While a hybrid may be a better bet if fuel economy is your top concern, they still have notable upfront price premiums over their gas-only counterparts, often in the form of more expensive trims. Case in point: Nine out of the 10 cars on the list still have a base price that starts with a 2.
Using both gas and electricity to get around, hybrid cars are also inherently more complex, potentially requiring expensive services or battery replacements down the road. Electrification may be where things are headed, but there’s still value to be had without it—no battery degradation, charging apps, or inflated price tags required.
If you’re set on sticking with old-school internal combustion, there’s still a large handful of compact cars that get admirable fuel economy. With internal combustion being as developed as it is, automakers have gotten pretty good at optimizing. As a result, the efficiency deltas between the cars below are often borderline marginal—ones at the bottom aren’t actually that less efficient than the top scorers. In any case, we’ve put together the 10 most efficient gas-only cars available in 2025.
10. 2025 Volkswagen Jetta: 33 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 29 MPG City / 40 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 436 Miles
- Base Price: $23,720
Getting 29 miles per gallon in the city, 40 on the highway, and 33 combined, the Volkswagen Jetta is just efficient enough to land at 10th place on this list. Contrary to most other cars in its orbit, superior economy is had in the higher Sport, SE, and SEL trims, as the base Jetta is somehow 1-mpg less efficient on the highway. Getting a refresh for 2025, VW’s compact sedan stands out as the only German vehicle on this entire list, but that’s where its USPs mostly end. Well-executed in a vacuum, but wholly average both on paper and on vibes.
9. 2025 Acura Integra: 33 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 30 MPG City / 37 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 409 Miles
- Base Price: $34,195
The only luxury car and the most expensive on this list, the $34,000 Acura Integra gets 30 miles per gallon in the city, 37 on the highway, and 33 combined. It’s essentially a gussied-up Honda Civic, but instead of a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter, the Integra uses the 1.5-liter turbo from the sporty Civic Si. Depending on how you see the concept of value, this is either a good or bad thing, but bottom line, the Integra is far from a bad car. Hypermilers should note that Acura recommends premium fuel here, so take that into account.
8. 2025 Nissan Rogue FWD: 33 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 30 MPG City / 37 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 478 Miles
- Base Price: $29,980
If you want electric-free economy in a bigger, more rugged crossover package, the front-wheel-drive Nissan Rogue is king, logging 30 miles per gallon in the city, 37 on the highway, and 33 combined. That combined number dips to 32 if you opt for the SL or Platinum; 31 mpg with AWD. The Rogue’s peak mpg numbers actually match those of the Integra’s, but we’re giving it the edge here based on its superior driving range of 478 miles and the fact that it runs on regular fuel. Say what you will about Nissan’s VC-Turbo three-cylinder engines and CVTs (both of which are employed here in the Rogue), but the company has a knack for squeezing impressive efficiency out of gas-only powertrains—spoiler alert: there are three even more efficient Nissans below populating this list.
7. 2025 Nissan Kicks Play: 33 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 31 MPG City / 36 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: not available
- Base Price: $22,910
Don’t be fooled—we’re not talking about the all-new Nissan Kicks. This is the Kicks Play, aka the old, last-gen Kicks that Nissan has decided to sell alongside the new one for precisely $310 less. The manufacturing rationale and industry history as to why this is a thing is best left to another blog (a Nissan spokesperson says the Play will only be produced through August 2025). But at the end of the day, superior fuel economy is one of the few reasons to opt for the 33-mile-per-gallon Kicks Play over the new one, which, for the record, achieves a respectable 31 mpg combined. It may technically be the seventh most efficient non-hybrid “new” car on sale right now, but it’s really an old car commanding a new-car price. Unless you can snag a Kicks Play for a deep discount, avoid.
6. 2025 Nissan Sentra: 34 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 30 MPG City / 40 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 422 Miles
- Base Price: $22,730
As another reason not to get a Kicks Play, the actually-not-bad, $22,730-to-start Nissan Sentra gets 30 miles per gallon in the city, 40 mpg on the highway, and 34 combined, coming in sixth place on this list. Economy figures drop to 30/38/33 city/highway/combined if you go for the nicer SR trim. Definitely a B-tier choice among its direct rivals, but its lower entry price may make it enticing.
5. 2025 Kia K4: 34 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 30 MPG City / 40 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 422 Miles
- Base Price: $23,165
Introduced as an all-new replacement for the old Forte, the Kia K4 is the fifth most fuel-efficient gas car on the market, getting 30 miles per gallon in the city, 40 mpg on the highway, and 34 combined. Just looking at mpg and driving range figures, the K4 and Nissan Sentra are eerily identical (this is true even when comparing between their slightly less efficient higher trims). But we’re giving the Kia the fifth-place nod for being a better, fresher car overall. Sporting a radical design—an even more stylish Hatchback model is coming in 2026—the K4 is a good, efficient alternative to the usual Civic, Corolla, and Elantra suspects that’ll almost certainly turn more heads.
4. 2025 Nissan Versa: 35 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 32 MPG City / 40 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 378 Miles
- Base Price: $20,130
OK, last Nissan—I promise. Scoring 32 miles per gallon in the city, 40 on the highway, and 35 combined, the subcompact Nissan Versa lands fourth on this list. Its efficiency is, all things considered, actually a bit underwhelming—where the Rogue is remarkably efficient for its size, the Versa is kind of the opposite. You’d think a car this small would be better on fuel than the cars one rung above it, but it’s not. Of course, its big saving grace is that minuscule price tag. Starting at $20,130, it holds the title as America’s cheapest new car. (The manual, $18,330 Versa S is no longer being produced.) In any case, the CVT is the one you want anyway if fuel economy is what you’re after—the manual only got 30 mpg combined.
3. 2025 Toyota Corolla: 35 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 32 MPG City / 41 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 462 Miles
- Base Price: $23,520
Logging one extra highway mile per gallon over the Versa is the 35-mpg-combined Toyota Corolla. It’s a solid, default economy car whose overall efficiency may lag behind its two biggest rivals below by a single mpg, but Toyota reliability—not to mention resale value—could easily give it the edge as the superior buy over the other two, depending on your priorities. It also wins on driving range, able to go 462 miles on a tank. Corolla’s economy holds whether you get the base sedan or hatchback, but dips to 34 mpg combined with higher trims.
2. 2025 Hyundai Elantra SE: 36 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 32 MPG City / 41 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 446 Miles
- Base Price: $23,370
The Hyundai Elantra SE’s 32 miles per gallon city and 41 mpg highway actually match that of the Corolla, but the EPA has graced it with 1 extra mpg combined, so it sits in second place. It’s (narrowly) the most affordable out of the top three and stands out with a sharp, almost Lamborghini-esque design. A frugal, practical choice, but longevity (in terms of both style and mechanicals) is arguably a bigger question mark than it is with the Toyota or this list’s winner.
1. 2025 Honda Civic LX: 36 MPG
- Fuel Economy: 32 MPG City / 41 MPG Highway
- Total Driving Range: 446 Miles
- Base Price: $25,400
With last year’s champion, the 39-mile-per-gallon Mitsubishi Mirage, discontinued, the Honda Civic takes over the mantle as the most efficient non-hybrid car you can get new in 2025. Purely comparing base vs base efficiency and driving range, the 36-mpg Civic LX actually ties the runner-up Elantra SE exactly. But, we’re giving the Honda the gold since upper-trim SEL and Limited Elantras get 30 mpg in the city compared to the Civic Sport’s 31. Talk about splitting hairs. On top of being the most efficient, the Civic is also arguably the best car on this list for the money. Impeccably built, spacious for its class, and uncannily good to drive, the Hybrid version was named Motor1’s Best Car of 2024, and much of that excellence remains even if you don’t get it with the electrified powertrain.
Best MPG Cars of 2025
- Honda Civic LX - 36 MPG
- Hyundai Elantra SE - 36 MPG
- Toyota Corolla - 35 MPG
- Nissan Versa - 35 MPG
- Kia K4 - 34 MPG
- Nissan Sentra - 34 MPG
- Nissan Kicks Play - 33 MPG
- Acura Integra - 33 MPG
- Nissan Rogue - 33 MPG
- Volkswagen Jetta - 33 MPG
