The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1997

Have you ever wondered what the most fuel efficient cars manufactured in 1997 are? In this article, we'll list out the best 100 fuel efficient cars from 1997 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 1997 Cars by Miles per Gallon

CarCombined MPGFuel Cost
Geo Metro Manual 5-spd40$1,550
Volkswagen Golf/GTI Manual 5-spd37$2,100
Volkswagen Jetta Manual 5-spd37$2,100
Volkswagen Passat Manual 5-spd36$2,150
Volkswagen Passat Wagon Manual 5-spd36$2,150
Geo Metro Manual 5-spd35$1,800
Suzuki Swift Manual 5-spd35$1,800
Honda Civic Manual 5-spd34$1,850
Ford Aspire Manual 5-spd33$1,900
Honda Civic Automatic (variable gear ratios)31$2,000
Honda Del Sol Manual 5-spd31$2,000
Mitsubishi Mirage Manual 5-spd31$2,000
Toyota Tercel Manual 5-spd31$2,000
Honda Civic Manual 5-spd30$2,100
Dodge Neon Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Mazda Protege Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Nissan Sentra/200SX Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Plymouth Neon Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Suzuki Esteem Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Toyota Corolla Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Toyota Paseo Manual 5-spd29$2,150
Toyota Tercel Automatic 4-spd29$2,150
Ford Escort Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Ford Escort Wagon Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Geo Metro Automatic 3-spd28$2,250
Geo Prizm Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Geo Prizm Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Honda Civic Automatic 4-spd28$2,250
Honda Civic Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Honda Del Sol Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Hyundai Accent (SOHC) Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Mercury Tracer Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Mercury Tracer Wagon Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage Automatic 4-spd28$2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Saturn SC Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Saturn SL Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Saturn SW Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Suzuki Swift Automatic 3-spd28$2,250
Toyota Celica Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Toyota Corolla Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Toyota Paseo Convertible Manual 5-spd28$2,250
Dodge Stratus Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Honda Civic Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Honda Del Sol Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Honda Del Sol Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Hyundai Accent (SOHC) Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Kia Sephia Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Nissan Sentra/200SX Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Plymouth Breeze Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Saturn SC Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Saturn SC Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Saturn SL Automatic 4-spd27$2,300
Saturn SL Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Saturn SW Manual 5-spd27$2,300
Toyota Tercel Automatic 3-spd27$2,300
Chevrolet Cavalier Manual 5-spd26$2,400
Ford Aspire Automatic 3-spd26$2,400
Ford Escort Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Ford Escort Wagon Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Geo Prizm Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Mazda 626 Manual 5-spd26$2,400
Mazda MX-6 Manual 5-spd26$2,400
Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel Automatic 5-spd26$2,950
Mercury Tracer Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Mercury Tracer Wagon Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Mitsubishi Mirage Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Pontiac Sunfire Manual 5-spd26$2,400
Saturn SW Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Suzuki Esteem Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Toyota Celica Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Toyota Corolla Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Toyota Paseo Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Toyota Paseo Convertible Automatic 4-spd26$2,400
Acura Integra Manual 5-spd25$2,950
Acura Integra Manual 5-spd25$2,500
Chevrolet Cavalier Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Dodge Neon Automatic 3-spd25$2,500
Ford Probe Manual 5-spd25$2,500
Honda Accord Manual 5-spd25$2,500
Honda Del Sol Manual 5-spd25$2,950
Mazda Protege Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Mazda Protege Manual 5-spd25$2,500
Plymouth Neon Automatic 3-spd25$2,500
Pontiac Sunfire Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Saturn SC Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Saturn SL Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Saturn SW Automatic 4-spd25$2,500
Acura 2.2CL/3.0CL Manual 5-spd24$2,600
Acura Integra Automatic 4-spd24$2,600
BMW 318i/318is Manual 5-spd24$3,100
BMW 318ti Manual 5-spd24$3,100
BMW Z3 Roadster Manual 5-spd24$3,100
Chevrolet Cavalier Automatic 3-spd24$2,600
Chevrolet Cavalier Manual 5-spd24$2,600
Eagle Talon Manual 5-spd24$3,100
Ford Contour Manual 5-spd24$2,600
Geo Prizm Automatic 3-spd24$2,600
Honda Accord Manual 5-spd24$2,600
Hyundai Elantra Manual 5-spd24$2,600

Best 1997 Regular Fuel Cars by Miles per Gallon

The table below contains the best 1997 regular fuel cars by combined miles per gallon (MPG).

CarCombined MPGFuel Cost
Geo Metro (Manual 5-spd)40$1,550
Volkswagen Golf/GTI (Manual 5-spd)37$2,100
Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd)37$2,100
Volkswagen Passat (Manual 5-spd)36$2,150
Volkswagen Passat Wagon (Manual 5-spd)36$2,150
Geo Metro (Manual 5-spd)35$1,800
Suzuki Swift (Manual 5-spd)35$1,800
Honda Civic (Manual 5-spd)34$1,850
Ford Aspire (Manual 5-spd)33$1,900
Honda Civic (Automatic (variable gear ratios))31$2,000
Honda Del Sol (Manual 5-spd)31$2,000
Mitsubishi Mirage (Manual 5-spd)31$2,000
Toyota Tercel (Manual 5-spd)31$2,000
Honda Civic (Manual 5-spd)30$2,100
Dodge Neon (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Mazda Protege (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Nissan Sentra/200SX (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Plymouth Neon (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Suzuki Esteem (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Toyota Corolla (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Toyota Paseo (Manual 5-spd)29$2,150
Toyota Tercel (Automatic 4-spd)29$2,150
Ford Escort (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Ford Escort Wagon (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Geo Metro (Automatic 3-spd)28$2,250
Geo Prizm (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Geo Prizm (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Honda Civic (Automatic 4-spd)28$2,250
Honda Civic (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Honda Del Sol (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Hyundai Accent (SOHC) (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Mercury Tracer (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Mercury Tracer Wagon (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage (Automatic 4-spd)28$2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Saturn SC (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Saturn SL (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Saturn SW (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Suzuki Swift (Automatic 3-spd)28$2,250
Toyota Celica (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Toyota Corolla (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Toyota Paseo Convertible (Manual 5-spd)28$2,250
Dodge Stratus (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Honda Civic (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Honda Del Sol (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Honda Del Sol (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Hyundai Accent (SOHC) (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Kia Sephia (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Nissan Sentra/200SX (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Plymouth Breeze (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Saturn SC (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Saturn SC (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Saturn SL (Automatic 4-spd)27$2,300
Saturn SL (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Saturn SW (Manual 5-spd)27$2,300
Toyota Tercel (Automatic 3-spd)27$2,300
Chevrolet Cavalier (Manual 5-spd)26$2,400
Ford Aspire (Automatic 3-spd)26$2,400
Ford Escort (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Ford Escort Wagon (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Geo Prizm (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Mazda 626 (Manual 5-spd)26$2,400
Mazda MX-6 (Manual 5-spd)26$2,400
Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel (Automatic 5-spd)26$2,950
Mercury Tracer (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Mercury Tracer Wagon (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Mitsubishi Mirage (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Pontiac Sunfire (Manual 5-spd)26$2,400
Saturn SW (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Suzuki Esteem (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Toyota Celica (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Toyota Corolla (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Toyota Paseo (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Toyota Paseo Convertible (Automatic 4-spd)26$2,400
Acura Integra (Manual 5-spd)25$2,950
Acura Integra (Manual 5-spd)25$2,500
Chevrolet Cavalier (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Dodge Neon (Automatic 3-spd)25$2,500
Ford Probe (Manual 5-spd)25$2,500
Honda Accord (Manual 5-spd)25$2,500
Honda Del Sol (Manual 5-spd)25$2,950
Mazda Protege (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Mazda Protege (Manual 5-spd)25$2,500
Plymouth Neon (Automatic 3-spd)25$2,500
Pontiac Sunfire (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Saturn SC (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Saturn SL (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Saturn SW (Automatic 4-spd)25$2,500
Acura 2.2CL/3.0CL (Manual 5-spd)24$2,600
Acura Integra (Automatic 4-spd)24$2,600
BMW 318i/318is (Manual 5-spd)24$3,100
BMW 318ti (Manual 5-spd)24$3,100
BMW Z3 Roadster (Manual 5-spd)24$3,100
Chevrolet Cavalier (Automatic 3-spd)24$2,600
Chevrolet Cavalier (Manual 5-spd)24$2,600
Eagle Talon (Manual 5-spd)24$3,100
Ford Contour (Manual 5-spd)24$2,600
Geo Prizm (Automatic 3-spd)24$2,600
Honda Accord (Manual 5-spd)24$2,600
Hyundai Elantra (Manual 5-spd)24$2,600

Conclusion

The most fuel efficient car of 1997 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 1997 is the Geo Metro. It has a combined MPG of 40 and costs $1,550 per year to drive it.

Most Fuel Efficient Cars By Year

Link To or Reference This Page

If you use this page in your research, please reference MPG Buddy as the source.

  • "The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1997." MPG Buddy. Accessed on January 3, 2026. https://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars-in-1997.

  • "The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1997." MPG Buddy, https://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars-in-1997. Accessed January 3, 2026.

  • The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1997. MPG Buddy. Retrieved from https://mpgbuddy.com/most-fuel-efficient-cars-in-1997.