As gas prices continue to rise, we continually think about ways we can save gas. There are many small things you can do, like making sure your tires are correctly inflated, avoiding harsh acceleration and braking, removing all unwanted items from your trunk, consolidating errands, driving at 55 mph not 70 mph on the highway, etc. These and other tips will save you gas. If you want to see a more complete list of gas-saving tips for vehicles, visit www.gogreencarcare.com and click on “green advice”.

Another approach is to buy a Hybrid vehicle. There is now a growing selection to choose from, including SUV’s and performance models! For a comprehensive list of all current hybrid vehicles available, visit www.hybridcars.com.

A hybrid doesn’t excite you; how about buying a smaller vehicle? For years, Europe has had a lot more “small” vehicles than the USA. This trend was originally driven by gas prices that convert to $8 US a gallon or higher!

Manufacturers are now starting to offer some of these smaller vehicles in the USA. Fiat, the Italian manufacturer, recently bought a controlling share in Chrysler and now is offering the Fiat 500 in the USA, while Ford recently introduced the Fiesta. Both vehicles have been available in Europe, in similar form, for a number of years.

Today there are many smaller, (and some not so small) gas-powered (as well as hybrids and diesel) vehicles that get over 35 mpg highway driving. Here is a sample list of gas-powered vehicles that all get over 35 mpg on the highway. I have not selected these as recommended vehicles (although they are all good vehicles) but I wanted to give an idea of how many are now available. Different vehicles offer different benefits—more trunk space, better performance, different warranties, etc.

Chevrolet Cruze Eco            42 mpg hwy

Ford Fiesta                              40 mpg hwy

Hyundai Elantra                   40 mpg hwy

Fiat 500                                   38 mpg hwy

Mini Cooper                           37 mpg hwy    

Honda CR-C                            37 mpg hwy

Ford Focus                             36 mpg hwy

Honda Civic                           36 mpg hwy    

Toyota Yaris                         36 mpg hwy

Toyota Corolla                    36 mpg hwy

Hyundai Sonata                  35 mpg hwy

Mazda 2                                 35 mpg hwy

If 35–40 mpg is not high enough for you, then check out some hybrid models like the new electric Nissan Leaf with a stated 99-mpg, or the Chevrolet Volt, that boasts 60 mpg.

Diesel vehicles are also becoming more and more popular. New diesel vehicles are not like those of years ago that were noisy, smelly, and had a slow start-up time. The leaders in new diesel vehicles appear to be the German manufacturers—Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and VW all offer diesel vehicles, many of which get 40 mpg on the highway.

In the next few years we are going to see major advances with overall miles per gallon increasing for all vehicles.

If you want to check out your vehicle and see how it compares to others, or to see a complete list of vehicle mileages, best and worst, visit www.fueleconomy.gov.

If you decide that buying a new vehicle is the way to go to get increased mileage, there are of course many other personal factors that come into play—size of your family, trunk space needed, performance, 2-door, 4-door, hatchback, etc.. A little research will reveal many choices.

Getting more miles to the gallon will not only help your pocketbook, but also helps the environment!