Cheapest compact cars to run
Fuel is the running cost you pay every week, and it is the one that separates two cars wearing the same badge by four figures a year. This ranks compact cars on what the EPA says a year of driving costs — gasoline, electricity or both — the only figure that lets a gas car, a hybrid, a plug-in and an EV stand in the same table.
| # | Car | Type | Efficiency | EPA annual fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Electric |
Electric | 3.7 mi/kWh | $600 |
| 2 |  BMW i5 |
Electric | 3.5 mi/kWh | $650 |
| 3 |  BMW i4 |
Electric | 3.2 mi/kWh | $700 |
| 4 |  Audi S e-tron |
Electric | 2.7 mi/kWh | $850 |
| 5 |  Audi RS e-tron GT |
Electric | 2.5 mi/kWh | $900 |
| 6 |  Rolls-Royce Spectre |
Electric | 2.2 mi/kWh | $1,000 |
| 7 |  Toyota Corolla Hybrid |
Hybrid | 47 mpg | $1,300 |
| 8 |  Lexus UX Hybrid |
Hybrid | 43 mpg | $1,450 |
| 9 |  Nissan Versa |
Gasoline | 35 mpg | $1,800 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla |
Gasoline | 35 mpg | $1,800 |
| 11 |  Volkswagen Jetta |
Gasoline | 34 mpg | $1,850 |
| 12 |  Mazda 3 |
Gasoline | 30 mpg | $2,100 |
| 13 | Volkswagen GLI |
Gasoline | 29 mpg | $2,150 |
| 14 |  BMW 3 Series Hybrid |
Hybrid | 31 mpg | $2,500 |
| 15 |  Volvo S60 Plug-in hybrid |
Plug-in hybrid | 31 mpg on gas | $2,500 |
| 16 | Volvo S60 Hybrid |
Hybrid | 30 mpg | $2,550 |
| 17 |  Mercedes-Benz C-Class Hybrid |
Hybrid | 29 mpg | $2,650 |
| 18 | Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Hybrid |
Hybrid | 29 mpg | $2,650 |
| 19 |  Audi A4 Hybrid |
Hybrid | 26 mpg | $2,950 |
| 20 |  Acura TLX |
Gasoline | 25 mpg | $3,100 |
| 21 |  Cadillac CT4 |
Gasoline | 25 mpg | $3,100 |
| 22 |  Audi S4 |
Gasoline | 24 mpg | $3,200 |
| 23 | Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class |
Gasoline | 23 mpg | $3,350 |
| 24 |  Lexus IS |
Gasoline | 22 mpg | $3,500 |
| 25 |  Genesis G70 |
Gasoline | 19 mpg | $4,050 |
One row per nameplate, showing its best-rated version — a nameplate sold in six configurations would otherwise take six rows and push everything else off the page. Annual fuel is the EPA's own figure at 15,000 miles and its reference fuel prices; every model page recalculates it from your mileage and your prices. Where these come from.
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Your car's real number
Every figure on this page is an EPA lab rating. What your car actually does depends on your roads, your right foot, and its maintenance history. Carvico calculates your true MPG from your own fill-ups — kept completely private on your iPhone and iCloud.