Most Fuel Efficient Sedans

Key Findings

The most efficient non-hybrid gasoline car configurations in EPA's compact, midsize, large and subcompact classes reach 36 MPG combined, costing $1,033 a year to fuel.
The most efficient hybrid reaches 57 MPG ($653 a year).
The least efficient configuration in these classes is rated 12 MPG (Ford Mustang GTD, Subcompact car, 5.2L 8-cyl supercharged, RWD), costing $3,100 a year on regular gasoline.
Over five years the fuel cost difference between the best hybrid and the least efficient configuration is $12,237 at 12,000 miles a year.

Source: EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv), model year 2025; EIA 2025 annual average retail gasoline and diesel prices.

Contents

Top 10: Gasoline-Only Cars
Top 10: Hybrid Cars
Class Averages
Ten Least Efficient Gasoline Cars
Five-Year Fuel Cost Range
Data Sources

01 Top 10: Gasoline-Only Cars

These are the ten highest combined ratings among non-hybrid gasoline configurations in EPA's compact, midsize, large and subcompact car classes, model year 2025. The EPA car classes include sedans, hatchbacks and coupes, so this page ranks cars by class, not by body style.

Rank	Vehicle	Configuration	Combined MPG	Annual fuel cost
1	Honda Civic 4Dr	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	36	$1,033
2	Hyundai Elantra	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	36	$1,033
3	Toyota Corolla Hatchback	Compact car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	35	$1,063
4	Toyota Corolla	Compact car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	35	$1,063
5	Nissan Versa	Compact car, 1.6L 4-cyl, FWD	35	$1,063
6	Honda Civic 4Dr	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	34	$1,094
7	Hyundai Elantra	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	34	$1,094
8	Kia K4	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	34	$1,094
9	Toyota Corolla	Compact car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	34	$1,094
10	Toyota Corolla FX	Compact car, 2.0L 4-cyl, FWD	34	$1,094

EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv), model year 2025. Annual cost = 12,000 miles ÷ combined MPG × the price of the vehicle's own fuel (EIA 2025 annual averages: regular $3.10, midgrade $3.67, premium $4.03, diesel $3.66 per gallon). Vehicle names are the make and model as listed by EPA; identical entries are shown once. Plug-in hybrids, electric and hydrogen vehicles are excluded.

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02 Top 10: Hybrid Cars

Non-plug-in hybrid configurations in the same classes.

Rank	Vehicle	Configuration	Combined MPG	Annual fuel cost
1	Toyota Prius	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	57	$653
2	Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue	Midsize car, 1.6L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	54	$689
3	Toyota Prius AWD	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, 4WD	54	$689
4	Toyota Prius XLE/LTD	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	52	$715
5	Toyota Camry HEV FF LE	Midsize car, 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	51	$729
6	Hyundai Elantra Hybrid	Midsize car, 1.6L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	50	$744
7	Toyota Camry HEV AWD LE	Midsize car, 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid, AWD	50	$744
8	Toyota Corolla Hybrid	Compact car, 1.8L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	50	$744
9	Honda Civic 4Dr	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD	49	$759
10	Toyota Prius AWD XLE/LTD	Midsize car, 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, 4WD	49	$759

03 Class Averages

Average combined MPG by EPA class, over gasoline-fueled configurations of model year 2025 (hybrids included, plug-in hybrids excluded). Costs use the 2025 regular price for comparison across classes.

Class	Configurations	Avg combined MPG	Annual fuel cost
Compact car	73	28.7	$1,296
Midsize car	83	30.3	$1,228
Large car	39	25.4	$1,465
Subcompact car	61	23.3	$1,597
All four classes	256	27.4	$1,358

EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Guide (vehicles.csv), model year 2025, gasoline-fueled configurations (fuel type regular, midgrade or premium; hybrids included), unweighted mean of combined MPG by EPA class. Annual cost = 12,000 ÷ average MPG × $3.10.

04 Ten Least Efficient Gasoline Cars

The lowest ratings in the same classes are mostly high-performance and luxury configurations, many of which require premium fuel, which raises the cost beyond what the MPG alone implies.

Rank from bottom	Vehicle	Configuration	Combined MPG	Annual fuel cost
1	Ford Mustang GTD	Subcompact car, 5.2L 8-cyl supercharged, RWD	12	$3,100
2	Rolls-Royce Phantom	Large car, 6.7L 12-cyl turbo premium, RWD	14	$3,454
3	Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended	Large car, 6.7L 12-cyl turbo premium, RWD	14	$3,454
4	Rolls-Royce Ghost	Large car, 6.7L 12-cyl turbo premium, AWD	14	$3,454
5	Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended	Large car, 6.7L 12-cyl turbo premium, AWD	14	$3,454
6	Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge	Large car, 6.7L 12-cyl turbo premium, AWD	14	$3,454
7	Cadillac CT5 V	Midsize car, 6.2L 8-cyl supercharged premium, RWD	15	$3,224
8	Mercedes-Benz Maybach S680 4matic	Large car, 6.0L 12-cyl turbo premium, AWD	15	$3,224
9	Ford Mustang Dark Horse	Subcompact car, 5.0L 8-cyl, RWD	17	$2,188
10	BMW M8 Competition Coupe	Subcompact car, 4.4L 8-cyl turbo premium, AWD	17	$2,845

05 Five-Year Fuel Cost Range

Five-year figures are the annual cost times five, at a constant price and 12,000 miles a year.

Car	Combined MPG	Annual fuel cost	5-year fuel cost
Best hybrid	57	$653	$3,263
Best gasoline-only	36	$1,033	$5,167
Class average (all four classes)	27.4	$1,358	$6,788
Least efficient gasoline	12	$3,100	$15,500

Calculated from the tables above; 5-year cost = annual cost × 5. The class average row uses the regular price ($3.10).

06 Data Sources

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. Fuel Economy Guide dataset (FuelEconomy.gov), model year 2025. fueleconomy.gov
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices, annual averages for 2025. eia.gov

Disclaimer. This article is for informational purposes only. Rankings use EPA combined fuel economy ratings for model year 2025 configurations, not sales, and real-world economy differs from the rating. Annual costs assume 12,000 miles a year and 2025 average national fuel prices. Class averages are unweighted means over configurations.