Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Non-Hybrid Cars for 2004

We've compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient gasoline- and diesel-powered (non-hybrid) cars currently sold in the U.S. based on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. As you can see, when you remove the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius from the top three spots, you get several new vehicles in slots 8-10, including the Mini Cooper, Mazda 3 and Chevrolet Cavalier.

In order to arrive at a final hierarchy, we used the EPA's combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of the city mpg rating plus 45 percent of the highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in miles per gallon as a city/highway ratio.

1. 

   1. Volkswagen Golf TDI — 38/46
   Volkswagen Jetta TDI — 38/46
   Volkswagen New Beetle TDI — 38/46