ExplainersThe highest-rated car of every model year
The highest-rated car of every model year
For fifteen model years, from 1984 to 1998, the highest EPA rating of the year went to a small gasoline car, led by the Chevrolet Sprint and Geo Metro. In 1999 a diesel took the top spot, and since 2000 every model year's highest rating has belonged to a hybrid or to the gasoline-only rating of a plug-in hybrid. The highest of all is 59 MPG, set by the Hyundai Ioniq Blue in 2021 and 2022. Among ordinary gasoline versions without a hybrid system, nothing has beaten the 1986 Chevrolet Sprint ER's 48 MPG.
How the list was made
For each model year this page takes every version EPA rated and picks the highest combined MPG. The first list allows any fuel-burning powertrain: gasoline, diesel, hybrid, flex-fuel, and plug-in hybrids counted on their gasoline-only rating. The second list leaves out everything with a hybrid system, so it shows the best a conventional gasoline engine managed that year. Electric versions are listed separately in MPGe; a kilowatt-hour rating cannot be ranked against miles per gallon. Counts on this page are of versions or nameplates EPA rated, not of vehicles sold, so nothing here is weighted by sales.
The small-car years, 1984–1998
The first leaders were small cars. Honda's Civic CRX topped 1984 at 41 MPG and its HF version 1985 at 43. Then came the Chevrolet Sprint ER at 48 MPG in 1986, and its successors under the Chevrolet and Geo names held the top spot in most years until 1998. The Geo Metro XFI repeated 47 MPG every year from 1990 to 1994. The one break was 1995, when the Honda Civic HB VX led at 43 MPG.
In 1999 the Volkswagen New Beetle's diesel version took first place at 38 MPG, ahead of every gasoline version that year; the best gasoline car, the Chevrolet Metro, rated 37.
Hybrids take over from 2000
The Honda Insight arrived for 2000 at 53 MPG and stayed first through 2006. The Toyota Prius followed from 2007. For four years, 2012–2015, the top spot went to the Prius Plug-in Hybrid on its gasoline-only rating of 50 MPG. The Prius Eco reached 56 in 2016, and the Hyundai Ioniq Blue then led from 2017 to 2022, reaching 59 MPG in its last two years. The current Prius holds first place for 2023–2026 at 57 MPG.
The best conventional gasoline car
Without hybrids the picture is flatter and the numbers lower. After 1998 the top conventional rating never went above 39 MPG. Honda led that list in 11 of the 43 years, more than any other make; the Mitsubishi Mirage led it in 10 years between 2014 and 2024, at 39 MPG each time. Other small cars filled the years between: the smart fortwo for 2008–2010 and the Scion iQ for 2011–2013. For 2025 and 2026 the Honda Civic 4Dr leads at 36 MPG.
Electric versions
EPA's list has electric versions from 1998. The first leader, the Chevrolet S10 Electric pickup, rated 55 MPGe. By 2026 the top electric rating was 146 MPGe, held by the Lucid Air Pure RWD with 19 inch wheels. In some years, such as 2004–2007 and 2009–2010, no electric version was on the list at all.
Who led most often
Counting each model line once per year, the Toyota Prius held the year's top rating 14 times, counting its plug-in and Eco versions, ahead of the Geo Metro with eight, the Honda Insight with seven and the Hyundai Ioniq with six. No other line led more than three times.
The leaders also pulled away from the typical version. In 1984 the top rating, 41 MPG, was 22 MPG above the median version; in 2026 the gap is 35 MPG. Between the two lists the distance opened in 2000, when the Insight rated 17 MPG above the best conventional car, and stood at 21 MPG for 2026, the widest gap of any year, shared with 2006 and 2025.
| Model year | Highest, any fuel (MPG) | Highest conventional gas (MPG) | Highest electric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Honda Civic CRX, 41 | Honda Civic CRX, 41 | – |
| 1985 | Honda Civic CRX HF, 43 | Honda Civic CRX HF, 43 | – |
| 1986 | Chevrolet Sprint ER, 48 | Chevrolet Sprint ER, 48 | – |
| 1987 | Chevrolet Sprint ER, 47 | Chevrolet Sprint ER, 47 | – |
| 1988 | Chevrolet Sprint Metro, 47 | Chevrolet Sprint Metro, 47 | – |
| 1989 | Geo Metro, 47 | Geo Metro, 47 | – |
| 1990 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | – |
| 1991 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | – |
| 1992 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | – |
| 1993 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | – |
| 1994 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | Geo Metro XFI, 47 | – |
| 1995 | Honda Civic HB VX, 43 | Honda Civic HB VX, 43 | – |
| 1996 | Geo Metro, 40 | Geo Metro, 40 | – |
| 1997 | Geo Metro, 40 | Geo Metro, 40 | – |
| 1998 | Chevrolet Metro, 40 | Chevrolet Metro, 40 | Chevrolet S10 Electric, 55 MPGe |
| 1999 | Volkswagen New Beetle, 38 (diesel) | Chevrolet Metro, 37 | GMC EV1, 85 MPGe |
| 2000 | Honda Insight, 53 (hybrid) | Chevrolet Metro, 36 | Nissan Altra EV, 85 MPGe |
| 2001 | Honda Insight, 53 (hybrid) | Honda Civic HX, 34 | Nissan Hyper-Mini, 75 MPGe |
| 2002 | Honda Insight, 53 (hybrid) | Honda Civic HX, 34 | Toyota RAV4 EV, 78 MPGe |
| 2003 | Honda Insight, 53 (hybrid) | Honda Civic, 34 | Toyota RAV4 EV, 78 MPGe |
| 2004 | Honda Insight, 52 (hybrid) | Honda Civic, 34 | – |
| 2005 | Honda Insight, 52 (hybrid) | Honda Civic, 34 | – |
| 2006 | Honda Insight, 52 (hybrid) | Toyota Corolla, 31 | – |
| 2007 | Toyota Prius, 46 (hybrid) | Toyota Yaris, 32 | – |
| 2008 | Toyota Prius, 46 (hybrid) | smart fortwo convertible, 36 | MINI MiniE, 98 MPGe |
| 2009 | Toyota Prius, 46 (hybrid) | smart fortwo convertible, 36 | – |
| 2010 | Toyota Prius, 50 (hybrid) | smart fortwo cabriolet, 36 | – |
| 2011 | Toyota Prius, 48 (hybrid) | Scion iQ, 36 | BMW Active E, 102 MPGe |
| 2012 | Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, 50 (plug-in hybrid) | Scion iQ, 37 | Mitsubishi i-MiEV, 112 MPGe |
| 2013 | Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, 50 (plug-in hybrid) | Scion iQ, 37 | Scion iQ EV, 121 MPGe |
| 2014 | Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, 50 (plug-in hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | BMW i3 BEV, 124 MPGe |
| 2015 | Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, 50 (plug-in hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | BMW i3 BEV, 124 MPGe |
| 2016 | Toyota Prius Eco, 56 (hybrid) | Honda Fit, 36 | BMW i3 BEV, 124 MPGe |
| 2017 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 58 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric, 136 MPGe |
| 2018 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 58 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric, 136 MPGe |
| 2019 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 58 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Hyundai Ioniq Electric, 136 MPGe |
| 2020 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 58 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, 141 MPGe |
| 2021 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 59 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus RWD, 142 MPGe |
| 2022 | Hyundai Ioniq Blue, 59 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Tesla Model 3 RWD, 132 MPGe |
| 2023 | Toyota Prius, 57 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long range RWD (18 inch Wheels), 140 MPGe |
| 2024 | Toyota Prius, 57 (hybrid) | Mitsubishi Mirage, 39 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long range RWD (18 inch Wheels), 140 MPGe |
| 2025 | Toyota Prius, 57 (hybrid) | Honda Civic 4Dr, 36 | Lucid Air Pure RWD with 19 inch wheels, 146 MPGe |
| 2026 | Toyota Prius, 57 (hybrid) | Honda Civic 4Dr, 36 | Lucid Air Pure RWD with 19 inch wheels, 146 MPGe |
Each name in the table is a version, not a whole model line; the model pages show where those versions sat within their nameplate's history. The Toyota Prius page, for example, shows the year-by-year spread between its plug-in, hybrid and all-wheel-drive versions. To see what one of these ratings means in fuel volume, put it into the gallons calculator.
Sources: U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, FuelEconomy.gov data (vehicles.csv), retrieved October 28, 2026; tables and medians computed by MPG by Model over model years 1984–2026. Model year 2027 is partial and left out. Not endorsed by EPA or DOE.