Real MPG: most economical cars you can buy new

WLTP MPG 62.7mpg | Real MPG Average 60.1mpg | Town 103.3mpg | Motorway 45.5mpg | Rural 70.5mpg

The Toyota Yaris Cross is the most efficient car to have ever gone through our tests, even going so far as to manage triple figures in the urban portion. At the heart of this efficiency is its hybrid power, a technology which Toyota spearheaded in 1997 with the introduction of the original Prius.

The Yaris Cross’s 1.5-litre petrol engine is assisted by an electric motor, which does a lot of the heavy lifting around town and means that the car can run purely on electric power at low speeds.

So, not only is the Yaris Cross impressively frugal, it’s also exceedingly comfortable and offers a lofty driving position that SUV fans will appreciate. The interior is pleasantly sturdy, although rivals such as the Mini Countryman and Nissan Juke feel a bit more plush.

It’s not quite as agile as the Ford Puma, but its CVT automatic gearbox makes for a very smooth ride, although you’ll be able to hear it working hard under acceleration.

As a cash buy, the Yaris Cross is in a similar price range to the Puma, but it’ll be cheaper to run than pretty much anything thanks to its frugal hybrid system.

Read our full Toyota Yaris Cross review

WLTP MPG 68.8mpg | Real MPG Average 59.9mpg | Town 80.0mpg | Motorway 46.7mpg | Rural 74.1mpg

With its SUV sibling in first place, it makes sense that the Toyota Yaris places so highly on our list. In fact, the Yaris was more consistent throughout the other portions of our test, outscoring the Yaris Cross in both the motorway and rural sections, and returning a respectable 80mpg around town.

So, not only is it exceptionally frugal, the Yaris also benefits from Toyota’s fantastic reliability record — its among the most reliable small cars — which means you’ll hopefully make as few trips to the garage as to the petrol station.

It handles well and is quite grippy, too, but it’s not quite as refined as a Honda Jazz or Volkswagen Polo.

If you regularly chauffeur passengers around, the Yaris may not be the best choice, given its cramped rear space, and the boot isn’t particularly large either.

Cash buyers will appreciate the slow predicted depreciation of the Yaris, since it’s slightly pricier to buy than other small cars.

Read our full Toyota Yaris review

WLTP MPG 56.9mpg | Real MPG Average 59.9mpg | Town 51.3mpg | Motorway 53.3mpg | Rural 74.8mpg

Like most of the cars on this list, the Suzuki Ignis can attribute its efficiency to its electrified setup. And while it isn’t a full hybrid, its mild hybrid system excels in not just cutting fuel costs, but it also provides a useful boost to its modest 82bhp power output.

It returned impressively economical results on faster roads, managing a huge 74.8mpg in the rural portion of our tests.

The Ignis is one of the smallest SUVs on sale, so space isn’t a strong point – the Skoda Kamiq outdoes it in that regard – but it’s much roomier in comparison with smaller rivals like the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto.

This version of the Ignis is front-wheel drive and it’s the most efficient one we’ve tested, but if you’re a fan of four-wheel drive, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Allgrip version returned only a slightly lower Real MPG average of 53.3mpg.

Read our full Suzuki Ignis review

WLTP MPG 55.1mpg | Real MPG Average 54.0mpg | Town 45.1mpg | Motorway 48.8mpg | Rural 69.4mpg

The Seat Ibiza stands out on this list because it’s the most efficient car we’ve tested that isn’t assisted by any electrification, so if you’re not ready to make the jump to hybrid power, then the Ibiza is a great option.

Not only is the Ibiza cheap to run, it’s also really enjoyable to drive. With a punchy 94bhp, it pulls eagerly from low revs and gets up to motorway speeds surprisingly quickly, offering a smoother ride than that of the rival Ford Fiesta.

It’s not quite as comfortable as the Peugeot 208 and Skoda Fabia, but its sophisticated handling makes it a hoot to drive round twisty country roads and urban streets alike. So, not only will you cover a lot of miles between trips to the petrol station, you’ll have a lot of fun doing so.

The interior doesn’t disappoint, either. Its squidgy, soft-touch materials are a lot nicer than the hard and scratchy plastics you get in some rivals, and you get a decent amount of standard kit with each version.

Read our full Seat Ibiza review

WLTP MPG 57.7mpg | Real MPG Average 53.3mpg | Town 90.6mpg | Motorway 40.8mpg | Rural 60.8mpg

You might have spotted a pattern here, and that’s because Toyota have made some of the most economical models that have ever gone through our tests. The Toyota Corolla is one of them, particularly excelling around town, where it returned a huge 90.6mpg.

Toyota describes the Corolla as a “self-charging” hybrid which, whilst slightly misleading, refers to the ability for the car to top up its battery without the need to plug it in anywhere. It also means that the car can travel at low speeds without the petrol engine kicking in, saving you plenty on fuel costs.

There’s a lot to like about the Corolla other than its frugality. It’s comfortable and offers loads of standard kit, and we’re such huge fans of it that we made it our 2024 Family Car of the Year.

However, if you’re looking for lots of passenger space, you’d be better off with the likes of the Ford Focus or Seat Leon, which are much roomier in the back.

Read our full Toyota Corolla review

WLTP MPG 58.9mpg | Real MPG Average 52.2mpg | Town 42.6mpg | Motorway 48.0mpg | Rural 66.7mpg

Small cars tend to dominate these lists, and that’s because their lightweight, compact stature makes them exceedingly economical. The Toyota Aygo X is no exception, even with its rugged, chunky looks.

With just one engine option available that puts out 71bhp, the Aygo X definitely isn’t the fastest car on the market – you have to work it pretty hard to whisk it up to motorway speeds – but it’s more efficient than a Mazda 2 or Volkswagen Polo.

Like the other Toyota models on this list, it benefits from the brand’s stellar reliability record, which, combined with its low fuel costs, makes the Aygo X a particularly frugal choice.

It also offers neat handling, and is more enjoyable to drive than a Dacia Sandero or Fiat Panda, but the Seat Ibiza still trumps it on all-out fun factor.

Read our full Toyota Aygo X review

WLTP MPG 56.5mpg | Real MPG Average 51.9mpg | Town 47.0mpg | Motorway 47.2mpg | Rural 62.1mpg

Like the Suzuki Ignis, this version of the Mazda 2 benefits from mild-hybrid technology alongside its 1.5-litre petrol engine. While it can’t run on electric power alone, it does still boost efficiency, as demonstrated by its average score of 51.9mpg.

This particular engine is top-of-the-range, which means it’s not the cheapest option, but all your creature comforts are covered with the extra kit, including some added safety features.

Soft-touch materials make the interior feel upmarket, including a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearknob. However, it’s not quite as cushy as the Peugeot 208, due to some scratchy plastics that aren’t as well hidden as they could be.

And like a lot of the cars on this list, interior space isn’t the best – any adult passengers in the rear seats will find it difficult to stretch out comfortably.

Read our full Mazda 2 review

WLTP MPG 58.9mpg | Real MPG Average 51.7mpg | Town 42.0mpg | Motorway 48.0mpg | Rural 64.9mpg

Not only is the Kia Picanto exceedingly efficient, it’s also one of the cheapest cars currently on the market. When you factor in its real-world fuel economy average of 51.7mpg, you get some extremely frugal results.

With just 62bhp, the Picanto isn’t particularly powerful – in fact it’s one of the slowest accelerating cars that you can buy, dawdling from 0-62mph in 14.9sec. This means it does feel a bit out of its depth among traffic.

On the upside, it offers a comfortable ride, and it won’t jostle you around too much on winding country roads. It also handles pretty well, resisting body lean through bends better than the Dacia Sandero and Hyundai i10.

The Picanto is also surprisingly spacious for a small car, with enough rear space for taller passengers, provided the journey isn’t too long. It has one of the more useful boots in its class, squeezing in three carry-on suitcases and outdoing the Toyota Aygo X.

Read our full Kia Picanto review

WLTP MPG 61.4mpg | Real MPG Average 51.6mpg | Town 66.0mpg | Motorway 38.9mpg | Rural 69.4mpg

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the Honda Jazz because it’s practical, reliable and, most importantly, impressively cheap to run. Like many others on this list, it’s assisted by hybrid technology, with two electric motors sitting alongside its 1.5-litre petrol engine.

If you mainly drive around town, the Jazz should be a top contender, because it performed particularly well in the urban portion of our tests, with a score of 66.0mpg. It also doesn’t feel too out of its depth at motorway speeds, and is much more comfortable than the rival Citroën C3 Origin.

Despite its small size, the Jazz is deceptively spacious inside. Even the tallest of drivers will have no problems getting comfortable in the front, and rear passengers shouldn’t have any complaints either. On top of that, its boot benefits from a useful square shape, maximising the amount of load space.

The Jazz is slightly more expensive than most rivals, but you can save some of the cost with our New Car Deals offers.

Read our full Honda Jazz review

WLTP MPG 42.7mpg | Real MPG Average 50.9mpg | Town 45.0mpg | Motorway 44.9mpg | Rural 65.3mpg

The Citroën C3 Origin may be the final car on our list, but it stands out for one reason: its Real MPG average of 50.9mpg beat its WLTP result by 19.2%, which is the most of any car here. 

Like the Kia Picanto, though, it’s not especially powerful, and it needs working hard on open roads, which will dent its efficiency. That being said, its squidgy suspension makes for a comfortable motorway ride, where it soaks up lumps and bumps on the road with ease.

Inside is stylish enough, with faux-leather door pull handles, but some of the surfaces feel a little cheap, and the C3 overall doesn’t feel quite as sturdy as the Seat Ibiza.

Not much standard kit comes with the entry-level C3, but if you splash out a bit on our recommended Plus trim, you’ll find that you get most of the equipment you’d need, including a rear-view camera and climate control.

Read our full Citroën C3 Origin review