In the current motoring hive mind, it is easy to get the impression that all petrol and diesel cars are as economical as using £20 notes for toilet paper, while electric cars systematically generate ice and steaks for starving polar bears.
This isn’t necessarily the case, though. In fact, an overwhelming majority of new petrol and diesel cars on sale today qualify to pass through London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) without charge.
However, some are, of course, more frugal with their fuel than others. Here are the cars that are among the most economical on sale today.
Petrol
Suzuki Celerio: 72.4mpg
While the main phrase you might use to describe Suzuki’s Celerio is ‘unremarkable’, its economy figures are certainly not to be ignored.
Utilising the 1.0-litre ‘DualJet’ petrol engine, the Celerio is quoted at a combined 72.4mpg, which is an extremely impressive figure.
Peugeot 108 (also Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo): 68.9mpg
Peugeot’s ultra-compact supermini is only available with one 998cc (or 1.0-litre, in layman’s terms) engine, which is capable of a highly impressive 68.9mpg.
The Peugeot is mechanically identical to the Toyota Aygo and Citroen C1, and as such, both of those cars also claim the same mpg figure.
Fiat 500: 74.3mpg
Fiat’s 500 benefits from the Italian marque’s extremely impressive two-cylinder TwinAir engines, which allows the stylish machine to claim some very impressive economy figures.
The highest figure quoted for the venerable Italian supermini is 74.3mpg, attributed to the 0.9-litre engine with 84bhp.
Diesel
Ford Focus: 80.7mpg
With 94bhp on tap, the base level ‘EcoBlue’ diesel Focus is unlikely to turn heads or rock your world in the performance stakes, but its economy is certainly not to be sniffed at.
Said to achieve an incredible 80.7mpg in official tests the fourth-generation Focus is certainly friendly to your wallet if you cover a lot of miles.
Honda Civic: 80.7mpg
If you’d rather go for something that provides a little less conformity than the straight-laced Focus, but you’d still like to achieve 80.7mpg, there’s always the Honda Civic, which gained a unique – if divisive – look for its tenth generation.
The Civic has a power edge over the Focus too, with it’s 1.6-litre I-DTEC engine producing 118bhp.
Volkswagen Polo: 83.1mpg
Even though Volkswagen was the straw that broke the camel’s back in the emissions scandals, they do still make some very impressive, efficient diesel engines.
A combined mpg figure of 83.1 makes the Polo a supremely economical choice among its supermini peers, even if a mere 74bhp means you’ll often be wanting for a bit more kick.