Looking to purchase a safe, fuel efficient car? This is a list of the top 10 list of the safest, most fuel efficient cars available in showrooms today.
The vehicles on this list earned a five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and achieve a minimum score of 38 combined MPG according to EPA tests. Plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are excluded from the list.
An an honorable mention, the plug-in hybrids that have earned a five-star NHTSA safety rating are the 2014 Chevrolet Volt, 2014 Tesla Model S, 2014 Honda Accord plug-in hybrid and 2014 Ford Fusion Energi.
Other notable mentions that barely missed the list is the 2014 Scion tC, which gets a 36-MPG combined rating and the 2014 Toyota Corolla LE Eco with a 35-MPG combined rating.
With a combined MPG rating of 38, there’s a three-way tie in 10th place between the 2014 Kia Optima hybrid, 2014 Hyundai Sonata hybrid and the 2014 Acura ILX hybrid. In terms of price, the Kia Optima is the cheapest, starting from $26,700 including destination though the Hyundai Sonata hybrid can be had for $26,810. The Acura ILX hybrid is priced higher than the Korean offerings at $29,795.
Both the Optima and Sonata are powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with 199 hp and 235 lb-ft of torque, while getting a 36-MPG city and 40-MPG highway rating. The ILX is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain with 111 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque while providing a 39-MPG city and 38-MPG highway rating.
The 2014 Lexus ES 300h is an entry-level luxury hybrid sedan, priced from $40,410. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid setup that provides 200 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque. The same powertrain is actually used in various Lexus and Toyota hybrids. The Lexus ES 300h gets 40 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway and is good for a 40-mpg combined rating. For those that prefer to not have a hybrid, the standard Lexus ES 350 gets a 21-MPG city, 31-MPG highway rating, or 24 MPG combined.
Mechanically similar to the Lexus ES 300h, the Toyota Avalon hybrid also has the Japanese automaker’s 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain with 200 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque. With a starting price of $32,150, the Avalon hybrid is more affordable than the Lexus. Fuel economy specifications on the Avalon hybrid are identical to the ES 300h with a 40-MPG city, 39-MPG highway rating. And just like the Lexus ES 350, the standard Avalon is rated to return 21 MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway.
The popular Toyota Camry hybrid is next on the list and once again, features the same 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain as the Avalon hybrid and Lexus ES 300h. Thanks to improved aerodynamics compared to its more luxurious counterparts, the Camry hybrid nets better fuel economy with a 41-MPG combined rating. In the city, it is rated at 43 MPG while on the highway it receives a 39-MPG rating. Priced from $28,050, the Camry hybrid is also one of the more affordable vehicles on the list. No wonder it’s so popular.
As for the standard Toyota Camry, expect to get 25 MPG in the city and 35 MPG on the highway.
No list of fuel efficient cars would be complete without an entry from the Prius family. The Prius v is actually the only Prii (Toyota’s plural term for the Prius) model that has earned a five-star safety rating from NHTSA. It features a 1.8-liter hybrid powertrain that provides 98 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque. Priced from $27,560, the longer Prius sports wagon-like hatchback style while getting 44 MPG in the city and 40 MPG on the highway, good for a 42-MPG combined rating.
Another luxury entry on the list is the 2014 Lincoln MKZ hybrid, which gets 45 MPG across the board (city, highway, combined). Under the hood is the American automaker’s 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that provides 141 hp and 129 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. But the MKZ hybrid’s starting price of $36,085 makes it one of the more expensive cars on the list – second only to the Lexus ES 300h.
Like the MKZ but not interested in a hybrid? The standard 2014 Lincoln MKZ gets 22 MPG in the city and 33 MPG on the highway.
The 2014 Volkswagen Jetta hybrid offers a good balance between fuel economy, performance and affordability. Priced from $28,465, the Jetta hybrid features a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that churns out a respectable total system output of 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Its combined fuel economy rating is actually the same as the MKZ hybrid, but the Jetta gets 42 MPG in the city and 48 MPG on the highway.
There’s also the Jetta TDI, which gets 30 MPG in the city and 42 MPG on the highway for a 34-MPG combined rating. Then there’s the standard gasoline-powered Jetta which nets 26 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway.
The 2014 Honda Civic sedan model is refreshed for the 2014 model year. With a 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, the Civic sedan gets 110 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque, the second weakest on the list to the Prius v. It does provide 44 MPG in the city and 47 MPG on the highway, which is good for a 45-MPG combined rating. And with a starting price tag of $25,425 the Honda Civic hybrid is a compelling option for safety and fuel economy.
Love Honda but want more power and even better fuel economy than the Civic sedan hybrid? The 2014 Honda Accord hybrid might be the choice for you, getting an impressive 50 MPG in the city and 45 MPG on the highway, which is good for a 47-MPG combined rating. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain providing 141 hp and 122 lb-ft of torque and the Accord is priced competitively within the marketplace with a starting MSRP of $29,945. It also comes with Honda’s newest hybrid powertrain, which means the promised fuel economy will be easier to achieve in daily driving.
As for the standard 2014 Honda Accord, expect to get 27 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway.
Topping the list is the Ford Fusion hybrid. Although it has the same 47-MPG combined rating as the Honda Accord, it ranks higher on the list because of its lower price tag. The Ford Fusion hybrid starts at $27,095 and offers slightly more performance than the Accord hybrid with 129 lb-ft of torque, though it also has 141 hp. The powertrain is the same as the Lincoln MKZ hybrid, a 2.0-liter Atkinson Cycle four-cylinder setup.
Of course there’s also the Ford Fusion Energi, which is a plug-in hybrid that we mentioned earlier. That variant is good for a 100-MPGe combined rating while the standard gasoline-powered Fusion gets a 25-MPG city, 37-MPG highway rating.