These 5 Cars Have The Highest Fuel Economy

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Michigan found that the average fuel economy of new, light vehicles (a designation that includes cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks) had reached 25.4 miles per gallon, as compared to 20.8 mpg in 2007.

Electric vehicles like the Tesla Motors Inc TSLA Model S, the Nissan NSANY Leaf and the BMW i3 are at the forefront of the upward trajectory of fuel economy, with miles per gallon numbers in the triple digits, but standard gas vehicles and hybrids are improving.

Here are the five non-electrics cars with the highest fuel economy.

Note: Measures of miles per gallon (mpg) are, unless otherwise noted, combined averaging city and highway figures.

Toyota Prius Hybrid, 50 mpg

Toyota Motor Corp’s TM Prius, first introduced in 1997, is the best-selling model in both the hybrid and electric categories. It gets 53 mpg in the city and 46 on the highway. Other models of the Prius, including the Prius c compact and the Prius v midsize station wagon, also top the list, with combined fuel economy of 50 mpg and 42 mpg, respectively.

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Ford C-Max Hybrid, 40 mpg

Beyond Toyota, Ford Motor Company F is next in line with its C-Max Hybrid, originally introduced in Europe in 2003 and in the United States in 2012. The C-Max gets 42 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. Ford originally introduced the C-Max as "America’s most affordable hybrid utility vehicle." Its current base price is $24,170, a tad less than the $24,200 base price on the Prius, though still more expensive than the next hybrid on the list.

Honda CR-Z, 37 mpg

Introduced in 2010 as a "sport hybrid coupe," Honda Motor Co Ltd's HMC CR-Z gets 36 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway, starting at a base price of $21,000. The CR-Z is Honda's third hybrid offering and was the first hybrid model in its class that can be equipped with a manual transmission.

Scion iQ, 37 mpg

Toyota’s Scion iQ, classified as a minicompact, gets 36 mpg in the city and 37 on the highway for a starting price of $15,665. The tiny car also comes in an electric version that gets a combined 121 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPG-e).

Ford Fiesta SFE FWD, 36 mpg

Ford closes out the top five with its subcompact Fiesta SFE FWD, which gets 31 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway. The Fiesta has been in production since 1976, selling more than 16 million units since then and starts at $13,865.

Take a look at the top vehicles with the lowest fuel economy here.