Ultimate Guide To Gas-Sipping Minicars On Sale In The U.S. Page 2

By Antony Ingram

Antony Ingram

Contributing Writer BIO

Antony is an automotive obsessive: Whether it drives, sits there looking pretty or intrigues from afar, he'll talk and write about it. Automotive... More

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2012 Mitsubishi i, City Island, NY, Aug 2012

Electric minicars

Mitsubishi i-MiEV
126 city, 99 highway, 112 combined (MPGe)

One of the first dedicated electric cars on sale globally, the Mitsubishi i (more sensibly known as the i-MiEV elsewhere) was originally based on Japan's tiny kei-car regulations.

It's grown a little for the U.S. but still occupies very little road, while providing a surprisingly spacious interior. It's hugely easy to drive too, with simple controls and peppy low-speed acceleration

It'll only top 80 mph though, and at those speeds battery life is short. EPA range is 62 miles, but it's wise to expect less than that--particularly if driven with vigor.

Scion iQ EV
138 city, 105 highway, 121 combined (MPGe)

The new kid on the block, the electric version of Scion's iQ is actually the most efficient electric vehicle in the U.S.

Which is a great pity, given that Scion has absolutely no intentions to sell it in the U.S. Instead, the company will run a small test fleet.

Perhaps that's just as well though, because unlike its gasoline counterpart, it can't offer the specifications of its Smart rival--range is only 53 miles, and it takes 14.3 seconds to reach 62 mph. Toyota just doesn't seem to care that much about electric cars...

Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
112 city, 88 highway, 100 combined (MPGe)

We're now on the third-generation of Smart's electric model, and the company may finally have nailed it.

It's both quicker and more efficient than the previous model, the former by quite a margin. Power is almost double that of the previous car and it now accelerates quicker than the gasoline Smarts. It also has a range of 90 miles, to the previous car's 84.

Throw in the price, lowest of any electric car in the U.S. at $25,750 pre-incentives, and it's not hard to see this as Smart's best vehicle yet.

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