Used Compact Cars With the Best Fuel Economy

To help steer you to the best choices, we’ve assembled a list of the most fuel-efficient nonhybrid compact cars from the 2020 model year. All got 32 mpg overall or better when we tested them, performed well enough in our tests to be recommended when new, and have average or better reliability according to CR’s Annual Auto Surveys, where we ask CR members to tell us about what went wrong with their own cars.

These cars are also recent enough that their performance in our tests—such as those for acceleration, braking, and fuel economy—is on a par with brand-new models.

Plus, many were available with active safety features such as forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind spot warning (BSW), and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW) as either standard or optional equipment.

If you’re a CR member, this article and the list below are already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access the list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test. Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings for the other products our experts evaluate in several categories, including electronics and home appliances.