Fuel Efficiency

If you drive a hybrid or plug-in vehicle, chances are you're already familiar with 'green tires'. Also known as low rolling resistance tires, they're becoming an increasingly popular way of improving the fuel efficiency of cars, both in dedicated green vehicles and even regular cars. That...

Which side are you on? Bigger is better? Or perhaps 'No replacement for displacement'? Or do you think more along the lines of 'small is beautiful' and 'good things come in small packages'? If it's the latter, then you may also be a fan of the smallest cars manufacturers have to offer. And if you...

When compared with traditional gasoline cars, plug-in hybrids, like the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the 2013 Chevrolet Volt are already capable of astonishing gas mileage figures. But how do you make plug-in hybrids even more efficient? One answer is to add a larger traction battery pack...

It happens every time gas prices spike, and it's happening again: Small-car sales are soaring. In fact, the total of 2.1 million compact and subcompact cars sold over the nine-month period ending in September is up by fully 50 percent compared to the same period a year ago. That's the highest...

Cars might be getting lighter and ever more efficient in an attempt to reduce emissions and improve gas mileage, but according to Allstate insurance, there’s one factor which affects gas mileage which is heading the wrong way: occupant weight. According to the insurance firm, the rising tide...

America has never been too fond of small cars. Big spaces and cheap gas has always encouraged larger vehicles, but a lack of genuinely talented small cars to choose from has also played a part. That's all changed in recent years, with most manufacturers now offering minicars, subcompacts and...

The new, seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf was unveiled early last month in Berlin, but more models were added to the lineup at last week's Paris Auto Show. And while complete details weren't forthcoming, VW Group executives offered some hints on what we'll see when the 2014 VW Golf debuts in the...

When General Motors launched the Chevrolet Volt back in 2010, the plug-in hybrid increased GM’s market share by bringing customers to the brand who would have never before thought of purchasing a Chevy. Now it seems, the 2013 Spark is following in the Volt’s tire tracks. According to...

The same day Consumer Reports released its devastating review of the 2012 Fisker Karma, the makers of the range-extended electric luxury sedan put out their own press release. Covering the $106,000 car's fuel economy, it reported on the real-world gas mileage achieved by a group of more than 30...

It's a refrain we've often heard here at Green Car Reports and elsewhere: environmentally friendly technology and products are great, but consumers won't adopt them until they're competitively priced. Now, research firm GfK has conducted a study to prove (or disprove) that hypothesis, and the...

Statistics are curious and often contradictory things. That's doubly so when they reveal shopping habits, because shoppers are curious and contradictory creatures. For example, we've heard time and again that even if Millennials (aka "Generation Y") could afford to buy cars, they wouldn't flock to...

When Ford launched the Transit Connect small commercial van as a 2010 model, it was a new kind of vehicle. Its closest counterpart was the Chevy Astro van, discontinued in 2005. And by 2010, the Transit Connect had been in production for almost a decade in Europe and elsewhere. Now there's an...

You could argue that there are two types of buyers looking for fuel efficiency. The first are those who want absolutely the most gas-sipping car they can get their hands on--the Prius, the Volts and the VW TDIs of this world. The second want cars like the Porsche Panamera Diesel luxury sport...

It's no surprise that some of the most economical cars that have gone on sale have also been some of the most aerodynamic--the two go hand-in-hand. Light weight helps too, and a small engine that sips as little gas as possible. The best example of modern times would be the first-generation Honda...

With the announcement of final rules for corporate average fuel efficiency of 54.5 mpg by 2025, the NHTSA and EPA have done two things. The agencies have given carmakers both a major technological challenge--double the effective gas mileage of your vehicles in 12 years--and something they have long...

"We can't provide you with any information related to future product technologies or timing." That's the standard response from carmakers--in this case, from Kevin Kelly, GM's Manager, Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Communications--when asked a question they'd rather not address. Our question was...

If you were to compile a list of the greatest American cars ever, it's unlikely you'd find many gas sippers near the top. But in Europe, where small cars rule and gas has long been more expensive, some of the continents most iconic cars were also fairly green in their day. That's why readers of...

Many people buy cars because they deliver good gas mileage, with the EPA as an impartial arbiter of fuel efficiency ratings. Many other people buy cars because they're fast and fun to drive, with acceleration times and cornering forces delivered by many auto-media outlets. But what if a buyer wants...

Sports cars aren't typically known for their high gas mileage, and racing cars even less so. But Ford's EcoBoost-powered single-seater is a little different, and following its high-speed Nurburgring lap, the company now suggests it might produce it for the road. Speaking with U.K. magazine EVO...

Chevrolet is definitely going green--or at least, its customers are, as GM announces best-ever monthly sales of its four most gas-sipping models. Helping to reach sales 10 percent greater than those in August last year, the Spark, Sonic, Cruze and Volt all set their highest monthly sales figures...