Finding a car that sips fuel rather than guzzles it has long been a top priority for many drivers, but it seems it’s more important than ever to make your money - and fuel - stretch as far as possible.
With fluctuating fuel prices and increasing environmental awareness, the appeal of a highly economical car is at an all-time high - but with so many models on the market, how do you pinpoint the ones that truly excel in fuel efficiency?
It’s one thing to read the official miles-per-gallon (MPG) figures published by manufacturers, but these numbers are often achieved in ideal conditions and not easily replicated in the real world.
To help you make a more informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of all the most economical cars on sale today. To see if they’re up to snuff, we’ve also included our own economy results for each model – with some surprising results.
This list includes petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid and full-hybrid models. We’ve excluded plug-in hybrid cars here, because their officially advertised economy figures are often highly unrealistic and rely on large, charged-up batteries.
We’ve also excluded fully-electric models here, but you can see our list of the longest-range electric cars, plus our compilation of the most efficient electric cars and their real-world results. The top pick based on official figures is the frugal Mazda 2, but you’ll have to read on to see what it actually scored in the real world.
So whether you're a daily commuter, a budget-conscious buyer or simply looking to reduce your carbon footprint, these vehicles represent some of the best choices available for maximising your miles per gallon.
Claimed economy: 74.3mpg
Our economy: 60.3mpg
The Mazda 2 is sold as one of the most economical cars on sale today, with a remarkable advertised economy figure of 74.3mpg.
You might be thinking that this small Japanese hatchback looks familiar, and you'd be correct. The Mazda 2 is in effect a rebadged Toyota Yaris, sharing most of its underpinnings and, crucially, its hybrid technology.
It isn't a straight copy and paste, though. While the Yaris offers a choice of electrified engines ranging up to 129bhp, the Mazda 2 has just one: a 114bhp, three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol unit, which will hit 0-62mph in 9.2sec.
Our extensive drive in the Mazda 2 returned 60.3mpg, which is very respectable indeed, if not quite as high as Mazda advertises.
Read our Mazda 2 review
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It is amusing that the reward can manufacturers have for acheiving this impressive economy, is to have these cars banned. Is it any wonder that private buyers prefer to hang onto these cheap to run cars than switch to an EV?
However, back in 2004 i bought a 3 year old Honda Insight, and that was far more economical than anything here. I do wonder what Honda could have managed with another 20 years developement.
Combustion engines are fundamentally inefficient compared to EVs; their thermal efficiency is only about 35%, and the fuel they use can only ever be used once. I used to own one of the cars on this list (a Jazz) but have since swapped to an e-C4. The Citroen is definitely cheaper to fuel overall, cheaper to service and was even cheaper to insure. So if everyone is hanging on to their combustion vehicles (which is a sweeping generalisation btw) they are making a mistake.