Green is in; electric is next, but for now fuel efficiency is a major factor when consumers consider new cars.  With all the hype it’s almost taken for granted that fuel efficiency has increased dramatically over the last decade.  However, the truth may come as a surprise.  It turns out that more than half – six in fact – of the “Top Ten EPA-rated Fuel Efficient Cars” tested, from 1984 to present, were built prior to 2000.   The authoritative source on fuel efficiency, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), recently published statistics that verify the Top Ten Fuel Efficient Cars.

The only three new models to show in the Top Ten are the 2010 Toyota Prius at $27,800; the 2010 Honda Insight starting at $23,900 and the 2006-2010 Honda Civic Hybrids starting at $15,990. With older cars like the 1986 Chevy Sprint ER and 1990-1994 Geo Metro XFI making the list it raises questions about exactly how far technology has advanced the modern car as far as actual fuel efficiency is concerned?  With five models on the list, Honda takes top honors in the Top Ten overall.  Toyota had the 2001 and the 2010 Prius both stand out on the list.  All vehicles featured run with either 3-or 4-cylinder engines and five cars use hybrid innovation.  However, the overall winner and the number one gas-sipper is the Honda Insight, which was originally on the road ten years ago.  The 2000 Honda Insight had a combined city/highway rating of 53 miles per gallon, meaning it would run 3 miles farther than the closest modern day competition, the 2010 Toyota Prius.

It’s possible some of these older fuel efficient cars can still be found on used car lots or abandoned on lawns but even in pristine running condition, they most likely wont be the safest cars on the road, and certainly by today’s standards not the greenest.

• 2000 & 2006 Honda Insight: Combined 53 mpg
• 2010 Toyota Prius: Combined 48 mpg
• 1990-1994 Geo Metro XFI: Combined 47 mpg
• 1986-1987 Honda Civic Coupe HF: Combined 46 mpg
• 1994-1995 Honda Civic HB VX: Combined 43 mpg
• 2006-2010 Honda Civic Hybrid: Combined 42 mpg
• 2010 Honda Insight: Combined 41 mpg
• 2001-2003 Toyota Prius: Combined 41 mpg
• 1989 Chevrolet Sprint: Combined 41 mpg
• 1989 Suzuki Swift: Combined 41 mpg

Vehicles rank is based on EPA’s unrounded combined rating. In the event of a tie, multiple vehicles may share the same ranking. Only the most efficient configuration of a particular model is presented for a given rank — variants of a ranked model are listed as “similar models” if they would have otherwise made the list. Models classified under different EPA size classes, however, are ranked separately.

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