Fuel Efficient Cars:

As consumers, we are all getting a little concerned about rising gas prices. Many of the cars we bought a few years back seemed fine when gas was only $2.50/gallon, but now that gas has reached close to $4/gallon in some cities like San Francisco, those SUV's and gas hogs are no longer the popular choice. I have been considering replacing my Chevrolet Tahoe (2002) with a much more fuel efficient car, but which models are the best at conversing gasoline? The Toyota Prius leads most peoples list for fuel economy, but it may not be the perfect fit for everyone. If you have 2 kids, pets, etc., to lug around town, a Prius just may not have enough room for everyone and everything. I've looked at smaller sedans and some of the gas efficient SUV's, like the Saturn Vue Green Line. The Saturn Vue gets MPG of 32 highway and 25 city and provides enough room for my kids and dog. Are hybrids the way to go? Not necessarily, since the price difference on hybrid versus base models on some cars just isn't justified at the current price of gasoline. The high priced Lexus GS 450h starts at $54,900 and gets mileage of 22/25 (city/highway) but may not be enough to justify it over the base model.

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We found some excellent comparison online from Consumer Reports for the latest in "fuel efficient cars" HERE. CR rates the top SUV's for gas mileage as well. They give a rating for overall MPG, city MPG, highway MPG, and the kind of fuel efficiency you would get on a typical 150 mile trip. What I like about Consumer Reports is that they don't waste your time with cars that don't get at least 30 miles per gallon overall. Of course, the Prius tops their list with 50 MPG on the highway and a combined miles per gallon on both city and highways of 44 MPG. The Toyota Yaris comes in at #4 on the list and is the top rated non-hybrid. The Yaris gets over 40 miles per gallon on the highway making it a top pick for fuel efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency also has a very informative site that offers gasoline prices (lowest in your area), gas mileage tips, details on hybrid vehicles, diesel vehicles, and the latest fuel economy ratings on cars. You can find the site online HERE. They rank the cars on categories like most efficient two seater (Smart Fortwo), minicompact, subcompact, midsize, large cars, small station wagons, and they even list the least fuel efficient cars on the market as well to give you some perspective. With gas at say $3.50 per gallon, say you drive the 15,000 miles per year on average, with a car that gets 20 MPG. The cost to fill that car with gasoline over a year works out to $2625 while driving a more fuel efficient car that say gets 35 miles per gallon, your cost would only be $1500 per year. You can do the math and see what the savings are for a Prius versus a larger SUV. As gas increases in price over the next few years (there is no sign it will decrease), the savings might amount to even more between the cars that get the best gas mileage and those that get the worst. Keep in mind that the United States pays the least per gallon for gasoline compared to other countries around the world so we have been babied for years to think that gas would remain cheap. Only the rich could afford to drive SUV's if gas surges past $4/gallon. One alternative to gasoline powered cars are those that are fueled strictly by electricity. They are in the early stages of research and development, but someday we will almost all be driving electric cars as gasoline becomes too expensive.

Top Rated Fuel Efficient Car:

The Toyota Prius will not relinquish the top spot anytime soon. Although we got different mileage ratings from both the EPA and Consumer Reports, the Prius gets an overall fuel economy of 45 MPG. With hybrid technology only getting better with time, we hope to see that overall rating jump past 50 MPG in the near future. At just a little over $21,000 for the base model, the Prius is light on the wallet with up front cost as well. There have been some shortages in certain cities where demand is high. I had heard that some locations have at least a 2 month waiting list for the Toyota Prius. Don't expect to find one used either since the owners are holding on to them as gas prices climb even higher. You can get specs, pricing, and all the details on the Prius HERE.

Most Fuel Efficient Subcompact and Compact Cars:

Toyota and Honda have led the influx of more fuel friendly cars in America and it's no wonder their compact and subcompact cars lead the way in fuel economy. Americans can no longer drive big, bulky SUV's or sedans that don't get good gas mileage. With more people commuting longer distances than ever, owning a car with solid gas mileage ratings is important to staying within your budget. The Honda Civic Hybrid is a top rated compact car in terms of estimated gas mileage. The #'s are roughly 47 highway and 26 city for miles per gallon. Keep in mind that those #'s are for ideal driving conditions. Experts say that starting and stopping, fast accelerating, and having low tire pressure can all drastically effect how many miles you get per gallon. Another excellent buy is the subcompact Toyota Yaris which gets over 40 MPG on the highway and about 25 MPG in the city.

Smart Car:

Europeans have been living with high gas prices for more than a decade and space is a premium as more people pack into large cities in Europe. The Smart microcar was first brought to market in 1998 in Europe and now you can get one in the United States as of 2008. We found all sorts of information on this little dynamo, but most importantly it gets 41 miles per gallon on the highway and 33 around the city. Aaron Gold, a writer for the About.com cars section, gives a clear and well thought out review of the new Smart Fortwo HERE. It is available as a coupe or convertible and has a base price of $12190. Gold writes that the Fortwo is "roomy" but it requires you to use premium fuel which quickly cuts down on your savings even with good mileage ratings. Gold goes on to say that the acceration is "snappy, if not quite quick" and he mentions that the cars drives just fine at 75 MPH, although "it struggles on steep hills". You can view all the details of the car online at Smartusa.com. The website can help you find the nearest dealership near you that carries the Smart Fortwo. Learn about the safety ratings and mileage claims. Check out the downloads section, there are some cool wallpaper images you can put on your computers desktop.

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