Top 10 Most Economical Petrol Cars

Urban: 57 MPG
Extra Urban: 76 MPG

First off, the Renault Twingo. It’s a really stylish little supermini with an attractive curved exterior and a unique interior which is extremely customisable, so there’ll be a spec to suit everyone. Take this out on the motorway and you’ll get an attractive 76 to the gallon, which isn’t bad at all for a petrol car, but around the city centre, 56mpg is ‘modest’ when compared to the other cars in this list. Good car, fun to drive, nice to look at. Moving on...

Urban: 57 MPG

Extra Urban: 79 MPG

Next up is another little french-hatch. The Citroen C1 has exactly the same MPG figures as the Twingo in the previous slide but the Citroen is a bit more zippy to drive, particularly from a standstill. The C1 is available in 3 door or 5 door with a cabriolet option available too, so there’s something for everyone. As with all these superminis, we wouldn’t recommend it if you often carry adults in the back seats as leg-room is far short of ‘roomy’

Urban: 57 MPG
Extra Urban: 79 MPG

The SEAT Mii is a car based off a really cool concept. It’s boxxy and squared-off to make the most of every inch inside, while looking small and unsuspecting to the outside world it is tardis-like inside. The car is fun to drive thanks to comfy suspension and predictable handling and the build quality is superb too. The interior is quirkier than its VW counterpart with more flamboyant styling. 

Urban: 57 MPG
Extra urban: 79 MPG

Offering the exact same performance as the SEAT Mii in the previous slide; as well as the same economy figures, also boasting the same boxxy looks, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Up! is the same car as the Mii, because, well - it is. Although badged differently it is only the interior that separates the two as well as styling cues on the exterior, but the VW demands a steeper starting price although it does come with slightly more equipment. Both are great buys as they’re a pleasure to drive in built up areas, a breeze to park and surprisingly spacious once you’re inside.

Urban: 57 MPG
Extra urban: 79 MPG

The bigger brother of the Up! that featured in the previous slide, the much loved Polo continues to set benchmarks for performance, affordability and economy in the small-hatch segment. There are few safer bets in terms of reliability and running costs too. The Polo feels planted to the road and therefore very sturdy on motorway journeys, which is where you’ll hit the best MPG’s although the engine does run out of oomph fairly soon after exceeding the speed limit. Whether that’s a problem or not is up to you.

Urban: 57 MPG
Extra urban: 79 MPG

The whole Peugeot range is experiencing a mid-life revamp largely consisting of aesthetic changes and cars receiving a nip, tuck and a dash of chrome. This means their city car, the 108, has never looked so good and it still possesses the 1.0 litre petrol unit which is nippy through traffic, easy to drive and feels like one tank will last forever. (It doesn’t, but it lasts a fair while.) The updates on the 108 make it look less feminine than the outgoing model and also bring the 108 on par with SEAT Mii and VW Up! In terms of appeal to younger drivers. The 108 is also available on the Just Add Fuel deal which means Peugeot will cover your insurance, servicing and roadside assistance bills within the deal so you only have to foot the fuel bills and monthly payments to keep on top of your motoring outgoings.

Urban: 59 MPG
Extra Urban 81 MPG

At the tail end of 2015 the pioneering Smart Car was given a full revamp from the bottom up. This included a contemporary exterior, more intuitive interior and also the introduction of a particularly intelligent 0.9litre petrol engine. The ForTwo only has two seats so falls short against the competitors if you need to use it for carrying passengers, but the interior is surprisingly practical with plenty of storage spaces. We liked that the engine is in the back for the car, which means the front wheels can turn tighter. The ForTwo actually has a smaller turning radius than a Black Cab which makes it perfect for inner city driving.

The new model also has a revised Tridion Safety Cell making it the safest supermini in the segment.

Urban: 54 MPG
Extra Urban: 83 MPG

You may have noticed a recurring theme in this list… They’re all superminis! The 308 is the exception to this. Offering plenty of room to easily carry 4 adults in relative comfort, the 308 is a welcome respite to the idea that cars must be impractical to be economical. The 308 drives smooth around town and although this is where it isn’t quite as frugal due to the added weight. Once it’s up and moving, stick it into 6th gear on the motorway and the car barely sips on it’s fuel tank. 83mpg rivals, if not surpasses, the efficiency of most modern 2.0litre diesels that you find hogging the middle lane, plus you won’t be paying the premium at the pumps!

Urban: 61 MPG
Extra urban: 83 MPG

Who knew fashion could be so affordable? It is the signature vehicle for teenage girls, aspiring young professionals and uni-goers. The rebirth of the 500 has also proved popular for families seeking a second car to do the supermarket and school run. These are two fine examples of urban commutes where 61mpg from the TwinAir engine is a real godsend. There are fewer, if any, more appealing cars achieving these figures and finance deals are extremely affordable too. It is no surprise that the 500 has become such a massive success in the UK.

Urban: 69 MPG
Extra-urban: 83 MPG In at the top spot is the new Suzuki Celerio! I bet none of you saw that coming! The Celerio got off to a staggered start upon launch, as some safety-assist technology was disconnecting the brake pedal in right hand drive models, rather terrifyingly, but this was quickly amended and now our roads can be graced with the eco-warrior that is the new Celerio! 69mpg around town in a non-hybrid petrol car is extremely difficult to argue with, and although the build quality is a bit too Japanese and there are plenty of scratchy plastics on the inside, it’s a real gem to own due to solid reliability and extremely frugal running costs. If you have a fear of petrol pumps, an undying love of polar bears, or if you just want to save money every month, this is a really good car to look at.