If you want to spend less time and money at the pumps, we offer these fuel-sippers for your consideration
With the price of gas these days, no one wants to make the trip to the pumps more often than they have to. To help you keep your fuel-station stops to a minimum, we’ve compiled a list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in Canada by their segment.
These are for gasoline or diesel vehicles, rather than hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) machines. There are also some other petroleum-powered vehicles that compete favourably with our winners here, but we’ve left them off the list because they’re mild hybrids. These use a self-charging system to provide fuel-free acceleration assist, although they can’t drive on electricity alone. And yes, they are even more fuel-efficient and they can be a great choice for drivers, but we’re trying to stay apples-to-apples here.
We also realize that there can be considerable discussion over precisely what differentiates, say, a car from a crossover, and then a crossover from an SUV, and then exactly where a subcompact deviates from a compact; and so we’ve done our best to divide them up as best we can.
Most Fuel-Efficient Overall, Most Fuel-Efficient Car: Hyundai Elantra, 6.5 L/100 km
That 6.5 L/100 km applies to the Elantra with 2.0L four-cylinder engine, making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, mated to an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) and with front-wheel drive. It’s also available with a turbocharged engine and as a hybrid.
2025 Hyundai Elantra
- Fuel Economy: 6.5 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $22,599 + $1,825 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Car Contenders:Nissan Sentra (6.6); Honda Civic (6.7); Toyota Corolla (6.7)
Most Fuel-Efficient Subcompact Crossover/SUV: Nissan Kicks Play, 7.2 L/100 km
The “Play” carries a 1.6L four-cylinder engine that makes 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque, with a CVT and front-wheel drive. The all-new Kicks has a 2.0L engine that makes 141 horsepower and it offers all-wheel drive (AWD), but even so, at 7.4 L/100 km in front-wheel and 7.7 in AWD, it’s just marginally thirstier than the Kicks Play – which brings us back to numerous factors being involved in fuel efficiency.
2025 Nissan Kicks Play
- Fuel Economy: 7.2 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $22,598 + $2,030 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Subcompact Crossover/SUV Contenders:Nissan Kicks (7.4); Toyota Corolla Cross (7.4); Volkswagen Taos (7.4)
Most Fuel-Efficient Compact SUV: Nissan Rogue, 7.6 L/100 km
The Rogue uses a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder engine that makes 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque and with a CVT. It uses a technology called variable-compression turbocharging, which varies how far each piston moves in its cylinder. This prioritizes either power or fuel efficiency, depending on what’s needed at the moment.
2025 Nissan Rogue
- Fuel Economy: 7.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $33,998 + $2,030 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Subcompact SUV Contenders:Honda CR-V (7.8); Ford Escape (8.0); Toyota RAV4 (8.0)
Most Fuel-Efficient Midsize SUV: Kia Sorento, 9.4 L/100 km
That noted, our crown goes only to the Sorento in base LX trim, which uses a 2.5L engine making 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, with eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD. All other trims use a turbocharged version making 281 horsepower and rated at 10.3 L/100 km; still respectable but not quite enough to make our list here. With any vehicle, there can be a lot to consider when making your final decision.
2025 Kia Sorento
- Fuel Economy: 9.4 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $38,995 + $2,100 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Midsize SUV Contenders: Nissan Murano (9.7); Lincoln Nautilus (9.8); Chevrolet Blazer (9.9)
Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe, 9.8 L/100 km (est.)
2025 Chevrolet Tahoe w/Turbodiesel
- Fuel Economy: 9.8 L/100 km (est.)
- Canadian MSRP: $90,639 + $2,400 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 160,000 km (diesel)
- Other Full-Size SUV Contenders:Jeep Wagoneer (12.5); Lexus LX 600 (12.7); Ford Expedition (13.3)
Most Fuel-Efficient Small Truck: Ford Maverick, 9.4 L/100 km
We’ve donned our asbestos underwear for the expected chorus of, “That’s not a truck!” and we will reply with our usual, “Yes, it’s based on a compact SUV platform, but it has a bed and it hauls what its owners need it to haul, so yes, it’s a truck.”
- Fuel Efficiency: 9.4 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $33,500 + $2,195 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Small Truck Contenders:Hyundai Santa Cruz (10.7); Toyota Tacoma (11.2); Chevrolet Colorado (11.5); Honda Ridgeline (11.5)
Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size Truck: GMC Sierra Turbodiesel, 9.3 L/100 km
2025 GMC Sierra w/Turbodiesel
- Fuel Efficiency: 9.3 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $66,589 + $2,400 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 160,000 km (diesel)
- Other Full-Size Truck Contenders:Ford F-150 (11.3); Ram 1500 (11.5); Toyota Tundra (12.0)
Most Fuel-Efficient Minivan: (Tie) Chrysler Pacifica/Honda Odyssey, 10.6 L/100 km
Chrysler Pacifica
- Fuel Efficiency: 10.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $54,995 + $2,095 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
Honda Odyssey
- Fuel Efficiency: 10.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $49,9920 + $2,000 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Minivan Contenders:Kia Carnival (11.1)
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