Buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle is the best answer to rising gas prices

As the price of gas soars ever higher millions of people across the country and around the world are looking for ways to increase their mpg and decrease the amount of gas that their car uses. While there are plenty of tips, tricks and  alternatives that can be used to do this the simple fact is this; the smaller and more efficient that your car is the less gasoline that it will use.

Of course if you’re a family of 7 getting everyone into a Honda Civic might not be the most comfortable idea and so, no matter if you drive a car, truck, sports utility vehicle or minivan, what you’re going to want to do is find the most fuel efficient model that you can based on your needs. With that in mind we put together a blog about some of the best cars on the road today for gas mileage. Keep in mind that while hybrids can certainly be very fuel-efficient they can also, in many cases, just be too darned small for your needs. That’s why you’ll see many cars here on our list that aren’t hybrids but are still quite fuel-efficient. Enjoy.

Speaking of hybrids let’s just agree that for the most part they are the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road. The Honda Civic hybrid gets over 45 miles to the gallon and that’s in the city while the Toyota Prius gets even more. Those are great numbers to be sure and will definitely save you lots of cash at the gas pump but, again, if you have 5 kids there’s no way you’re using a Honda Civic to chauffeur them around.

One of the basic tasks that you have before you buy any car is to sit down and really figure out your transportation needs. Do you need a vehicle just for getting back and forth to the office by yourself or for making quick runs into town? If so a smaller, more economical car is definitely going to be on your short list of possibilities as well as most hybrids. On the other hand if your son is on the football team or your daughter plays soccer and you’re a football or soccer mom there will definitely be times when having a larger car or minivan are going to be absolutely necessary. Keeping your needs in mind before you buy will thus steer you towards a better purchase decision.

Looking at another example, let’s say that you work in construction or own your own construction company. If that’s the case, you definitely will need a large, full-size pickup truck, especially if you are going to be towing a trailer with tools and equipment. On the other hand, if you’re a weekend do-it-yourselfer you would probably be better off sticking with a smaller, more economical car and, when the need arises, renting a truck or van for your weekend projects.

Once you’ve taken a good look at your true automobile needs it’s time to start looking at the various makes and models to determine which one is going to the be the best for your needs and also deliver the best mpg. Also please keep in mind that the numbers that were going to be using below have been provided by the EPA and, frankly, most vehicles never actually meet these numbers. At best they are a good way to compare one car to the next and probably should be reduced by about 10% in most cases.

When it comes to two-seater automobiles the best on the market are the Honda Insight with manual transmission that gets 61/66 mpg and the Honda Insight with automatic transmission and 57/56 mpg.

When it comes to mini-compact cars the two choices are the Mini Cooper with manual transmission that gets 28/36 mpg and the same Mini Cooper with automatic transmission that gets 26/34 mpg

Are you looking for a subcompact car? If yes, your choices are the Volkswagen New Beetle with manual transmission and diesel engine at 38/46 mpg and the same Beetle with automatic and 36/42 mpg

The Honda Civic Hybrid with automatic variable transmission gets 48/47 mpg while the same with manual gets 46/51. Both are considered compact cars. Then there are midsize cars like the Toyota Prius Hybrid automatic and 60/51 mpg and the Hyundai Elantra with manual transmission and an mpg of 27/34.

The Volkswagen Jetta Wagon with diesel engine and manual transmission is a great small station wagon and gets 36/47 mpg while the Volkswagen Passat diesel with automatic gets an admirable 27/38 mpg. Ford weighs in with their Focus Station Wagon with manual transmission and an mpg of 26/35.

If you need a minivan to shuttle the family all over town the Honda Odyssey with automatic transmission gets a decent 20/28 mpg and the Dodge Caravan with automatic gets a 20/26 mpg rating. If a sport-utility vehicle is more along the lines of what you need the Ford Escape Hybrid with automatic variable transmission gets a very high 36/31 mpg while the Toyota Rav4 2- wheel drive with manual transmission gets a 24/30 rating.

Finally there’s your pickup trucks, including the Ford Ranger 2 wheel drive pickup with manual transmission that gets a decent 24/29 mpg and the Mazda B2300 2 wheel drive with manual transmission and a 24/29 mpg rating.

Of course there are plenty of other cars to choose from and, frankly, in many ways there is so much selection that it makes the final choice a bit more difficult. Since gas prices aren’t likely to drop anytime soon the more time, energy and research you put into finding the car that best meets your needs the better off your wallet will be when you head to your favorite local gas station. Good luck with whatever make and model you choose and please be sure to come back and visit us sometime soon for even more information on how to beat the high cost of gasoline. See you then.