EPA Ratings
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We've driven a lot of compact crossover utility vehicles in recent months. It's a hot category in the new-car market, with all light trucks getting better fuel economy than in past years—and gasoline prices continuing below $3 per gallon in most of the U.S. So we wondered what readers felt would be acceptable fuel economy in a compact SUV. DON'T MISS: After Tesla, which automaker is best in electric cars? Poll results Well, never let it be said that our Twitter followers aren't aggressive in expecting greater efficiency from all categories of vehicle. We asked what the "lowest...
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Toyota Prius One: stripped-down hybrid added at lower price
It hasn't been the greatest of years for the Toyota Prius hybrid, the Japanese carmaker's flagship product. The fourth generation hybrid hatchback debuted as a 2016 model into the teeth of continued low gasoline prices, and its radical design language apparently turned off at least some potential...
John Voelcker -
NY $2,000 electric-car rebate falls to $500 if it's over $60K; sorry, Tesla
New York State is known for a lack of transparency, backroom dealings, and little public input into the deliberations that lead to legislation produced by its state legislature. So it wasn't too surprising that after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an electric-car incentive program in April 2016...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars only need 100 miles of range, some carmakers say; is it true?
Hyundai first made the argument that energy efficiency in electric cars is just as important as their range, as part of its launch of the Ioniq Electric hatchback, EPA-rated at 124 miles. Now Honda is making that argument as well, based on a news report it confirmed saying that the Clarity EV...
John Voelcker -
2017 VW e-Golf rated at 125 miles, tops 124-mile Hyundai Ioniq electric car
Oh, those crafty Germans. Just a few days after the week-long media launch of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq range, Volkswagen has quietly one-upped the Ioniq Electric's 124-mile EPA-rated range. Granted, it's only beaten the South Korean electric car by 1 mile. But still. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq...
John Voelcker -
Why aren't there more hybrid crossover utilities and SUVs?
It's one of the most frequent questions asked by shoppers interested in utility vehicles with better gas mileage: why aren't there more hybrid SUVs and crossovers? Following the 2012 demise of the much-loved Ford Escape Hybrid, it took four years for the 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to emerge. This...
John Voelcker -
Along with price, the top-line statistic cited for any battery-electric car is its rated range. Until last month, the only electric cars that exceeded 200 miles in that metric were made by Tesla Motors. Now, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has a 238-mile EPA rating for range—and that's usually the leading point about the Bolt EV in discussions or coverage. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq Electric beats Prius Prime, BMW i3 on energy efficiency Hyundai thinks that the energy efficiency of battery-electric cars should play a much greater role in the discussion than it does today. The company's point...
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New Tesla Model S 100D version rated at 335 miles of electric range
If anything, the pace of new Tesla model changes seem to have increased of late. Over the last year, a 60-kilowatt-hour battery option has reappeared, a new 100-kwh battery was launched, followed by a sequence of software updates to make it faster, and all Autopilot sensors were replaced with new...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Ioniq Electric beats Prius Prime, BMW i3 on energy efficiency
The Hyundai Ioniq Electric is now the most energy-efficient car available in the U.S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf S quietly gets 30-kwh battery upgrade, higher price
For 2016, the model year just ending, the Nissan Leaf electric car got a larger-capacity battery for all but its lowest trim level. The Leaf SV and SL models this year have been fitted with a 30-kilowatt-hour battery, up from the previous 24-kwh capacity, that boosts their EPA-rated range from 84...
John Voelcker -
At 133 MPGe, Toyota Prius Prime wallops BMW i3 on energy efficiency
Move over, BMW: there's a new efficiency champion in town this year—and you'll have to give back that laurel wreath you've worn since 2014. Last week, final EPA fuel-efficiency results were released for the 2017 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. When running in all-electric mode, that car is...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV price: electric car starts at $37,495 before incentives (as promised)
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car will carry a price of $37,495 for the base LT trim level, including the mandatory destination charge, before incentives. The Bolt EV Premier model starts at $41,780 before incentives. The Premier trim includes front and rear heated and leather-appointed...
John Voelcker -
There will be a lot riding on the tall, square shoulders of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV when it reaches the first Chevy dealers late this year. It will be the first mass-priced electric car with a range of 200 miles or more, and it will go on sale a year before the much-vaunted Tesla Model 3. Now Chevrolet has released the EPA estimated range rating for the Bolt EV: 238 miles. DON'T MISS: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car to enter production in October That's higher than some analysts had expected—the consensus seemed to fall around 210 to 220 miles—and it handily beats the sole...
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What's the minimum electric-car range for mass acceptance? Poll results
The handful of mass-priced electric cars offered 200 miles or more of range scheduled to launch over the next two years will clearly bring one question to the forefront. How much rated electric range is "enough" in a mass-market car to make North American buyers consider it sufficient for safe and...
John Voelcker -
You'll never know the EPA ratings of heavy-duty pickup trucks: here's why
The EPA doesn't require carmakers to report fuel economy for heavy-duty trucks.
Stephen Edelstein -
Suit says '13-mile' range for Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid was deceptive
A lawsuit filed in Michigan claims Toyota did not properly represent the Prius Plug-In Hybrid's limitations.
Stephen Edelstein -
Six electric cars that are less efficient than a Toyota Prius
These six plug-in hybrids are less efficient than the 2016 Toyota Prius Eco.
Stephen Edelstein -
Gas mileage ratings for some 2017 cars to fall as EPA tweaks tests
The steady rise of corporate average fuel economy rules through 2025 puts increasing pressure on manufacturers to boost the gas mileage of all vehicles. Lately, carmakers are challenged by cheap gas and a resulting public preference for utility vehicles of all sizes against sedans and hatchbacks...
John Voelcker -
Consumer Reports confirmed the 2016 Toyota Prius hybrid's 52 mpg combined rating.
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GM big SUV buyers to get gift cards or protection plan for fuel-economy errors (updated)
GM says it will compensate owners who bought crossovers with inaccurate fuel economy on window stickers.
Stephen Edelstein -
Gas-mileage error halts sale of GM's large SUVs; new labels on the way
It would appear that every automaker is rechecking its gas-mileage calculations these days. The ongoing VW diesel-emission cheating scandal and Mitsubishi's recent admission that it misstated fuel-economy results in Japan for more than 20 years have led to renewed public attention to how makers are...
John Voelcker -
Mitsubishi retests U.S. fuel economy after EPA request, confirms 2013-2017 ratings (update)
The dominos continue to fall as more and more carmakers are investigated for accuracy in their testing of emissions and fuel economy over longer periods of time. While European buyers had complained for years that EU fuel-economy ratings diverged from real-world results, nothing much happened until...
John Voelcker -
Updated 2016 Tesla Model S 90D now rated at 303 miles highway range
If 200-mile electric cars are the new black, then what does that make 300-mile electric cars? With the launch of the Chevy Bolt EV less than a year away, and 400,000 reservations for Tesla Model 3 cars to be delivered sometime in 2018 or later, clearly 200 miles is the new benchmark for range below...
John Voelcker -
All-wheel-drive Tesla electric cars rated more efficient, but how?
One of the myriad advantages of electric propulsion, we’re told, is the efficiency of all-wheel drive. The AWD versions of the Tesla Model S, for example, are rated as more efficient than the rear-wheel-drive versions of the car. This flies in the face of 100 years of automotive history...
David Noland