 Pontiac Grand Prix 22 MPG $2,700
90 Subaru XT 22 MPG $2,700
91 Subaru XT 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
92 Suzuki Sidekick Hardtop 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
93 Suzuki Sidekick Soft-top 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
94 Volkswagen GTI 16v 22 MPG $2,700
95 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16v 22 MPG $2,700
96 Buick Century Wagon 21 MPG $2,850
97 Chevrolet Lumina 21 MPG $2,850
98 Chevrolet S10 Pickup 2WD 21 MPG $2,850
99 Consulier Industries Inc Consulier GTP 21 MPG $2,850
100 Daihatsu Rocky 4WD 21 MPG $2,850

Most efficient 1990 gasoline cars

The same 1990 ranking with battery electric vehicles removed. Hybrids and plug-in hybrids appear because they run primarily on gasoline. This is the table to use when shopping for a conventional car, since comparing a pure EV to a regular gas car on a per-gallon basis tends to mislead more than it informs.

# Make and model Combined MPG Annual fuel cost
1 Geo Metro XFI 47 MPG $1,250
2 Honda Civic CRX HF 43 MPG $1,400
3 Chevrolet Turbo Sprint 34 MPG $1,750
4 Daihatsu Charade 34 MPG $1,750
5 Pontiac Turbo Firefly 34 MPG $1,750
6 Volkswagen Jetta 34 MPG $2,400
7 Chevrolet Sprint 33 MPG $1,800
8 Geo Metro 33 MPG $1,800
9 Geo Metro LSI 33 MPG $1,800
10 Pontiac Firefly 33 MPG $1,800
11 Suzuki Swift 33 MPG $1,800
12 Geo Metro LSI Convertible 30 MPG $2,000
13 Subaru Justy 30 MPG $2,000
14 Ford Festiva 28 MPG $2,150
15 Honda Civic CRX 28 MPG $2,150
16 Subaru Justy 4WD 28 MPG $2,150
17 Toyota Tercel 27 MPG $2,200
18 Ford Escort 26 MPG $2,300
19 Honda Civic 26 MPG $2,300
20 Honda Civic Wagon 26 MPG $2,300
21 Hyundai Excel 26 MPG $2,300
22 Isuzu Stylus 26 MPG $2,300
23 Mercedes-Benz 300D 2.5 Turbo 26 MPG $3,100
24 Mitsubishi Precis 26 MPG $2,300
25 Pontiac Lemans 26 MPG $2,300
26 Chevrolet Cavalier 25 MPG $2,400
27 Dodge Colt 25 MPG $2,400
28 Dodge Colt Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
29 Eagle Summit 25 MPG $2,400
30 Ford Escort Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
31 Mazda 323/323 Protege 25 MPG $2,400
32 Mitsubishi Mirage 25 MPG $2,400
33 Mitsubishi Mirage Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
34 Nissan Sentra 25 MPG $2,400
35 Nissan Sentra Coupe 25 MPG $2,400
36 Nissan Sentra Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
37 Plymouth Colt 25 MPG $2,400
38 Plymouth Colt Wagon 25 MPG $2,400
39 Suzuki Samurai Hardtop 25 MPG $2,400
40 Suzuki Samurai Soft-top 4WD 25 MPG $2,400
41 Toyota Celica 25 MPG $2,400
42 Yugo GV Plus/GV/Cabrio 25 MPG $2,400
43 Chevrolet Beretta 24 MPG $2,500
44 Chevrolet Cavalier Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
45 Chevrolet Corsica 24 MPG $2,500
46 Dodge Omni 24 MPG $2,500
47 Geo Prizm 24 MPG $2,500
48 Geo Storm 24 MPG $2,500
49 Isuzu Impulse 24 MPG $2,500
50 Nissan Pulsar NX 24 MPG $2,500
51 Plymouth Horizon 24 MPG $2,500
52 Pontiac Sunbird 24 MPG $2,500
53 Suzuki Sidekick 2WD 24 MPG $2,500
54 Suzuki Swift GT 24 MPG $2,500
55 Toyota Camry 24 MPG $2,500
56 Toyota Camry Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
57 Toyota Corolla 24 MPG $2,500
58 Toyota Corolla Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
59 Volkswagen Fox 24 MPG $2,500
60 Volkswagen Fox Wagon 24 MPG $2,500
61 Alfa Romeo Spider 23 MPG $3,000
62 Buick Century 23 MPG $2,600
63 Buick Skylark 23 MPG $2,600
64 Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon 23 MPG $2,600
65 Dodge Colt Wagon 4WD 23 MPG $2,600
66 Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD 23 MPG $2,600
67 Mazda MX-5 Miata 23 MPG $2,600
68 Mitsubishi Eclipse 23 MPG $2,600
69 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 23 MPG $2,600
70 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera 23 MPG $2,600
71 Plymouth Colt Wagon 4WD 23 MPG $2,600
72 Plymouth Laser 23 MPG $2,600
73 Pontiac 6000 23 MPG $2,600
74 Pontiac Grand Am 23 MPG $2,600
75 Toyota Celica Convertible 23 MPG $2,600
76 Toyota Corolla All-Trac Wagon 23 MPG $2,600
77 Volkswagen Cabriolet 23 MPG $2,600
78 Volkswagen Golf/GTI 23 MPG $2,600
79 Acura Integra 22 MPG $2,700
80 Audi 80 22 MPG $2,700
81 Dodge Shadow 22 MPG $2,700
82 Geo Tracker 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
83 Geo Tracker Convertible 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
84 Honda Accord 22 MPG $2,700
85 Honda Civic Wagon 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
86 Mazda 626/MX-6 22 MPG $2,700
87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 22 MPG $2,700
88 Plymouth Sundance 22 MPG $2,700
89 Pontiac Grand Prix 22 MPG $2,700
90 Subaru XT 22 MPG $2,700
91 Subaru XT 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
92 Suzuki Sidekick Hardtop 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
93 Suzuki Sidekick Soft-top 4WD 22 MPG $2,700
94 Volkswagen GTI 16v 22 MPG $2,700
95 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 16v 22 MPG $2,700
96 Buick Century Wagon 21 MPG $2,850
97 Chevrolet Lumina 21 MPG $2,850
98 Chevrolet S10 Pickup 2WD 21 MPG $2,850
99 Consulier Industries Inc Consulier GTP 21 MPG $2,850
100 Daihatsu Rocky 4WD 21 MPG $2,850

Source: U.S. EPA fuel economy dataset.