Skip advert
Advertisement

Top 100 most fuel-efficient cars

Independent fuel efficiency and emissions figures produced for MPVs

Vauxhall Zafira 1.9CDTI

Want to save fuel and cut down your CO2 emissions? The DTI has just unveiled the “Act On CO2” initiative to encourage car buyers to purchase more fuel efficient motors. Auto Express has conducted its own research to find Britain’s 100 most economical motors.

The tests were conducted on public roads and take into account traffic conditions, weather, types of road and all the other variables that influence your mpg. Ten classes of cars were tested, from city cars to SUVs and family saloons to MPVs.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Only one MPV managed to better 40mpg during our rigorous testing. The Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTI achieved 40.1mpg, holding off the Citroen C4 Picasso and Ford C-MAX, which returned 39.6mpg and 39.5mpg respectively. The two other Ford MPVs, the S-MAX and Galaxy proved hard to separate in fifth and sixth positions.

Make/ModelTested MPG CO2
1. Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 CDTI40.1 167
2. Citroen C4 Picasso HDi39.6 150
3. Ford Focus C-MAX 2.0 TDCi39.5 154
4. Renault Scenic 2.0 dCi38.9 154
5. Ford S-MAX 2.0 TDCi38.7 169
6. Ford Galaxy 1.8 TDCi38.4 166
7. Honda FR-V 2.2 i-CTDi37.9 173
8. Volkswagen Golf Plus 2.037.9 158
9. Toyota Corolla Verso 2.2 D-4D36.8 167
10. SEAT Altea XL 2.0 TDI36.2 157
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Luxury electric SUVs aren’t selling, and I know the reason why
Opinion - Lotus Eletre

Luxury electric SUVs aren’t selling, and I know the reason why

Deputy editor Richard Ingram thinks luxury SUVs are better suited to PHEV and range-extender tech than pure electric power
Opinion
2 Sep 2026
New Range Rover Electric revealed: How far does it go? How much is it? And why is it so late?
Range Rover Electric driving

New Range Rover Electric revealed: How far does it go? How much is it? And why is it so late?

After what seems like a very long wait, the Range Rover Electric is finally upon us, with full details out in the open and prices from £154k
News
1 Sep 2026
New Toyota Yaris Cross facelift review: hybrid makes a good case for EVs
Toyota Yaris Cross facelift - front tracking

New Toyota Yaris Cross facelift review: hybrid makes a good case for EVs

Toyota’s mini hybrid SUV will cost pennies to run, but the purchase price is thousands of pounds more than several rivals
Road tests
3 Sep 2026

Find a car with the experts