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| The Basics | 10 cars that shrink your gas bill
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The best way to save on your annual fuel costs is to burn something besides gasoline, a new study shows. Electricity, diesel and natural gas power 2004's stingiest models.
By Kim Khan
Charging up, as well as filling up, is the way to beat the high costs of fueling a car. Cars with gasoline-electric hybrid engines are the cheapest to fuel on an annual basis, according to a government study of 2004 automobiles.
Gasoline prices nationwide are up a little more than 9 cents from a year ago. But with a recent OPEC decision to trim supply and concerns about supply from Iraq, gas prices could remain high and a drain on drivers' wallets in the coming year. In a study of 458 2004 models, the Department of Energy found, not surprisingly, that cars with hybrid engines have the cheapest estimated annual fuel costs.
On the other end of the scale, high-performance sports cars, luxury sport-utilities and large pickup trucks are the most expensive to feed. Not only do these high-dollar machines consume more gas, they tend to require a premium grade of it, too, adding 15% to the tab.
In either case, a look at yearly outlays provides a different perspective from the $20 weekly fill-up. Consider that the annual fuel bill for the stingiest cars, for example, is less than the cost of a bus pass in most U.S. cities. Or that the difference between best and worst in some vehicle classes would pay for a year of broadband Internet service or a plane ticket to Mexico. (It also could put 15 fewer tons of pollutants into the air over the car's lifetime.)
Meet the fuel-sippers
| Cheapest 2004 cars to fuel | | Make and model | Transmission | Powered by | Annual fuel cost | | Honda Insight | Manual | Gasoline-electric | $334 | | Toyota Prius | Continuously variable | Gasoline-electric | $382 | | Honda Civic GX | Continuously variable | Natural gas | $421 | | Honda Civic Hybrid | Manual or automatic | Gasoline-electric | $437 | | Volkswagen New Beetle | Manual | Diesel turbo | $494 | | Volkswagen Golf | Manual | Diesel turbo | $494 | | Volkswagen Jetta | Manual | Diesel turbo | $494 | | Chevrolet Dual-Fuel Cavalier | Automatic | Natural gas (gasoline capable) | $520 | | Honda Civic | Manual | Lean burn fuel system | $538 | | Toyota Echo | Manual | Gasoline | $552 |
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Source: Dept. of Energy
Two cars with gasoline-electric hybrid engines, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius, topped the list of most affordable autos to fuel. An Insight with stick shift had an annual fuel cost of $334, while a Prius with continuously variable automatic transmission costs $382.
The Insight and the Prius use both gasoline engines and electric motors, which recharge themselves during normal driving. Making them even more attractive is $2,000 clean-fuel federal tax deduction for purchasers of a new vehicle before the end of 2003. In the top tax brackets, that's worth $712. In 2004, the deduction falls to a maximum of $1,500.
The annual fuel cost formula assumes the car is driven 15,000 during the year, 55% in the city and 45% on the highway, and uses an average national fuel price of $1.40 per gallon for regular, $1.60 per gallon for premium and $1.35 per gallon for diesel. (If your mileage or driving habits vary, you can check the fuel economy information for your vehicle right here and use the "customize" option.)
Following the two gas-electric cars in fuel affordability is Honda's Civic GX, which runs on compressed natural gas. The gasoline-electric Civic Hybrid came in fourth. Volkswagen's turbocharged diesel engine helped three models crack the top 10. Manual transmission versions of the New Beetle, the Golf and the Jetta all cost about $494 to fuel for the year.
Chevrolet's Duel-Fuel Cavalier, which can run on either natural gas or gasoline, came in eighth using just natural gas. It was followed by the Honda Civic, which uses a lean-burn fuel system. The only car to use a standard gasoline engine that made the top 10 is the Toyota Echo. With stick, it costs $552 to gas up for the year.
The gluttons
| Priciest 2004 cars to fuel | | Make and Model | Transmission | Powered by | Annual fuel cost | | Lamborghini Murcielago* | Manual | Premium gasoline | $2,400 | | Lamborghini Gallardo* | Manual | Premium gasoline | $2,182 | | Chevrolet K1500 Silverado | Automatic | Ethanol-gasoline | $2,045 | | Ferrari 575 M Maranello* | Manual | Premium gasoline | $1,999 | | Chevrolet K1500 Avalanche | Automatic | Ethanol-gasoline | $1,874 | | Chevrolet K1500 Tahoe | Automatic | Ethanol-gasoline | $1,874 | | Chevrolet K1500 Suburban | Automatic | Ethanol-gasoline | $1,874 | | GMC C1500 Yukon XL | Automatic | Ethanol-gasoline | $1,874 | | Ferrari 360 Modena* | Manual | Premium gasoline | $1,846 | | Land Rover Discovery | Automatic | Premium gasoline | $1,846 | | Land Rover Range Rover | Automatic | Premium gasoline | $1,846 | | Mercedes-Benz G500 | Automatic | Premium gasoline | $1,846 |
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Source: Dept. of Energy *Subject to gas guzzler tax
Turning to big gas bills, owners of luxury sports cars will be spending plenty of time at the pump. Not that they probably care, but owners of the $281,000 Lamborghini Murcielago will pay $2,400 in annual fuel costs, while owners of the Lamborghini Gallardo will pay $2,182. The Ferrari 575 M Maranello comes in at just a little less, costing $1,999 to fuel. These sports cars also are subject to a gas-guzzler tax on purchase. The tax is levied on cars, but not trucks, that fall below certain mileage standards.
Indeed, giants such as the Hummer H2 and Ford Excursion not only escape a gas-guzzler tax, they escape any kind of mileage rating at all. Vehicles with a loaded capacity over 8,600 pounds are considered heavy duty and are exempt from fuel-economy testing.
Chevy's big pickup trucks that use a blend of ethanol and gasoline also carry hefty annual fuel costs. The Chevy K1500 Silverado costs $2,045 to fuel annually. The K1500 Avalanche, the K1500 Tahoe and the K1500 Suburban pickups all cost $1,874. Ethanol is fuel made from plant sugars from grains such as corn. The blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, called E85, provides better performance and is cleaner burning, according to advocates. But since E85 contains about 30% less energy than gasoline, engines burn more of it.
The most expensive sport-utility vehicles to fill up each year are Land Rover's Discovery and Range Rover and the Mercedes-Benz G500, which gulp premium gas at a cost of $1,846 per year.
And the rest
Of course, most shoppers look at a car first and then at gas mileage, if at all. The difference between roughly comparable vehicles (say, affordable sedans or midsize SUVs) is typically only a few hundred dollars. That may not be enough to sway many decisions, at least until the next time oil supply is disrupted.
Looking at different automobile classes, the most affordable large car to fill up is the Chevrolet Impala at $840 per year. There was a six-way tie in the minivan category with the Chevrolet Venture, Chrysler Voyager/Town & Country, the Dodge Caravan, the Oldsmobile Silhouette, the Pontiac Montana and the Toyota Sienna all costing $956 per year. Among two-wheel-drive SUVs, the Saturn Vue and Toyota RAV-4 use $808 worth of fuel every year; in the four-wheel-drive SUV category, it was a four-way tie. The Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Mazda Tribute and Saturn Vue all have annual fuel costs of $914 per year.
| Cheapest cars to fuel by class | | Class | Make and model | Powered by | Annual fuel cost | | Two-seater | Honda Insight | Gasoline-electric | $334 | | Mazda MX-5 Miata | Premium gasoline | $960 | | Minicompact | Mini Cooper | Premium gasoline | $749 | | Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder | Gasoline | $808 | | Subcompact | Chevrolet Dual-Fuel Cavalier | Natural gas | $520 | | Volkswagen New Beetle | Diesel Turbo | $494 | | Compact | Honda Civic GX | Natural gas | $421 | | Honda Civic Hybrid | Gasoline-electric | $437 | | Midsize | Toyota Prius | Gasoline-electric | $382 | | Hyundai Elantra | Gasoline | $699 | | Large | Chevrolet Impala | Gasoline | $840 | | Chevrolet Malibu MAXX | Gasoline | $876 | | Chrysler Concorde/LHS | Gasoline | $876 | | Dodge Intrepid | Gasoline | $876 | | Small station wagon | Volkswagen Jetta Wagon | Diesel Turbo | $494 | | Toyota Scion xB | Gasoline | $636 | | Midsize station wagon | Ford Focus Station Wagon | Gasoline | $724 | | Saturn LW300 | Gasoline | $750 | | Pickup trucks 2WD | Ford Ranger | Gasoline | $808 | | Mazda B2300 | Gasoline | $808 | | Pickup trucks 4WD | Chevrolet Colorado | Gasoline | $1,050 | | GMC Canyon | Gasoline | $1,050 | | Cargo vans | Chevrolet Express | Natural gas | $1,038 | | GMC Savana | Natural gas | $1,038 | | Passenger vans | Chevrolet Express | Natural gas | $1,038 | | GMC Savana | Natural gas | $1,038 | | Minivans | Chevrolet Venture FWD | Gasoline | $956 | | Chrysler Voyager/Town & Country | Gasoline | $956 | | Dodge Caravan | Gasoline | $956 | | Oldsmobile Silhouette FWD | Gasoline | $956 | | Pontiac Montana FWD | Gasoline | $956 | | Toyota Sienna | Gasoline | $956 | | Sport Utility Vehicles 2WD | Saturn Vue | Gasoline | $808 | | Toyota RAV-4 | Gasoline | $808 | | Sport Utility Vehicles 4WD | Honda CR-V | Gasoline | $914 | | Honda Element | Gasoline | $914 | | Mazda Tribute | Gasoline | $914 | | Saturn Vue | Gasoline | $914 |
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Source: Dept. of Energy
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