Compare the most economical small cars
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Best economical small cars for sale in 2024
The cost of living has rarely loomed so large in people's minds, and cutting fuel bills is one way you can save money. The best way to do this is by picking a car that returns a high mpg (miles per gallon) figure, and this article focuses on conventional petrol and diesel city cars and superminis rather than plug-in hybrids (which bring impressive economy, but tend to be larger, and can be expensive to buy). Our rundown of the best economical small cars has 10 great offerings for you to consider.
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It used to be the case that almost all car companies that built superminis offered a diesel option, but this has changed over the years, with the majority of such cars being petrol or hybrid. The diesel Peugeot 208 is therefore something of an outlier, but it's one that's worth seeking out if you're after a frugal small car, as its 1.5-litre BlueHDi engine officially returns up to 73.6mpg, helping you eek the most miles out of a full tank.
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The latest Corsa is the best-looking model yet, and if you go for the 1.5-litre diesel version it's also impressively good on fuel, managing up to 70.6mpg officially. Even if you're not keen on a diesel the petrol engines offer up to 53.3mpg, while there's also an all-electric model in the Corsa-e. Whichever you choose, the smart cabin and comfortable driving experience make the Corsa an easy car to recommend.
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Toyota has carved a popular and worthwhile niche building petrol-electric cars over the last couple of decades, and the fuel efficiency such a setup brings is well illustrated in the Yaris Supermini, which can return almost 70mpg in its most frugal (think small alloy wheels) specification. It's effortless to drive, too.
The Citroen C3 is another French supermini that comes with a diesel engine, and while it can't quite match the efficiency offered by the Peugeot 208, it's still a mighty impressive performer in this regard, officially managing 66mpg. With more of a focus on comfort than the 208, the C3's distinctive design is bound to appeal.
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Small yet spacious, affordable yet with a premium-feeling cabin, the Renault Clio has an awful lot going for it. And it'll go a long way on a single tank of fuel, too, especially if you choose the E-Tech hybrid model, which officiallly returns 65.7mpg. Even the entry-level conventional petrol engine of the TCE 90 model manages 54.3mpg.
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The Honda Jazz is petrol-electric hybrid an a manner similar to the Toyota Yaris, and while it might not offer quite as high a fuel economy figure, it more than makes up for it in the practicality stakes, thanks in part to Honda's 'Magic' rear seats, which fold conventionally, or can also flip up, cinema style, giving you a flat, tall load area behind the front seats.
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We're covering the petrol-powered Mazda 2 here, because while the firm also offers a hybrid version, that's actually a badge-engineered Toyota Yaris, which we've already covered. No matter: choosing the conventional 2 will get you a great looking supermini that's sharp to drive, while also being impressively economical.
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There's a reason the petrol-powered Fiat 500 remains on sale for around 15 years: it's fantastic to look at, great fun to drive, and perennially popular. So while the all-electric 500e may be a newer car with potentially even lower running costs, it's significantly more expensive to buy, and the petrol 500 remains an easy car to warm to.
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We're being slightly cheeky here, as the global shortage of computer chips means Ford isn't taking factory orders for the Fiesta at present, and you may find the 1.5-litre diesel engine (which is responsible for that 60.1mpg figrure) hard to get hold of. But the Fiesta is such a fantastic small car that it deserves inclusion, and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine you can have a Fiesta with through carwow is a fantastic performer, and officially returns a more than palatable 50.4mpg.
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The Suzuki Swift is a nippy, great-handling runabout, and it's also impressively economical, while the interior is far more roomy than you might expect given the hatch's small dimensions, and the large windows mean visibility is great, too.
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