Hatchbacks are the go-to segment for car shoppers seeking choices with the most budget-friendly fuel economy. These days, the range of thrifty hatchbacks and wagons is more diverse than ever. It includes hybrids, electric cars and plug-in hybrids, in addition to good, old-fashioned gas-only models.
Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Wagons and Hatchbacks for 2012
The 10 hatchbacks and wagons listed below are the most frugal models on the market. Our rankings were determined using the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. We used the EPA's combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway/combined ratio.
The top three cars on our list (the Mitsubishi i-Miev, Ford Focus Electric and Nissan Leaf) are electric cars, and the model in 4th place (Chevrolet Volt) is a plug-in hybrid. The ratios shown for these models reflect the EPA's "mpg equivalent" figures, which assume that 33.7 kilowatt-hours of electricity is equivalent to one gallon of gasoline energy.
1. Mitsubishi i-MiEV — 126/99/112
2. Ford Focus Electric — 110/99/105
3. Nissan Leaf — 106/92/99
4. Chevrolet Volt — 95/93/94
5. Toyota Prius — 51/48/50 (tie)
Toyota Prius C — 53/46/50 (tie)
6. Honda Insight — 41/44/42 (tie)
Lexus CT 200h — 43/40/42 (tie)
Toyota Prius V — 44/40/42 (tie)
7. Honda CR-Z — 35/39/37
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