Most economical petrol cars

In terms of the most economical petrol city cars, the Peugeot 108 really shares this top spot with its siblings, the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo. You see, these 3 cars share the same platform, many of the same mechanical parts, and a 72hp 1.0-litre petrol engine. It’s mainly the styling that’s different. And in that department, we prefer the Peugeot 108.

The Kia Picanto is another cheap to run city car that offers an excellent return. And when bought new it offers an excellent 7-years/100,000 miles warranty too, as well as class-leading boot space at 255 litres. Plus, it has a choice of petrol engines to choose from: a naturally-aspirated 66bhp 1.0-litre engine, an 83bhp 1.25-litre engine, and a 99bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine.

The Hyundai i10 has constantly moved with the times, improving with each generation. It’s come a long way since it first launched, and now it’s a rather impressive and stylish car that is surprisingly very practical despite its seemingly dinky dimensions. There are 3 engines to pick from, which are all economical, including the punchy N-Line model with the 99bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre engine – it can do 0-60mph in 10.3 seconds and still offers a good return of 52mpg.

Fun to drive with accurate steering, the Mazda 2 is our pick for the most efficient petrol small car. All Mazda 2 models are fitted with different versions of the same 1.5-litre engine, in varying states of tune – from the 75bhp entry-level engine, to the range-topping 115bhp engine fitted to Sport + and GT Models, which offer a 0-60mph in 9 seconds. The entry-level engine is the most efficient, but even the 115bhp engine provides a good return.

A front runner in many a top 10 list, and for good reason too, the Ford Fiesta also makes it in our top 3 best small cars for fuel economy. It’s fun to drive and has brilliant handling too. Plus, Fiestas are known as reliable cars and there’s always an excellent range of fantastic used deals available as well. For the best return as a petrol, opt for the turbocharged 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.

Coming well-equipped as standard, the Suzuki Baleno is a very practical small car with a spacious interior. The 1.0-litre petrol engine is also more efficient in the real world than Ford Fiesta. So, you can swap the two cars if you’re purely after the best fuel economy. We’ve only ranked the Fiesta higher because we value its fun driving characteristics.

With 110hp and 130hp versions of a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine available, the Peugeot 308 manages a very respectable 55mpg on paper. In reality, it’ll return around 45mpg driving in the city, which is still impressive fuel economy. Especially, when coupled with its excellent practicality for families.

The Mazda 3 is a car that’s easy to love. It looks fantastic, it has a high-quality interior, and it’s great to drive too. Plus, it has a comfortable cabin and a refined ride experience. And importantly, it’ll help keep running costs down for families as well, offering a fantastic real-world return around 45mpg when driven carefully.

Another offering by Kia makes this list, meaning if you buy it new you get Kia’s fantastic 7-years/100,000 miles warranty. And if you buy a second-hand Kia Ceed, you still get a car that is very practical and spacious, with a good choice of economical engines. It’s also nice to drive, which is always a welcomed aspect in any car.

Older incarnations of the Citroen C4 were hatchbacks like the Ford Focus, but the ‘new’ C4 (introduced in 2010) has been given a makeover to become a stylish looking crossover. It comes with lots of standard equipment, and rockets into first place in our top 3 most efficient petrol crossovers, offering up to 55mpg. There’s also a new electric model if you want even lower running costs.

The Suzuki Ignis blends the usefulness of a city car, with smaller dimensions and excellent fuel economy, as well as the practicality and styling of an SUV. It’s a charming crossover that’s brimming with character. It’s lightweight, great around town, and packed with lots of equipment too. It’s also cheap to buy and run. Again, if it’s pure fuel efficiency you’re after, you can pop the Ignis into first place.

Sharing parts with the Volkswagen T-Cross, the Seat Arona is built on the MQB A0 platform, which underpins all new small Volkswagen Group cars. The Arona is a modern looking crossover that is good to drive, with a spacious boot and lots of standard equipment and safety features. It also provides efficient engines, with the 1.0 TSI 110hp petrol engine offering the best return.

The Ford Kuga not only offers good fuel efficiency for a petrol SUV, it also offers a good driving experience too. It has a stylish exterior and a spacious interior as well, ticking the all-important box of being a practical family SUV. There are also two efficient petrol hybrid models available that boost the fuel efficiency even further than the figures listed here.

The Peugeot 5008 is a well-built, practical SUV with a stylish exterior and a modern interior. It’s a big, chunky looking car, yet its 1.2 PureTech 130hp petrol engine provides all the kick you need, with a 0-62mph around 10 seconds – impressive for a car this size.

Representing good value for money, the Renault Kadjar drives into third place as one of our most economical petrol SUVs. It’s very practical, it drives well, and it looks great too. The Kadjar also shares a platform with the ever-popular Nissan Qashqai for those who like to know such details. For fuel efficiency, the Kadjar offers up to 45mpg thanks to a turbocharged 1.3 TCe 140hp petrol engine. In the real-world, you can expect a return around 38mpg.

The Peugeot 508 offers a refined interior and a nice driving experience, offering excellent levels of practicality. What more could you ask for in a saloon car? Great fuel efficiency? It offers that too, with the 1.2 PureTech 130hp petrol engine. Of course, for even greater fuel efficiency there are diesel and hybrid models, but nonetheless, the miles per gallon on the petrol is still impressive.

If you’re looking for a stylish saloon then the Audi A4 is well worth a look, with its classy styling and high-quality interior. It’s very refined too, and offers a roomy cabin. Plus, it comes with lots of standard kit too. In addition, the petrol engine provides good fuel efficiency for a car of this type and calibre.

Fun to drive, the Mercedes-Benz C Class is a stylish car that enjoys the strong brand image you expect of the prestigious marque. The C Class comes with an excellent level of technology, and a good range of petrol and diesel engines too, some of which can be remarkably fast. However, we’re not about speed today, but efficiency! And in terms of the petrol offerings, for the best return you’ll want to look at the 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine used in the newer C200 models.

With an ergonomic cabin, the Skoda Fabia Estate is a practical car that’s also comfortable to drive and great value for money. For the best return, you’ll want to opt for the entry-level 74bhp 1.0-litre MPI petrol engine, which just so happens to be the same one used in the chirpy Skoda Citigo. However, this engine does have to work a tad harder with the Fabia’s larger estate frame, so you may want to consider trying a slightly more powerful engine as well.

In second place in our top 3 efficient petrol estate cars is the Fiat Tipo Station Wagon. The Tipo nameplate first began life in 1988, with the car in its current guise brought back to life and into production in 2015. It’s also available as a hatchback, and offers an impressive real-world return around 50mpg.

Like the hatchback model, the Peugeot 308 SW estate car offers a 1.2 PureTech 130hp petrol engine for an official fuel economy figure of 55mpg. With the longer frame and extra weight, the real-world figure will be a little lower around 44mpg. Nevertheless, that’s still a really good return for an estate.