Highest-mileage list has surprises
The surprise comes from a list the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency put together of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the past 25 years.
Few are from today. Most are from many years ago. For all the talk today about hybrids, electrics and greater fuel efficiency from conventional engines, the list underscores how little progress we've made toward weaning ourselves off oil.
No wonder that hyper-milers like Louis Hudgin of Gilbert, Ariz., were driving old cars like Hudgin's 2001 Honda Insight when we interviewed them a couple years ago.
Modern cars didn't get as much mileage as the older ones, a big problem for those who squeeze as many miles out of every gallon of gas as Hudgin does.
Hudgin was routinely getting more than 100 m.p.g.
Granted, a lot of those high m.p.g. cars of yore were pretty lousy. In the past, it was uninspiring cars like the Geo Metro and Chevy Sprint leading the gas mileage race, making a 2010 Toyota Prius look like a luxury car in comparison.
Most fuel-efficient cars of the past 25 years
Car
m.p.g.
2000 Honda Insight ... 49/61/532010 Toyota Prius ... 51/48/50
1986 Chevy Sprint ... 44/53/481990-94 Geo Metro ... 43/52/47
1986-87 HondaCivic CR-X ... 42/51/46
1994-95 HondaCivic HB ... 39/50/43
2006-10 HondaCivic hybrid ... 40/45/42
1985 Pontiac Firefly ... 39/47/421985 Suzuki SA310 ... 39/47/42
2010 Honda Insight ... 40/43/41Mileage figures are city/highway/combined
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