I just realized while writing “Auto Industry: ‘We Can’t Change, Please Let Us Keep Abusing You‘” that I never got to publishing a 2016 edition of “Most Fuel Efficient Cars In The USA,” to follow the very popular 2015 and 2014 posts.
As it turns out, not much has changed since 2015. Of course, electric cars still control the entire list. No car has topped the #1 BMW i3, nor knocked the #2 Chevy Spark EV off of the silver medal podium, nor displaced the #3 Volkswagen e-Golf from the bronze medal podium. In fact … no top 10 ranking has changed except for the Nissan LEAF (now #4) switching spots with the Fiat 500e (now tied for #5 with the Mitsubishi i-MiEV), due to a slight drop in the 500e’s efficiency from 116 MPGe to 112 MPGe.
Here are the 10 most fuel efficient cars in the United States in 2016 (so far):
2. Chevy Spark EV — 119 MPGe
3. Volkswagen e-Golf — 116 MPGe
4. Nissan LEAF — 114 MPGe
5. Mitsubishi i-MiEV — 112 MPGe
7. Smart Electric Drive — 107 MPGe & 107 MPGe
8. Kia Soul EV — 105 MPGe
8. Ford Focus Electric — 105 MPGe
10. Tesla Model S (75D) — 95 MPGe
Here are some more details on the electric cars currently for sale on the US market:
| EVObsession.com | EPA Efficiency Rating (MPGe) on Battery | Electric-Only Range (EPA except when in km first) | Price | $ after US federal tax credit | Seats | Drivetrain |
| Tesla Model X (60D / 75D / 90D / P90D) | 93 / 93 / 92 / 89 | 200 / 238 / 257 / 250 miles | $74,000 / $83,000 / $95,000 / $115,500 | $66,500 / $75,500 / $87,500 / $108,000 | 5–7 | EV |
| Tesla Model S (60 / 75 / 90D / P90D) | 103 / 103 / 103 / 95 | 210 / 249 / 294 / 270 miles | $66,000 / $74,500 / $89,500 / 109,500 | $58,500 / $67,000 / $82,000 / $102,000 | 5+2 | EV |
| Chevy Spark EV | 119 | 82 miles | $27,495 | $19,995 | 4 | EV |
| Fiat 500e | 116 | 87 miles | $31,800 | $24,800 | 4 | EV |
| Honda Accord Plug-in | 115 | 13 miles | $39,780 | $36,154 | 5 | PHEV |
| Mitsubishi i-MiEV | 112 | 62 miles | $22,995 | $15,495 | 4 | EV |
| 2nd-Gen Chevy Volt | 106 | 53 | $33,220 | $25,720 | 5 | PHEV |
| Kia Soul EV | 105 | 93 miles | $33,700 | $26,200 | 5 | EV |
| 1st-Gen Chevy Volt | 98 | 38 miles | N/A | N/A | 4 | PHEV |
| Ford Fusion Energi | 88 | 21 miles | $34,700 | $30,693 | 5 | PHEV |
| Ford C-Max Energi | 88 | 21 miles | $31,635 | $27,885 | 5 | PHEV |
| Cadillac ELR | 82 | 37 miles | $75,000 | $67,500 | 4 | PHEV |
| Audi A3 e-Tron | 83 / 86 | 16/ 17 miles | $37,900 | $33,200 | 4 | PHEV |
| BMW i3 | 124 | 81 miles | $41,350 | $33,850 | 4 | EV |
| Volkswagen e-Golf | 116 | 83 miles | $35,445 | $27,945 | 5 | EV |
| Nissan LEAF | 114 | 84 miles | $29,010 | $21,510 | 5 | EV |
| Smart Electric Drive | 107 | 68 miles | $25,000 (or $19,990 + $80/Month Battery Rental) | $17,500, or $12,490 + $80/month | 2 | EV |
| Ford Focus Electric | 105 | 76 miles | $29,170 | $21,670 | 5 | EV |
| Hyundai Sonata PHEV | 99 | 27 miles | $34,600 | $29,681 | 5 | PHEV |
| Toyota Prius PHEV | 95 | 11 miles | $29,990 | $27,490 | 5 | PHEV |
| Mercedes B250e | 84 | 84 miles | $41,450 | $33,950 | 5 | EV |
| BMW i8 | 76 | 15 miles | $135,700 | $131,907 | 5 | PHEV |
| BMW 330e | 72 | 14 miles | $43,700 | $38,999 | 5 | PHEV |
| BYD e6 | 62 | 200 kilometers (122 miles) | $52,000 | 5 | EV | |
| Mercedes S550e | 58 | 14 miles | $95,650 | $91,607 | 5 | PHEV |
| BMW X5 xDrive40e | 56 | 14 miles | $63,095 | $58,427 | 5 | PHEV |
| Volvo XC90 T8 | 54 | 14 miles | $69,100 | $64,500 | 7 | PHEV |
| Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid | 50 | 22 miles | $99,000 | $94,248 | 4 | PHEV |
| Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid | 47 | 14 miles | $76,400 | $71,064 | 5 | PHEV |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE550e | 43 | 12 miles | $65,500 | 5 | PHEV |
According to Chevy web site, SparkEV MSRP is $25.9K ($18.5K post fed subsidy), but google shows MSRP as $25.1K ($17.6K post fed subsidy). Either way, it’s not $27.5K in the list.
Another to consider is lease pricing. SparkEV consistently ranks as lowest cost lease among all EV, maybe even any car, gas or EV: $40/mo!
http://ev-vin.blogspot.com/2015/12/current-lease-offers-for-selected-2015.html