There’s no getting around the fact that owning a car is expensive. One way to save some money when it comes to operating a car is to buy one that has good fuel economy. Some vehicles rate a lot better than others. By knowing which ones have a better mpg rating, you can make an informed purchase decision.  Here are some of the top 2011 cars with best gas mileage.

 

There are a few other factors to take into consideration when looking at 2011 cars with best gas mileage.

• The original cost of the vehicle has to be looked at. You can buy a car like the Chevy Volt and get wonderful gas mileage but you’ll pay a lot more upfront.

• How many passengers do you need to carry? A car that only seats four is not practical if there are five in your family.

• Would you drive a stick shift to save on fuel? Although automatics are catching up, cars with manual transmissions often get better gas mileage than the same model with an automatic transmission.

 

When looking at gas economy there almost has to be two lists – one for electric cars and one for gas or diesel powered vehicles.

There is no beating the combination electric/gas car for fuel efficiency. But they cost a lot more than a conventionally powered vehicle. If you don’t mind spending the extra cash, a hybrid just might be the best option.

Topping the list of these hybrids is the 2011 Toyota Prius. You’ll get an amazing 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway using regular gas. The Prius comes with a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor of course. The Prius is a mid-sized car that will seat five.

A couple of Hondas offer comparable fuel efficiency – the 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid and the 2011 Honda Insight Hybrid. Both get 40 mpg city and 43 mpg highway. These are similar vehicles with both having 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engines. The Civic has a few extras and is priced accordingly.

The next most fuel efficient hybrid is the 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid. It comes in at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The Fusion runs on a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine.

No talk about fuel efficient cars would be complete without mention of the Chevy Volt. The 2011 Volt is unique in that it has a duel power source.

One source is the battery, which when fully charged will run the vehicle for about 35 miles. It uses an on-board 1.4-liter generator/engine which uses premium gas to produce additional electricity, as the other power source.

You can expect to get a whopping combined 60 mpg when you factor in both gas and electricity together.

Despite these exceptional figures, the downside is that The 2011 Volt is pricey. Purchase price can be as high as about $41,000, although there are a number of tax rebate programs that are available.

Granted, with the price comes a lot of features that you might find in a luxury car, but if you’re buying it primarily to save money at the pumps, you’ll have to do a lot of driving to make it worthwhile.

Once you get past hybrids, the top 2011 cars with best gas mileage are diesels. You’ll pay more for a diesel than for a gas powered motor, but they are more fuel efficient than conventional engines. People seem to either love or hate diesels and if you’re used to the usual gas powered engine, a diesel may take some getting used to.

Two of the top makes and models are the Volkswagen Golf TDI (Diesel) which is priced at about $23,000, and the Audi A3 (Diesel) priced at about $31,000. Both cars get roughly 30 mpg with city driving and 42 mpg on the highway.

Finally, let’s move on to conventional gas powered vehicles. There are several out there that get great gas mileage, at an affordable price.

Two of the best are considered sub-compacts – the 2011 Toyota Yaris and the 2011 Kia Forte. The Yaris with its 1.5-liter 4 cylinder gets 29mpg in city driving and 35mpg in highway driving. The Forte with a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder comes in at 26mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.

Today there are lots of vehicles available that are fuel efficient. By looking at this list of 2011 cars with best gas mileage, hopefully you can narrow down your search and find the right one for you.