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10 great cars that get 30+ mpg :: Happy Earth Day!

As a real estate professional I can certainly appreciate wanting great gas mileage without sacrificing style or comfort. Well check these autos out!

Mercedes Benz E320 BLUETEC - For the high-roller in us all!
23/32 mpg
$53,025

Audi A4 - Sport & luxury in one cute package.
21/30 mpg
$28,900

Ford Escape Hybrid FWD - The only SUV to make the cut.
34/30 mpg
Starting at $26,640

Toyota Camry Hybrid - The hybrid version of one of the best selling cars in the U.S.
33/34 mpg
$25,350

Nissan Altima Hybrid - Sporty & comfy in hybrid form.
35/33 mpg
$25,170

Honda Civic Hybrid - Cute, compact, and definitely eco-friendly!
40/45 mpg
$22,600

Toyota Prius - For the true tree-hugging hippie at heart.
48/45 mpg
$21,100

Honda Accord - Old reliable.
22/31 mpg
$20,360

Chevrolet HHR FWD - Perfect for a car wrap!
22/30 mpg
Starting under $19,000

Hyundai Sonata - This is probably the biggest surprise. Check it out!
21/31 mpg
$17,670

If you aren't in the market to purchase a new car, check out these tips or these tips for improving the fuel efficiency of your own vehicle.

Check out my other green living posts!

Posted by Anthony Clark on 04/22/2008 05:34 PM

Comments (27)

green living, technology, ecofriendly realtor

Post is included in group: ECO-All-Stars~ GREEN Resources, Trends & Friends
Post is included in group: Tech Corner
Post is included in group: Giving Back
Post is included in group: Healthy Lifestyle - Green Lifestyle
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27 Comments on 10 great cars that get 30+ mpg :: Happy Earth Day!

APR

2008

Anthony- Thank you for doing this research. In our area, there is a city/county trying to pass legislation that all Taxi's must now get at least 30 MPG. I was wondering what this would translate to. Seems like these cars might be a tad bit small to be used as Taxis.

I'm thinking of buying a vehicle for work and gas mileage is a plus. Thank you for sharing the info.

Dan I think the Prius & HHR would make great taxis! Thanks for the comment!

Vicky Buy used & buy responsibly! :)

APR

2008

My '99 BMW328 gets 29 mpg, and looks great...it can be done!

This is a very helpful post for this industry, where we all need roomy "presentible" cars.

Cindy Thanks so much for your comment! You make a great point - there are a lot of cars out there that have been around for a while that get great gas mileage. And buying a used auto is great example of REUSE.

APR

2008

It's my understanding that the regular gas version of the civic also gets very good gas milage. It is nice to know that you can have a nice looking car that is kinder to the environment.

Anthony, thanks for the post...its nice to see the options

Carolyn The Civic comes in several trim levels, but the base gets 25/36 mpg and starts at just over $15,000. There's also a Civic powered by natural gas.

Eric There are even more options than this, but I thought it was a nice selection.

APR

2008

Which one do you own?

Jim

Jim I have an Audi A6 that gets about 28 mpg. If I needed to buy today I would probably downsize to an A4. If I could find a used one, the Altima Hybrid is a pretty cool car. Hopefully the next time I buy there will be even better technology and I can put a "10 great cars that get 40+ mpg" list together. Hope all is well!

Jim:

Didn't see any mention of the VW Diesel.

Joan I assume that comment was meant for me rather than Jim. For 2008 I believe VW only offers a diesel engine in the Touareg which gets 15/20 mpg - not quite good enough for my list.

MAY

2008

Did you know you cannot buy the Mercedes BLUETEC in California?

I want a new car - 100% electric would suit me just fine.

Stewart No, I did not know that. Can you share with us why that is the case? If you purchased it in another state would you have problems tagging it in California?

Georgina I read an article recently about how PG&E and Google are working on a grid system that would allow electric car owners to "power up" at any location.

MAY

2008

Five of these cars were just mentioned in a CNNMoney story on the 8 most fuel-efficient cars. But remember, you heard it here first :)

MAY

2008

Toyota & Honda are the ONLY TWO that have the "GREEN" status available to consumers. The other cars are OLD TECHNOLOGY...

The technology is out there, but as long as consumers buy the ALCOHOLIC CARS, the major car dealers wouldn't produce the NEW GREEN TECHNOLOGY cars, that are only in the blueprint stages...

I believe that if we as a society stopped buying the OLD TECHNOLOGY, the bigger car dealers would be forced to bring out the NEWER TECHNOLOGY... IT'S THE OLD SUPPLY AND DEMAND MENTALITY.... WHICH WE, AS CONSUMERS NEED TO REMEMBER EVERYTIME WE BUY ANOTHER OLD TECHNOLOGY CAR....

Ann-Marie Can you tell us or provide links for the "Green" status you mention and the difference between "old" and "new" technology. I think rather than not buying cars (which would discourage additional R&D by the big automakers) that we should show them that they can be profitable if they offer us autos with higher mpg, hybrids, or alternative fuel vehicles.

Hi Anthony,

Here's a site you might find interesting: "http://www.autos.canada.com/green/index.html". I drive two VW New Beetles from 2002 and they both get 30-38 mph. I know most car dealers should have made massive technology revolution by now. Some of the cars you put on your site are getting gas mileage that is worst than that.

Most car manufacturers are sitting on patents from 10-20 years ago, but they have agreements with the oil industry to sit and wait. As the public demands for more energy efficiency cars & trucks in the U.S., Canada and around the world than it will be a priority. We as a public have to change our lifestyles. We are getting there but, very slowly.

Plus, you have to be careful when you look at any site. You always have to ask the question, WHO paid for the article? HOW bias are they? WHAT are they trying to market? and to WHOM? Even the article I sent you, you have to ask those questions.

Ann-Marie The post consists mostly of cars that I would consider owning. Having sat in the back of my mom's VW New Beetle, I wouldn't wish that on any of my Buyers. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. I totally agree about needing to change our lifestyle; I recently posted about why I don't rant about gas prices.

MAY

2008

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW BIKE TO RIDE TO WORK EVERY DAY. WITH THE CURRENT AND FUTURE GAS PRICES I THING WE WILL START TO SEE MORE PEOPLE RIDING BIKES FOR THE GREAT MPG.

THE HYBRIDS SUCK ON COST TO REPAIR. A FREIND OF MINE BOUGHT A HYBRID. AT 80K IT NEEDED NEW BATTERIES. ESTIMATE $8,500 THATS ONE HELL OF A REPAIR BILL

Keith CNN.com published a story today about how dealerships in California are having a very difficult time selling trucks and SUVs right now. A dealership here in Tulsa is advertising a sale on "selected" trucks & SUVS. At the bottom of the screen is says *Vehicles in Inventory as of 1/22/08 - four months! I posted recently about how we should be paying the price since we've been such irresponsible stewards of the planet......

MAY

2008

Thanks for the info - I'm not too far from needing a new vehicle and this will help.

Kelly I hope so! One of the objectives of this post isn't to advertise specific cars, but rather to get people thinking about their car buying decision. Not only does a car need to be stylish and comfortable, it needs to be practical. Beyond that it makes a statement about how much the driver respects (or not) the planet.

I have a 2004 VW Jetta Wagon with the TDI diesel engine. I get 45-50 mpg. The only car that I know that gets better mileage is the Toyota Prius. The Jetta is available in a 2008 diesel model if anyone is shopping for new and there are a few used Jetta TDIs out there but not many--they are keepers!

Deb Thanks for bringing that to our attention. The VW website is a little confusing; it appears that the only TDI available to 2008 is the Touareg, but I'm glad to hear otherwise!

MAY

Big news on this topic: Honda has introduced a hybrid for less than $20K! The Honda Insight

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