The 114 Most Fuel Efficient Cars from 2005

Following on my list of most fuel efficient cars of 2008 , most fuel efficient cars of 2007 , and most fuel efficient cars from 2005 , I tho...

Following on my list of most fuel efficient cars of 2008, most fuel efficient cars of 2007, and most fuel efficient cars from 2005, I thought I would look at the most fuel efficient cars from 2005.  It's rather surprising to see how few cars that got over 30 mpg combined.  In alphabetical order, the top fuel sippers are:
  • Honda Civic Hybrid
  • Honda Civic
  • Honda Insight
  • Toyota Corolla
  • Toyota Echo 
  • Toyota Prius
  • Volkswagen Golf (diesel)
  • Volkswagen Jetta (diesel)
  • Volkswagen Jetta Wagon (diesel)
  • Volkswagen New Beetle (diesel)
And that's it.  A total of 10 cars that receive a combined mpg of 30 mpg or better and 4 of them are diesels.   3 of them are hybrids.

The following list shows the top fuel sippers from 2005.  I've ranked them based on their combined mpg numbers (55% city and 45% highway).  Any cars on the fueleconomy.gov website from 2005 that got better than 25 mpg combined.

Note that many of the cars are the same model, but with different engine or category.  For instance, the top four cars on the list are the Honda Insight.  Obviously it's the same model, but it falls into two different categories and two different engine types.

MPG*
Ranking Category Vehicle City Highway Combined**
1 Small Cars Honda Insight 3 cyl, 1 L, Manual 5-spd, HEV, Regular 48 58 53
1 Coupes Honda Insight 3 cyl, 1 L, Manual 5-spd, HEV, Regular 48 58 53
2 Small Cars Honda Insight 3 cyl, 1 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 45 49 47
2 Coupes Honda Insight 3 cyl, 1 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 45 49 47
3 Family Sedans' Toyota Prius 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 48 45 47
4 Small Cars Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Manual 5-spd, HEV LB, Regular 38 45 41
5 Small Cars Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 39 43 41
6 Small Cars Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Manual 5-spd, HEV, Regular 37 45 41
7 Small Cars Honda Civic Hybrid 4 cyl, 1.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV LB, Regular 39 42 40
8 Small Cars Volkswagen New Beetle 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 32 41 36
8 Small Cars Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 32 41 36
8 Small Cars Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 32 41 36
8 Hatchback Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 32 41 36
9 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, LEAN BURN, Regular 31 39 35
9 Small Cars Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 31 39 35
9 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, LEAN BURN, Regular 31 39 35
9 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, LEAN BURN, Regular 31 39 35
9 Station Wagons Volkswagen Jetta Wagon 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 31 39 35
10 Small Cars Toyota Echo 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 30 38 34
10 Small Cars Volkswagen New Beetle 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel 30 38 34
10 Small Cars Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Automatic (S6), Diesel 30 38 34
11 Small Cars Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Automatic (S5), Diesel 28 39 33
11 Small Cars Volkswagen Jetta 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Automatic (S5), Diesel 28 39 33
11 Hatchback Volkswagen Golf 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Automatic (S5), Diesel 28 39 33
11 Station Wagons Volkswagen Jetta Wagon 4 cyl, 1.9 L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel 28 39 33
12 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), LEAN BURN, Regular 29 36 32
12 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), LEAN BURN, Regular 29 36 32
12 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), LEAN BURN, Regular 29 36 32
13 Small Cars Toyota Corolla 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 28 37 32
14 Small Cars Toyota Echo 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 28 36 32
15 Small Cars Scion xA 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 27 35 31
16 Small Cars Scion xA 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 27 34 30
16 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 27 34 30
16 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, VTEC, Regular 27 34 30
16 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 27 34 30
16 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, VTEC, Regular 27 34 30
16 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 27 34 30
16 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Manual 5-spd, VTEC, Regular 27 34 30
17 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, VTEC, Regular 26 35 30
17 Small Cars Toyota Corolla 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 26 35 30
17 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, VTEC, Regular 26 35 30
17 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, VTEC, Regular 26 35 30
18 Station Wagons Scion xB 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 27 32 29
19 Station Wagons Pontiac Vibe 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 26 33 29
19 Station Wagons Toyota Matrix 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 26 33 29
20 SUV Ford Escape Hybrid 2WD 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 30 28 29
21 Small Cars Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 34 29
21 Hatchback Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 34 29
21 Coupes Honda Civic 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 34 29
22 Station Wagons Scion xB 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 27 31 29
23 Small Cars Toyota Celica 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 33 29
23 Family Sedans' Honda Accord Hybrid 6 cyl, 3 L, Automatic 5-spd, HEV, Regular 25 33 29
24 Small Cars Honda Civic CNG 4 cyl, 1.7 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Natural Gas 26 31 28
25 Small Cars Dodge Neon/SRT-4/SX 2.0 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 25 32 28
26 Small Cars MINI Cooper 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Premium 24 33 28
26 Small Cars Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, I4, Regular 24 33 28
26 Hatchback Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Manual 5-spd, I4, Regular 24 33 28
27 Family Sedans' Volkswagen Passat 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S5), Diesel 23 34 28
27 Station Wagons Volkswagen Passat Wagon 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S5), Diesel 23 34 28
28 Station Wagons Pontiac Vibe 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 31 28
28 Station Wagons Toyota Matrix 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 25 31 28
29 Small Cars Mazda 3 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 24 32 28
29 Small Cars Nissan Sentra 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 24 32 28
29 Hatchback Mazda 3 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 24 32 28
29 Convertible MINI Cooper Convertible 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Premium 24 32 28
30 Small Cars Chevrolet Cavalier 4 cyl, 2.2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 33 28
30 Luxury Sedan Mercedes-Benz E320 Cdi 6 cyl, 3.2 L, Automatic 5-spd, Diesel 23 33 28
31 Small Cars Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, I4, Regular 25 30 27
31 Hatchback Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, I4, Regular 25 30 27
32 Small Cars Nissan Sentra 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 24 31 27
32 Family Sedans' Mitsubishi Lancer 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, SOHC, Regular 24 31 27
32 Sports/Sporty Acura RSX 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 24 31 27
33 SUV Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), HEV, Regular 28 26 27
34 Small Cars Chevrolet Aveo 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Chevrolet Aveo 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Pontiac Wave 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Pontiac Wave 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Suzuki Swift 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Suzuki Swift x 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 4-spd, I4, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, I4, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Pontiac Sunfire 4 cyl, 2.2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Small Cars Saturn Ion 4 cyl, 2.2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Chevrolet Aveo 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Chevrolet Aveo 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Pontiac Wave 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Pontiac Wave 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Suzuki Swift 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Suzuki Swift x 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.5 L, Automatic 4-spd, I4, Regular 23 32 27
34 Hatchback Hyundai Accent/Brio 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, I4, Regular 23 32 27
35 Small Cars MINI Cooper 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Premium 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Chevrolet Aveo 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Chevrolet Aveo 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Mazda 3 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S4), Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Pontiac Wave 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Pontiac Wave 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Suzuki Swift 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Small Cars Suzuki Swift x 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Family Sedans' Honda Accord 4 cyl, 2.4 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Family Sedans' Hyundai Elantra 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Chevrolet Aveo 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Chevrolet Aveo 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Mazda 3 4 cyl, 2 L, Automatic (S4), Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Pontiac Wave 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Pontiac Wave 5 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Suzuki Swift 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
35 Hatchback Suzuki Swift x 4 cyl, 1.6 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular 23 31 27
36 Small Cars Ford Focus 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 22 32 27
36 Hatchback Ford Focus 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 22 32 27
36 Station Wagons Ford Focus Station Wagon 4 cyl, 2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 22 32 27
37 Small Cars Toyota Celica 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular 23 30 26
37 Convertible Toyota MR2 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 6-spd, Regular 23 30 26
37 Sports/Sporty Toyota MR2 4 cyl, 1.8 L, Manual 6-spd, Regular 23 30 26
* MPG based on revised MPG figures from the EPA. The MPG testing was adjusted in 2008 to reflect real world driving.
* Combined MPG Based on 45% Highway and 55% City Driving

Think I missed a car?  Feel like you have something to say?  Then please let me (and everyone else) know in the comments below. If you're right and I missed a car, I'll add it to the list.

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