Because it affects your weekly operating costs, fuel economy is one of the most important factors when purchasing a new car. This is especially concerning given the record-high gasoline prices that are expected to rise further. Even when they are down, they will not remain so indefinitely.
Car Credit offers great deals some of the most fuel-efficient cars that help you save money month after month.
Here are some examples of a few you may want to test drive.
Mirage Mitsubishi
The Mirage is not only the least thirsty gas-powered car on the market but also one of the most affordable. The Mirage hatchback and Mirage G4 sedan are powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine with 78 horsepower. The normal transmission is a five-speed manual, with a continuously variable automatic transmission available as an option.
The hatchback with the CVT is the most fuel-efficient Mirage, with ratings of 36/43/39 mpg city/highway/combined. The Mirage G4 sedan with the CVT gets 35/41/37 mpg, while the hatch and sedan get 33/41/36 and 33/40/35 mpg with the manual transmission, respectively.
Civic Honda
Honda’s Civic is another vehicle with many options for buyers: sedan and hatchback body styles, three engine options, and a six-speed manual transmission (in the hatchback or sportier Si sedan) or CVT. The most fuel-efficient 2022 Civic is the mid-level EX with the more powerful 180-hp, turbo 1.5-liter four-cylinder, and CVT, rated at 33/42/36 mpg. The top-of-the-line Touring sedan gets 31/38/34 mpg.
The Civic’s base engine is a 158-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The sedan equates to 31/40/35 mpg in the LX and 30/37/33 mpg in the Sport. The Si only has a six-speed manual transmission and a 200-horsepower, turbo 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine; it gets 27/37/31 mpg on premium gas.
The hatchback has the same engine and transmission options as the sedan. The maximum mpg rating with the turbo 1.5-liter and a CVT is 31/39/35. The base engine and CVT achieve 30/38/33 mpg. With the turbo 1.5-liter, the top ratings are 28/37/31 mpg, and with the 2.0-liter, the maximum ratings are 26/36/29 mpg.
Hatchback Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla Hatchback follows, powered by a 168-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and available with either a CVT with a traditional first gear or a six-speed manual transmission. The SE with CVT is the most fuel-efficient model, achieving 32/41/35 mpg. The XSE with the CVT achieves 30/38/33 mpg, while the manual transmission achieves 28/36/31 mpg.
Elantra Hyundai
The Hyundai Elantra has several engine and transmission options, all of which are front-wheel drive. The most fuel-efficient model is the base SE, which has a 147-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a CVT among the Elantras powered solely by gasoline engines, at 33/43/37 mpg; more option-laden versions of the Elantra with this powertrain drop slightly to 31/41/35 mpg. The N Line comes standard with a 201-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and either a six-speed manual transmission (rated at 25/34/28 mpg) or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (rated at 28/36/31 mpg).
The Elantra N’s 276-hp, turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is rated at 22/31/25 mpg with the standard six-speed manual transmission or 20/30/23 mpg with the optional eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Prius Prime by Toyota
The Prius plug-in hybrid has a larger, rechargeable 8.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack but the same 1.8-liter gasoline engine and a total system output of 121 horsepower. The EPA rates the Prius Prime at 133 combined mpg-e for electric and gas and 54 combined mpg once the battery charge is depleted in hybrid mode. It has a 640-mile range and an estimated all-electric range of 25 miles.
Ioniq by Hyundai
The Ioniq hybrid, not to be confused with the new all-electric Ioniq 5, is powered by a 104-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a 43-hp electric motor and 1.56-kilowatt-hour battery. The Blue trim level gets the best gas mileage at 58/60/59 mpg, while the other trim levels get 54/57/55 mpg. The Ioniq is also available in a plug-in hybrid configuration, but the all-electric version has been replaced by the Ioniq 5 for 2022.
Toyota Prius
The Prius is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine, two electric motor-generators, and a battery pack, totaling 121 system horsepower. With 58/53/56 mpg, the base front-drive Eco model is the most efficient. Other FWD trims get 54/50/52 mpg, while all-wheel drive (and a second electric motor) drops efficiency to 51/47/49 mpg.
Toyota RAV4 Premium
The RAV4 Prime compact SUV combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with two electric motor-generators and an 18.1-kWh battery pack rather than simply mirroring the Prius’ powertrain. The total system output is 302 horsepower, and AWD is standard on the RAV4 Prime (compliments of the third motor in the back). It has the longest estimated all-electric range of any PHEV on this list, with a full range of 600 miles. It has an mpg-e rating of 94 and a combined mpg rating of 38 in hybrid mode.
Honda Insight
Next on the list is Honda’s Insight hybrid, which has a total system output of 151 hp from its 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine combined with two electric motors and a battery pack. The Insight is available in two trim levels: EX and Touring. The EX is rated at 55/49/52 mpg, while the Touring is rated at 51/45/48 mpg.
The Bottom Line
Gas prices appear to increase as more electric vehicles become available. While you may want to save money on gas, going completely electric may seem premature. Fortunately, if you want to save money at the pump, you have many fuel-efficient options that aren’t fully electric yet. As you may have noticed, many automakers have begun to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles in recent years, utilizing technology such as smaller engines or hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
Therefore, to combat the increasing fuel prices, the best option is to shift to fuel-efficient cars as they are a one-time investment and save you a lot of money in the long run.
Visit a Car Credit location to learn more about fuel efficient vehicles and make an informed decision about your next car.
Car Credit, located at:
3923 East Hillsborough Avenue, Tampa
2902 West Hillsborough Avenue, North West Tampa
2008 US Highway 19 North, Holiday
108 North US Highway 41, Ruskin
