Fueling cars is no small expense, but it’s an inevitable part of a vehicle’s ownership. With gas prices now reaching record highs—and the first where diesel has become more expensive than gasoline—fuel economy has once again become an important purchase consideration.
As a general practice, it’s still best to minimize unnecessary trips to cut down on fuel expenses. But as the economy opens up after two years of COVID-related restrictions, some aren’t just going up to Baguio for fun. Some have no choice but to use their cars as a means to mobility. It is, after all, still considered a personal “bubble.”
CarGuide.PH has been around since 2011, and in the decade since, we’ve been taking notes on the fuel economy of each car we’ve tested. Armed with that data, here are the Top 5 most fuel-efficient cars we’ve tested each year, and the sort of mileage you can expect from them on a regular day-to-day commute:
On a side note, you can also compare these real-world figures with fuel economy runs down by the Department of Energy in 2016 and 2017.
2022
- Toyota Corolla Cross HEV – 21.27 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Lexus NX 350h – 16.94 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Nissan Kicks e-Power – 16.94 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Toyota Camry Hybrid – 16.66 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Mazda CX-30 M Hybrid – 13.69 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Lexus IS300h Premier – 19.23 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Honda CR-V 1.6 SX AWD – 15.5 km/L (Diesel)
- Chevrolet Tracker 1.0 LT Redline – 14.92 km/L (Gas)
- Nissan Almera VL N Sport – 14.92 km/L (Gas)
- Lexus RX 450h – 13.88 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – 12.65 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Ford Territory Trend – 11.76 km/L (Gas)
- Mazda CX-30 AWD Sport – 11.49 km/L (Gas)
- Mazda2 1.5 Elite – 11.2 km/L (Gas)
- Geely Coolray Sport – 10.98 km/L (Gas)
- Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 HEV – 20.83 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid – 17.24 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Suzuki Jimny GL M/T – 11.62 km/L (Gas)
- Mazda6 Diesel – 11.6 km/L (Diesel)
- Honda Brio RS – 11.5 km/L (Gas)
- Hyundai Kona 2.0 GLS – 12.82 km/L (Gas)
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL M/T – 12.5 km/L (Gas)
- Suzuki Celerio 1.0 CVT – 12.04 km/L (Gas)
- Peugeot 3008 GT Line – 11.49 km/L (Diesel)
- SsangYong Tivoli XLV 4WD – 11.11 km/L (Diesel)
- Honda CR-V 1.6 SX AWD – 13 km/L (Diesel)
- Toyota Vios 1.5 G CVT – 10.5 km/L (Gas)
- BMW X1 xDrive20d xLine – 10.2 km/L (Diesel)
- Mitsubishi Mirage GLS CVT – 10 km/L (Gas)
- Honda Jazz RS – 9.7 km/L (Gas)
- Hyundai Tucson 2.0 GLS 2WD – 16.12 km/L (Diesel)
- Mazda6 Diesel – 13.15 km/L (Diesel)
- Toyota Innova 2.8 V – 12.5 km/L (Diesel)
- BMW 420d Gran Coupe – 12.34 km/L (Diesel)
- Peugeot 308 SW – 12.34 km/L (Gas)
- Toyota Prius c – 17.7 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Suzuki Ertiga 1.4 GLX A/T – 14.9 km/L (Gas)
- Toyota Hilux 2.4 G M/T – 13.88 km/L (Diesel)
- Mazda3 2.0 Speed – 12.65 km/L (Gas)
- Peugeot 301 1.6 HDI – 12.34 km/L (Gas)
- Hyundai Accent CRDi M/T – 19.60 km/L (Diesel)
- Toyota Wigo 1.0 G M/T – 16.65 km/L (Gas)
- Tata Manza Aura Diesel – 15.92 km/L (Diesel)
- Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI M/T – 14.28 km/L (Diesel)
- Mazda3 2.0 Hatchback – 14.08 km/L (Gas)
- Honda Insight* - 19.03 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
* - not sold to the public - BMW X1 sDrive118d xLine – 14.92 km/L (Diesel)
- Honda CR-Z M/T – 14.7 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- Hyundai Accent CRDi M/T – 14.49 km/L (Diesel)
- Hyundai Accent CRDi A/T – 13.33 km/L (Diesel)
- Kia Rio 1.4 HB – 12.98 km/L (Gas)
- Toyota Prius c – 20.3 km/L (Gas-Hybrid)
- BMW 118d Urban – 16.5 km/L (Diesel)
- Toyota 86 M/T – 13.33 km/L (Gas)
- Mazda CX-5 A/T – 12.43 km/L (Gas)
- Honda City 1.5 E A/T – 12 km/L (Gas)
- Ford Fiesta 1.6 Sport – 11.95 km/L (Gas)
- Honda Jazz 1.3 S A/T – 11.2 km/L (Gas)
- Isuzu Alterra Urban Cruiser – 10.8 km/L (Diesel)
- Nissan X-TRAIL CVT – 10.7 km/L (Gas)
- Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 e-VGT CRDi 2WD – 10 km/L (Diesel)
- 2022: Changan CS75 Plus (7.35 km/L, Gas)
- 2021: Kaicene CX70 1.5T (7.95 km/L, Gas)
- 2020: Nissan 370Z NISMO (5.52 km/L, Gas)
- 2019: Ford Expedition Max Limited (3.75 km/L, Gas)
- 2018: Nissan GT-R (4.90 km/L, Gas)
- 2017: Porsche 718 Boxster (4.85 km/L, Gas)
- 2016: Ford Mustang GT Premium (4.16 km/L, Gas)
- 2015: Subaru Outback 3.6R-S (5.5 km/L, Gas)
- 2014: Chevrolet Malibu LTZ (5.7 km/L, Gas)
- 2013: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 4.0 V6 (5.7 km/L, Gas)
- 2012: Ford Expedition EL Limited (4.5 km/L, Gas)
- 2011: Mazda CX-9 AWD (5.2 km/L, Gas)
Thanks for this rundown.
ReplyDeleteVolvo's T8 aren't they the best?
ReplyDeleteIf you could charge them everyday, they would be. Unfortunately, if you keep on using it as a regular hybrid (as opposed to a plug-in hybrid), the efficiency drops.
Deletehttps://www.carguide.ph/2020/02/review-2020-volvo-xc60-t8-twin-engine.html
https://www.carguide.ph/2020/02/im-pretty-sure-im-quite-ready-to-own-ev.html
DeleteI think a buyer of a plug-in hybrid is aware of such requirement and would plug it everyday. As he is also aware of the the weight of a plug-in is much heavier than a mild hybrid thus would consume more fuel if not plugged accordingly. Just my two cents.
DeleteAgreed. Unfortunately, when Volvo lent their T8 to us, the battery was only half-charged and no household plug would accept their charger easily. We tried. If you could top up the PHEV battery, it will surely be fuel efficient.
DeleteWasn't the Honda City last year reaching 20++ km/L?
ReplyDeleteYou mean this one?
Deletehttps://www.carguide.ph/2021/06/confirmed-all-new-honda-city-is-more.html
The DOE route is more highway than city so cars would often get unrealistic fuel economy figures.
https://www.carguide.ph/2016/06/making-sense-of-petron-doe-fuel-economy.html
https://www.carguide.ph/2017/11/the-cars-of-2017-are-less-fuel.html
In our case, our route is almost predominantly city/urban driving with an average speed between 14 to 16 km/h. It paints a more realistic figure for those using their cars for their daily commutes. And also don't take these cars on highway joy rides as not to affect the FC figures.
In case where we take them on a highway, you'll see a separate figure in our reviews to account for highway driving.