2018 rankings · Compact Cars
Most Fuel-Efficient 2018 Compact Cars, Ranked
We ranked all 44 EPA-rated 2018 compact cars by what they cost to fuel. The Volkswagen Golf/GTI EV leads at about $767 a year (119 MPGe), while the Rolls-Royce Dawn is the most expensive to run at $4,232 (14 MPG). The median compact car costs $1,603 a year to fuel. The class includes 2 electric and 7 hybrid or plug-in models.
Fuel costs assume 15,000 miles a year at $3.10/gal regular, $3.95/gal premium and 18¢/kWh. Each model is shown in its most efficient configuration.
Top 15
Annual fuel cost (lower is better)All 44 models
| # | Model | Type | Combined | Range | Fuel / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volkswagen Golf/GTI EV | Electric | 119 MPGe | 125 mi | $767 |
| 2 | Ford Focus EV | Electric | 107 MPGe | 115 mi | $850 |
| 3 | Chevrolet Volt | Plug-in hybrid | 106 MPGe + 42 MPG | 420 mi | $902 |
| 4 | Toyota Prius c | Hybrid | 46 MPG | — | $1,011 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Mirage | Gas | 39 MPG | — | $1,192 |
| 6 | Honda Civic | Gas | 36 MPG | — | $1,292 |
| 7 | Toyota Yaris | Gas | 35 MPG | — | $1,329 |
| 8 | Mazda 2 | Gas | 35 MPG | — | $1,329 |
| 9 | Ford Focus | Gas | 34 MPG | — | $1,368 |
| 10 | Nissan Versa | Gas | 34 MPG | — | $1,368 |
| 11 | Volkswagen Jetta | Gas | 33 MPG | — | $1,409 |
| 12 | Chevrolet Cruze | Gas | 33 MPG | — | $1,409 |
| 13 | Audi A3 Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | 83 MPGe + 36 MPG | 400 mi | $1,434 |
| 14 | Hyundai Accent | Gas | 32 MPG | — | $1,453 |
| 15 | Kia Rio | Gas | 32 MPG | — | $1,453 |
| 16 | Mazda 3 | Gas | 32 MPG | — | $1,453 |
| 17 | Chevrolet Sonic | Gas | 32 MPG | — | $1,453 |
| 18 | Chevrolet Cruze Diesel | Diesel | 37 MPG | — | $1,500 |
| 19 | Mazda CX-3 | Gas | 31 MPG | — | $1,500 |
| 20 | BMW 3 Series Diesel | Diesel | 36 MPG | — | $1,542 |
| 21 | Jaguar XE Diesel | Diesel | 36 MPG | — | $1,542 |
| 22 | Volkswagen Golf/GTI | Gas | 29 MPG | — | $1,603 |
| 23 | Volvo S60 | Gas | 29 MPG | — | $1,603 |
| 24 | Toyota C-HR | Gas | 29 MPG | — | $1,603 |
| 25 | BMW 3 Series Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | 71 MPGe + 30 MPG | 350 mi | $1,722 |
| 26 | BMW 5 Series Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | 72 MPGe + 29 MPG | 370 mi | $1,732 |
| 27 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class Plug-in Hybrid | Plug-in hybrid | 51 MPGe + 30 MPG | 410 mi | $1,837 |
| 28 | Audi A4 | Gas | 31 MPG | — | $1,911 |
| 29 | Cadillac ATS | Gas | 24 MPG | — | $1,938 |
| 30 | Acura ILX | Gas | 29 MPG | — | $2,043 |
| 31 | Infiniti Q50 Hybrid | Hybrid | 29 MPG | — | $2,043 |
| 32 | Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class | Gas | 29 MPG | — | $2,043 |
| 33 | BMW 3 Series | Gas | 28 MPG | — | $2,116 |
| 34 | Jaguar XE | Gas | 28 MPG | — | $2,116 |
| 35 | BMW 4 Series | Gas | 27 MPG | — | $2,194 |
| 36 | Acura TLX | Gas | 27 MPG | — | $2,194 |
| 37 | Infiniti QX30 | Gas | 27 MPG | — | $2,194 |
| 38 | Lexus IS | Gas | 26 MPG | — | $2,279 |
| 39 | Audi S4 | Gas | 24 MPG | — | $2,469 |
| 40 | Subaru WRX | Gas | 23 MPG | — | $2,576 |
| 41 | Audi Q3 | Gas | 23 MPG | — | $2,576 |
| 42 | Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class | Gas | 21 MPG | — | $2,821 |
| 43 | Cadillac ATS-V | Gas | 20 MPG | — | $2,962 |
| 44 | Rolls-Royce Dawn | Gas | 14 MPG | — | $4,232 |