The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1996

Have you ever wondered what the most fuel efficient cars manufactured in 1996 are? In this article, we'll list out the best 100 fuel efficient cars from 1996 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 1996 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.

Car Combined MPG Fuel Cost
Geo Metro 40 $1,550
Volkswagen Golf/GTI 38 $2,050
Volkswagen Jetta 38 $2,050
Honda Civic HX 36 $1,750
Geo Metro 35 $1,800
Suzuki Swift 35 $1,800
Volkswagen Passat 35 $2,200
Volkswagen Passat Wagon 35 $2,200
Ford Aspire 33 $1,900
Honda Civic HX 32 $1,950
Honda Del Sol 32 $1,950
Toyota Tercel 32 $1,950
Eagle Summit 31 $2,000
Honda Civic 31 $2,000
Mitsubishi Mirage 31 $2,000
Ford Escort 30 $2,100
Ford Escort Wagon 30 $2,100
Mazda Protege 30 $2,100
Mercury Tracer 30 $2,100
Mercury Tracer Wagon 30 $2,100
Toyota Tercel 30 $2,100
Geo Prizm 29 $2,150
Mazda MX-3 29 $2,150
Nissan Sentra/200SX 29 $2,150
Saturn SC 29 $2,150
Saturn SL 29 $2,150
Suzuki Esteem 29 $2,150
Toyota Corolla 29 $2,150
Toyota Tercel 29 $2,150
Toyota Tercel 29 $2,150
Dodge Neon 28 $2,250
Ford Aspire 28 $2,250
Geo Metro 28 $2,250
Honda Civic 28 $2,250
Honda Civic 28 $2,250
Honda Del Sol 28 $2,250
Honda Del Sol 28 $2,250
Hyundai Accent 28 $2,250
Nissan Sentra/200SX 28 $2,250
Plymouth Neon 28 $2,250
Saturn SW 28 $2,250
Suzuki Swift 28 $2,250
Toyota Paseo 28 $2,250
Geo Prizm 27 $2,300
Honda Civic 27 $2,300
Honda Del Sol 27 $2,300
Hyundai Accent 27 $2,300
Hyundai Accent 27 $2,300
Hyundai Accent (Sporty) 27 $2,300
Kia Sephia 27 $2,300
Mazda Protege 27 $2,300
Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel 27 $2,850
Saturn SC 27 $2,300
Saturn SL 27 $2,300
Saturn SW 27 $2,300
Toyota Celica 27 $2,300
Toyota Corolla 27 $2,300
Toyota Corolla Wagon 27 $2,300
Toyota Paseo 27 $2,300
Chevrolet Beretta 26 $2,400
Chevrolet Cavalier 26 $2,400
Dodge Stratus 26 $2,400
Eagle Summit 26 $2,400
Geo Prizm 26 $2,400
Hyundai Accent 26 $2,400
Mazda 626 26 $2,400
Mazda MX-3 26 $2,400
Mazda MX-6 26 $2,400
Mitsubishi Mirage 26 $2,400
Plymouth Breeze 26 $2,400
Pontiac Sunfire 26 $2,400
Saturn SC 26 $2,400
Saturn SL 26 $2,400
Saturn SW 26 $2,400
Suzuki Esteem 26 $2,400
Toyota Celica 26 $2,400
Toyota Corolla 26 $2,400
Toyota Corolla Wagon 26 $2,400
Acura Integra 25 $2,500
Acura Integra 25 $2,950
Chevrolet Cavalier 25 $2,500
Dodge Neon 25 $2,500
Eagle Summit 25 $2,500
Eagle Summit 25 $2,500
Ford Contour 25 $2,500
Ford Escort 25 $2,500
Ford Escort Wagon 25 $2,500
Ford Probe 25 $2,500
Geo Prizm 25 $2,500
Honda Accord 25 $2,500
Honda Del Sol 25 $2,950
Hyundai Accent (Sporty) 25 $2,500
Mazda Protege 25 $2,500
Mercury Mystique 25 $2,500
Mercury Tracer 25 $2,500
Mercury Tracer Wagon 25 $2,500
Mitsubishi Mirage 25 $2,500
Mitsubishi Mirage 25 $2,500
Plymouth Neon 25 $2,500
Pontiac Sunfire 25 $2,500

Best 1996 Regular Fuel Cars by Miles per Gallon

The table below contains the best 1996 regular fuel cars by combined miles per gallon (MPG).

Car Combined MPG Fuel Cost
Volkswagen Golf/GTI (Manual 5-spd) 38 $2,050
Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) 38 $2,050
Volkswagen Passat (Manual 5-spd) 35 $2,200
Volkswagen Passat Wagon (Manual 5-spd) 35 $2,200
Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel (Automatic 4-spd) 27 $2,850
Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet Pickup 2500 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC Sierra 1500 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC Sierra 2500 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet K1500 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 15 $5,150
Chevrolet Tahoe 1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 15 $5,150
GMC Sierra 1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 15 $5,150
GMC Yukon 1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 15 $5,150

Conclusion

The most fuel efficient car of 1996 is the Geo Metro. It has a combined MPG of 40 and costs $1,550 per year to drive it.

The most fuel efficient non-electric car of 1996 is the Volkswagen Golf/GTI. It has a combined MPG of 38 and costs $2,050 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.

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