Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Trucks for 2002

Updated: 05/12/2009 - by Erin Riches, Deputy Editor

Even if you can't confine your lifestyle to a small sedan, you shouldn't have to spend your entire paycheck at the gas station. With this in mind, we've compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient pickups and SUVs sold in the U.S. today, based on the Environmental Protection Agency's miles per gallon ratings for city and highway travel. We considered only those vehicles that you can refuel at a regular gas station, so there are no electric or natural gas vehicles on this list. Our hierarchy is based on the EPA's formula for combined fuel economy: 55 percent of city mpg rating + 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway ratio. With exceptions for the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V, all ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission and two-wheel drive — and for pickups, a regular cab/standard bed configuration. Although we considered minivans for this list, none of the current production models made the cut; GM's triplets, the Chevrolet Venture, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Pontiac Montana, came the closest with their 19/26 EPA rating. You'll notice that Chrysler's PT Cruiser made this list, and that's because the EPA classifies it as an SUV — even though it's basically a station wagon.