Best used cars for fuel economy

With the national economy and elevated gas prices having a real impact on American households, it is more important now than ever for car buyers to look at the complete cost scenario when choosing a model. Consumer Reports analysis shows that on a typical new car, depreciation accounts for 46 percent of the owner costs over a five-year period. Depreciation is greatest in the first years. If saving money, not just fuel, is your true goal, then consider buying used.

Pre-owned vehicles have already gone through the initial period of rapid depreciation. By focusing on a nearly-new model, say 2-3 years old, you can find a vehicle that offers comparable fuel economy, performance, safety, and reliability as a new car, often with some transferable warranty coverage remaining.

With a lower transaction price, sales tax, and insurance, used cars can be more affordable to purchase and own. Of course, buying used can put a larger, better-equipped model within your budget, but if fuel economy is your driving motivation, then consider these frugal choices.

The cars below are the most fuel-efficient models available in their price range and many have performed well in our tests. Other fuel efficient cars, such as the Mini Cooper, command a premium, thus cutting into the money saving. The fuel economy numbers come from our measurements using a precision flow meter and are rounded to the nearest mile per gallon (mpg). CR's overall mileage is calculated from equal portions of city, expressway, and rural roads.

Under $10,000	Overall mpg
2000 Honda Insight (manual)	51
2001-02 Toyota Prius	41
2000-05 Toyota Echo	38
1998-2002 Chevrolet Prizm	32
1998 Mazda Protegé LX	32
1998-2000 Toyota Corolla LE	32
1998-2001 Acura Integra LS (manual)	32

$10,000-$20,000	Overall mpg
2004-06 Toyota Prius	44
2001-03 Toyota Prius	41
2006-07 Honda Civic Hybrid	37
2003-05 Honda Civic Hybrid	36
2007 Honda Fit Sport (manual)	34
2007 Toyota Yaris Liftback (base, manual)	34

There are a number of used cars that have excellent fuel economy, plus are affordable and reliable such as the Chevrolet Prizm, Honda Civic, Honda Fit, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Echo, and Toyota Yaris. Note that these days, any hybrid will be hard to find, and therefore, retail prices may be above the official value. Also, keep in mind that the older cars on this list may lack common safety features such as ABS and side-curtain airbags. Check out our complete list of the most fuel-efficient used cars and the best and worst used cars. Plus see our Guide to Green Driving for more information on fuel economy and alternative fuels. When you’re ready to make a purchase, see our used car buying guide for advice on choosing the right used car for you, selling your old car, and getting the best price.

—Liza Barth and Jeff Bartlett

For more information on saving fuel see our reports on how to get the best gas mileage and where to find the cheapest gas. 

Comments

[Paul R]

Here's something funny (or not). I did a look on my local Craigslist and found a dealer selling a 2008 Prius for $36,850. That's not a typo. When I build the same car with the same options on Toyota's web site, the MSRP is $28,700, so we are talking about an $8,000 markup on top of MSRP. You could never make up the price difference with the better fuel economy compared to a similar-sized Corolla.
A 2006 Prius lists for anywhere between $20,000 to $24,000. Still insane for what is basically a 3 model-year old car (since the 2009s are already coming out).
For the absolutely insane prices these things are going for, I can't imagine why people are still buying them.

[Cale]

Looking at the cars in the $10-20K range(BTW that's a pretty wide range) I see a lot of hybrids and 1 year old models. I wonder how many of those are sitting on used car lots or are priced anywhere near $10k? If you stick with the under $10k cars, you're going to end up looking at a lot of those 10 year old high mileage cars. Dropping the manual transmission from the list (Does anyone really WANT to drive a manual transmission equipped Yaris?) and your choices are even slimmer.

None of this impresses me because of the questionable safety of these cars. I don't care much for the idea of parents with children driving around in these cars which typically get lower scores in crash tests (most weren't even tested by the IIHS for side impact protection!) just to save about $80 month. That's the extra cost of driving a much safer under $10k used car that gets 22mpg overall, like the 04-06 Ford Taurus.

Family budgets rarely include the "what ifs" of a trip to the emergency room. But if you believe, as I do, that the most dangerous part of your day is the time you spend on the road, then it makes sense to buy a little "insurance" and drive a safer car.

Just my $.02 (adjusted for inflation)

[Indiana]

When I bought my Corolla LE new in 1999 it was with a good maintenance record and MPG in mind. I also thought that by the time I was ready to purchase a replacement in 5-6 years that most cars would be getting even better MPG. Sadly this has not been the case. So I have held on to my 1999 Corolla and in 2008 it STILL gets better gas mileage than most new cars today. At least my family (parents, uncles, etc.) have finally stopped asking me when I am buying a new car since the price of gasoline has risen so high this year.

[japanreports]

I have always thought that CR was biased now this just reinforces that thought. All japanese cars. No mention of the Pontiac vibe...33 mpg among others. What gives?

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Our bias is toward good, reliable, safe cars, with better than average fuel economy. Nothing more.

The list isn't our favorites; it is based on data.

The reason we didn't mention the Pontiac Vibe is that it got 27 mpg overall in our tests.

A full breakdown of our numbers and those from the EPA can be found on the Vibe's model page, under the Specs tab.

[Dan]

Also...the Pontiac Vibe is a reskinned Toyota Matrix, therefore a Japanese car.
Don't forget the Honda Fit base 5spd. Mine averages 37mpg.
My wife's 2002 Honda Civic lx 5spd averages 39, also a good choice.

[Bekah]

We bought a brand new Honda Civic VX for $10,000 in 1992 and it was rated for up to 55 m.p.g. My mother always referred to the car as a "glorified go cart," but we actually got 65 m.p.g. on a trip to the Grand Canyon. At the time, most people didn't care about gas mileage, which must have led to the end of production of the VX motor. Honda obviously knows how to get great mileage on a budget. Now is the time to bring it back!

[MPG?]

Interesting comments. But the winner in the go-cart challenge is my son's Mercedes diesel SMART car. Sorry not available in the USA. He is currently getting over 75 mpg, mainly city driving. It would be interesting to try it on your tests to see the results.

[rjr]

You need to check around with more dealers.
I was in Illinois last week. Chicago dealer wanted 4K over list.
Decatur was at list.

Mr. JapanReports - I sure wish I could buy an American made hybrid. I live in Kansas City where they build the Malibu hybrid.
It gets one or two miles better than the base Malibu.
My family and I drove 2 Priuses in Los Angeles and Riverside area last month. Up and down PCH, around the Topanga Canyon Roads ( great little "frog" restaurant on one of them ... ) and we got better than 53 mpg in over 500 miles driving. That was with 3 adults and luggage and rush hours and hills.
The Malibu is lucky to get 27 mpg

AND IT COSTS AS MUCH AS THE PRIUS.

Easy call.

[Phil]

There is no Civic that was ever rated at 55mpg. Check for yourself.

www.fueleconomy.gov

[unclesharkey]

I recently went on a 400 mile trip up the east coast on 95 and the garden state parkway driving my 1996 Honda Odyssey. Fully loaded with 3 passengers I got 28.3 mpg in highway driving averaging around 60-65 mph. The car has over 180,000 miles on it and is still going strong with very little maintenance. Who needs a hybrid....not me. Save money, get a good car, take good care of it and drive it into the ground.

[Mike]

People buy these things because they are liberal pinheads. It's OK to pay WAY more than a regular car because it's a hybrid. The green fad is not about common sense, it's about feeling good. No matter what the cost. Cut back on use so you don't have to recycle so much. Instead of going to your snooty liberal fundraisers, stay at home and mail a check. But then again common sense is not to be expected from the left.

[SLEZE]

I guess I must have missed the VW TDI Golfs and Jettas which easily get 50 MPG combined city and highway. Since we are going back 10 years on some of these cars, TDI Golfs and Jettas must either ridiculous resale value or, once again, Consumer Reports excluded diesel cars because diesel isn't part of their "fuel economy."

[econobiker]

1995 Dodge Neon 5 speed 4dr- 37-39 mpg highway/city combined running 89 octane, 230,000 miles estimated worth $1000- $2000. Now running with an engine miss (3cylinders?) at 242,000 and still getting 29-30mpg. So pox on that list... Off to the repair shop in the next couple of days- so what if the repairs cost $500-$600 that is far cheaper than buying a new car...

Biggest problems with US car drivers is lack of maintenance (like checking tire pressures) and the need for automatic transmissions...

[Dean]

No mention of VW TDI models. They trump everything that CS includes in their lists, and are legendary for for the longevity.

When you consider, safety, fuel efficiency, and build quality, VW is the simple choice.

But CR doesn't like VWs. That's fine. It leaves more for the those of us that think.

[Jthomas]

Agree with previous comments about VW TDIs.

It's just sad that they aren't on this list, since even the worst-performing, the automatics, get at least 38mpg! Manuals driven well can get 50mpg.

I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but I feel like someone at CR has an agenda against diesels.

[DT]

How did you miss the Suzuki SX4 and the Suzuki Forenza? The SX4 is listed under $15K and gets 31 mpg.

[Wiley Robinson]

The sad thing is that I own and drive a 37 year old Fiat 128 that gets better gas mileage than all but the top three. The original Honda CVCC of 1976 got close to 50 mpg. A 45 year old Fiat 500 will get 50 mpg. There is no need for some technological breakthrough here, just make the cars lighter and use smaller engines.

Why limit yourself to a brand new car (yes, a 2 year old car is essentially new)? Too bad most of the US population knows so little today that they are afraid of having an older car.

[gerry pelant]

I drive a 1999 saturn sl-2, all manual, still receive after 189K miles between 32 and 37 MPG, depending on passenger & cargo load. why wasn"t SATURN named in the 10 most fuel efficient autos?????

[Alex Traverso]

I just came back from Europe.Italy to be exact. I was there for two months. I'm appalled to see that the Europeans have all sorts of American vehicles (Dodge Caravan,Pt cruiser, Dodge Magnum,Grand Cherokee,Cherokee. All sorts of GM vehicles under the Opel brand,Ford Focus, Fiesta, Mondeo, etc,etc,etc. Every single one of these vehicles runs on diesel fuel with the new CDI technology. They get no less than 40 MPG's except for the Magnum and the Grand Cherokee thay get 35mpg's avg. These cars are fast, silent, clean burning, and super efficient. WHY??? Can we get these vehicles made and sold here for the American Market?????.
I thought that we want to cut the dependency from foreign oil.
Are we really doing something about global warming?
American car companies are laying off workers, meanwhile the American people is driving around gas guzzlers, that pollute, and only benefit oil companies.In Europe 40 mpg's is the norm. Here we make it sound like 30 mpg plus is great!!!
Please... put Americans back to work to produce real economic vehicles. Oh, and by the way, European cars are no longer those little tiny econo-boxes that everybody seems to remember.They offer the same or more comfort and size as American cars do.Until the car companies are true to the American people we will never see the advances and progress made for humanity in its entirety, as far as vehicles are concerned.

[Mac Steves]

I have a 2000 Chevy Metro (nee Suzuki Swift) with a three-cylinder engine, 5-speed manual transmission, and no gew-gaws. It readily gets 44 MPG around town (Honolulu) and will get 50 MPG when driven at night on uncrowded relatively level freeways. This car is a lot of fun to drive: responsive and nimble. It's eight years old and I'd like another some day; oops, they're only available in Japan. What a fool I am thinking that Americans could ever widely embrace what the rest of the world already knows--without a ton of bricks falling on their heads. Forget the Prius; how about a Daihatsu Naked or a Toyota Will vi? These cars are good, solid, fun, dependable basic transportation--Google them--they're really neat. Aah, I give up--we never seem to really "get" it here. ;^) -Mac

[Cristian Trandafir]

Hello everybody,
I found this site incidently, and I decided to read some info on it.
But, like some other readers, I was very suprised not to find on the list another icon of all times, The Mercedes 300D-2.5L engine, that easily gets about 39-42 MPG, depending on speed and road conditions, offering a very luxourious ride, lots of space, and smooth riding, clearly superior to the Jetta and Golf models.....
Of course, the price is under 10,000$.....I have two of these cars, and I am very happy with them.(Of course, like any Diesel, they can run on veggie oil fuel as well, without any modification at all!!!).
I also agree 100% with Alex Traverso and what is happening now in Europe, and all I can say is that Canada and USA have such a crazy unilateral policy against the Diesel engine, which is very detrimental to everybody, and to the environment as well. I really hope the future will bring some good changes in allowing the Diesel engine on our markets, and I hope more and more people will begin to understand the great advantages of these engines.

[Christopher M Davis]

When planning to buy a car, remember that if it is Not available for sale you can't very well buy it. Be somewhat flexible when it comes to style , and especially color- (don't be an emotional buyer unless you can really afford it- then buy what ever you want). Most of us need low or reasonable cost for the utility you will get out of the vehicle. Carefully consider how long you will own it, how many miles per year you will drive/ so you can calculate or Guess at the fuel costs (and consider the long vacation/ pleasure trips, if any, as well), the insurance costs, and any extra maintenance costs like replacing timing belts, turbocharger maintenance and transmission repair/replacement costs on cars and non-work trucks that are soon to be out of warranty or have above 70,000 miles on them. Any maintenance records the seller has are nice to have as well, but a trained mechanic you can trust is your best overall Ally when it comes down to giving a particular target the Green-Light for you to go ahead and buy it.
My daughter recently need to buy a car cheap so she could get started driving herself about- her insurance cost were high as most High School kids auto insurance is. We looked for several months trying to find the proverbial perfect car but with my daughters criteria ( no older cars )and the small amount of cash on hand coupled to my ability to readily find defects on cars (except for transmission problems that aren't easily found by checking the fluid color and clean-ness and giving it a long around town and on the highway test drive) I purchased my daughter a used mercury mystique which is gasoline powered with front wheel drive and automatic transm. and gets good around town fuel economy but is not as good on the Highway due to a 3 speed automatic transmission. This car is reliable but does not have the "balls of fire" acceleration I expected when trying to pass other cars on the highway .This is due to it having a long second gear . It however is perfect considering my daughter needs it for around town (10 miles each direction or less ) for all her needs. It was cheap to buy has no major known drive train problems and is cheap to insure- good tires and recent brake work buy the previous owner made it a best buy. The down side -the AC needs repair -the upside it has 4 windows that roll down. My daughter says I don't care as long as it gets me there and back again. My wife's latest purchase- (Wife will Not do without AC however) - was a Chevy extended mini-van
actually turns out to not be the best car for her needs. We have 5 children that need rides here and there but all but the oldest rides the bus to and from school. She thought she would need the extra room to haul children here and there for all sorts of activities - dead wrong. She can haul them to and fro but usually it is her and one child or maybe two that goes anywhere with her. A car would have been easier to find and she probably could have had a luxury model , although used, instead of the more plain mini-van we picked together. Meanwhile, she gets about 21 mpg in her van if she drives without pushing the acceleration to hard and driving at 62 MPH on the highway but still pays the less on insurance costs or the same as a smaller car. Now, my car is the only one the whole family fits into (8 passenger Chevrolet suburban) and it gets 17mpg on the highway and I don't know about around town because in the last year it has been used twice -- one three hour trip to Orlando Fl (Disney World) and back plus we hauled kids trick-or-treating in it last Halloween. That was it for this past year. And that is because we bought a mini-van that my wife and I thought would be the best for us at the time.
We couldn't afford a diesel vehicle due to high first cost ( or total cost of payment, higher insurance, and fees etc that go with buying one on credit). We still do not have a car payment so that helps alot and we don't pay for comprehensive and collision on the van nor the daughters car because of the lower costs of these two vehicles , but the better situation would have been to find a car instead of a van for my wife so she could have had an easier to drive vehicle that gets better MPG if we could have found one at or close to our price. So the bottom line is Think it out very clearly into the next three years or so before you buy- Also consider Safety of the vehicle and the reliability as well. Getting left in the middle of nowhere can be costly too. Have a professional mechanic who is Familiar with the vehicle you are considering buying give you advice-- Ask why he/she thinks that the advice they are giving is the best all around advice considering the number of years you plan to keep the vehicle for . Also, alot of us have already changed there habits of driving before the price of gasoline i America hit $2.00 per gallon. I actually bought a used turbo-diesel pickup truck(Ford F350 with 260,000 miles on the odometer ) that got 21 MPG loaded down on the highway. It was the most powerful pickup I ever owned (huge amount of pulling power or Torque) - definitely recommend a Ford diesel powered work truck for daily driving and weekend pulling or full-time working for sure.When fuel was over $2.60 per gal. I sold it because I didn't need a work truck and couldn't seat 8 people (had a new baby 1-1/2years after I bought the truck).
Buy what you can afford but buy only as much engine in the vehicle as you absolutely need. The engine and drive-train configuration determine the MPG as well as the way you use it and your driving habits . If you have to have horsepower for the purpose of speed,get a drag car or a race car and go to the track. Buy something that is economical and all of us will save money on fuel because non of us will be wasting it.

[Used Cars]

This is a great article! It is amazing to me that you can buy a car that is 8 years old that gets better gas mileage than a brand new hybrid car that costs four times as much.

[WEBAUTOK]

nice