Cheapest Cars to Drive in America

Top EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers

Methodology is as follows:Vehicles are ranked by their combined rating (weighted by 55% city and 45% highway). In the event of a tie, multiple vehicles may share the same ranking. Electric vehicles are measured in Miles Per Gallon equivalent (MPGe), where 33.7 kW-hrs = 1 gallon of gasoline.

• Fueleconomy.gov rated all 2013 model year cars

Cheapest Car to Drive

• 121 MPGe• Cost to drive 25

miles is just $0.84

2013 Scion iQ EV

Photo credit: Scion

EVs take the next seven spots, too!

2. Honda Fit EV3. Fiat 500e4. Nissan Leaf5. Mitsubishi-MiEV6. Smart fortwo EV7. Ford Focus EV8. Tesla Model S

Photo credit: Tesla

A closer look at the top EVsMake and Model Combined

MileageCost to Drive 25

MilesAnnual Fuel

CostsFuel Savings Over 5 Years

Scion iQ 121 MPGe $0.84 $500 $9,250

Honda Fit 118 MPGe $0.87 $500 $9,250

Fiat 500e 116 MPGe $0.87 $500 $9,250

Nissan Leaf 115 MPGe $0.87 $500 $9,250

Mitsubishi i-MiEV 112 MPGe $0.90 $550 $9,000

Smart fortwo 107 MPGe $0.96 $600 $8,750

Ford Focus EV 105 MPGe $0.96 $600 $8,750

Tesla Model S 95 MPGe $1.05 $650 $8,500

A Word About Electric Vehicles

Foolish bottom line on EVs:For the consumer traveling short distances on a daily commute an EV is by far and away the cheapest car to drive. However, for those with a longer commute or frequent travelers owning an EV is not yet practical.

• Range can be a limiting factorScion iQ Honda

FitFiat 500e Nissan

Leafi-MiEV Smart

fortwoFocus EV Model S

38 miles 82 miles 87 miles 75 miles 62 miles 68 miles 76 miles 208 miles

Cheap to drive, and practical, too!

• Hybrids• Plug-In Electrics

Gas-sipping options abound

Photo credit: Ford

The Cheapest Hybrid

• 50 MPG• Cost to drive 25

miles is just $1.82

Toyota Prius

A closer look at the top hybridsMake and Model Combined

MileageCost to Drive 25

MilesAnnual Fuel

CostsFuel Savings Over 5 Years

Toyota Prius 50 MPG $1.82 $1,100 $6,250

Ford C-Max 47 MPG $1.93 $1,150 $6,000

Ford Fusion 47 MPG $1.93 $1,150 $6,000

Lincoln MKZ 45 MPG $2.02 $1,200 $5,750

Volkswagen Jetta 45 MPG $2.19 $1,300 $5,250

Honda Insight 42 MPG $2.16 $1,300 $5,250

Lexus CT 200h 42 MPG $2.16 $1,300 $5,250

Honorable Mention

• Plug-in hybrid• 98 MPGe• 37 MPG• Cost to drive 25

miles just $1.05

Chevy Volt

Photo credit: Chevy

Just for fun

• Bugatti Veyron– 10 MPG– $0.395 per mile– Fastest street-legal

car in the world at 267.8 MPH

– Sells for $2.25 million

The most expensive car to drive in America

Photo credit: Flickr/Prayitno