2009 Consumer Guide Fuel-Economy Champions
Forget the EPA. Consumer Guide's auto editors drove 150,000 miles last year. We drove to work, to daycare, to the grocery store, and on vacation. We drove through record heat, blinding snow, driving rain, and confounding road construction--keeping track of every drop of fuel we used along the way.

The EPA admits its fuel economy numbers are estimates; our numbers are real. A typical Consumer Guide test car is evaluated by at least four editors, all of whom account for their individual fuel usage. Here are the vehicles in each class that used the least amount of fuel while in our care.

A few notes about this list: Though Consumer Guide takes pains to drive every version of every car, we may not have tested some combinations of engines, transmissions, and body styles. This list represents the best of the vehicles we have evaluated. In the event that our testing was inconclusive, typically because time limitations precluded achieving a balanced mix of urban and highway driving, that vehicle was excluded from our list.

Also, we avoided listing multiple versions of a specific car. If the sedan version of a car made the list, the wagon will not be listed--even though its mileage might be similar. Hybrids and diesels are the exception to this rule.

An * indicates that the manufacturer either recommends or requires costlier mid-grade or premium-grade fuel for that vehicle. Consumer Guide always follows the manufacturers' fuel recommendations.

07.15.2009