Best Cars Over 40 MPG

The 2024 Toyota Crown makes a promising case for itself. After all, this is a spacious sedan with the added benefit of SUV-style seating and visibility. What’s more, it comes standard with all-wheel drive for enhanced traction on slippery roads, and one of two hybrid powertrain systems to help boost fuel economy. Quite frankly, there’s nothing else like it on the market.

For the most part, the formula works. The Crown feels good to drive, offers excellent technology features, and boasts strong fuel economy estimates. Distinctive exterior styling also sets it apart from the competition.

As for downsides, the Crown can be awfully expensive. The standard hybrid and all-wheel-drive systems come at a high cost, and the interior may not deliver the plushness some customers expect at that price point. It also isn’t very performance-oriented, even in the more powerful Platinum trim and its upgraded hybrid system. But we’re pleased to see some attempts to improve interior comfort and styling in the 2024 Crown.

This is the second model year for the Crown since its 2023 debut. Other hybrid sedans include the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid. There are also hybrid SUVs such as the Kia Sportage and Honda CR-V for drivers wanting all-wheel drive. But again, none of these options offer quite the same combination of features and characteristics as the Toyota Crown.

Recently redesigned with surprisingly stunning results, Toyota's original hybrid is again an aspirational car. Not a fast sports car or an adventurous off-roader, the 2024 Toyota Prius is nonetheless a car we want to drive again. For starters, it just looks better. Its sleek design sacrifices some interior room for sporty proportions that, with a long front end, low roof, and truncated rear quarters, looks more like something we'd expect from Mazda's house of zoom. The interior, too, feels more normal and not overly wrought with quirky tech design.

Improved body rigidity and handling haven't transformed the Prius into a sports car overnight, but it's no longer a numb embarrassment when pushed through a quick corner, either. More important, the Prius remains a fuel-efficiency champ and an aspirational target for hypermilers. With 49 to 57 mpg, the Prius is both a tech triumph and king of the commute.

Crossovers and SUVs are rapidly replacing sedans and hatchback-like sedans, leaving the Prius with few direct competitors. The Kia Niro hybrid, a small hatch with a bit more cargo space, comes close but falls a bit short in fuel economy. The Hyundai Elantra hybrid is about the same size as the Prius, costs less, and comes close in efficiency. Toyota’s own Corolla hybrid sedan is about the same size and costs less, but it can't match the Prius' liftback versatility, and the hatchback version isn't available as a hybrid.

Like the Toyota Prius it’s based on, the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid (PHEV) had an identity that seemed set in stone. Both cars were hailed far and wide for being the ones to beat if you want excellent fuel economy. But they were also notorious for having drab styling and sluggish acceleration.

Last year, Toyota flipped the script by giving both cars a monumental redesign, giving the Prius Prime the kind of makeover overlooked wallflowers dream about. The plain-jane exterior is gone, replaced by sleek, sporty styling. The cabin got ergonomic upgrades and a fresh new look, and Toyota rolled out improvements in range, efficiency, and potency.

Able to travel more than 80 miles on electricity alone with a fully charged battery, the Prius Prime is a leader among PHEVs. It can travel farther on electric power than rivals such as the Kia Niro PHEV and Mini Countryman Cooper SE PHEV. And the fuel economy is stellar. Toyota estimates the Prius Prime will return 52 mpg in combined city and highway driving when in hybrid mode, making it a more efficient choice than the Niro PHEV.

Lastly, there’s the matter of horsepower. With 220 horses under its hood, the Prius Prime is one of the most potent picks in its class, delivering quick acceleration. It has more horsepower than the Niro PHEV and is neck-and-neck in output with the lively Countryman Cooper PHEV.

In the deficit column, the Prius Prime has tight rear seats and less maximum cargo capacity than other models in this class. But it wins the award for Most Improved and is hard to top if you want a stylish, quick, and efficient plug-in hybrid car.

While the EV revolution makes this an exciting new automotive era, some of the car designs simply hurt the eyes. In the race to be bold and innovative, designers are going pretty far out with angles, edges, and curves, yielding eggy wind tunnel exercises or wedge-shaped spacecraft. One of the most appealing traits of the 2024 BMW i4 is its shocking normalcy compared to its hyper-styled peers.

The i4 looks much like the sleek four-door BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and even shares the same basic dimensions. A finely tuned suspension and low center of gravity, courtesy of the central battery pack, give the i4 the sporty and agile handling for which BMW is known, especially in the high-performance M50 trim. And with power sources ranging from 282 to 536 horsepower, the i4 vaults over BMW's elite gas-powered models in speed, performance, and instant low-end power.

But the i4's normalcy is also a weakness. The design, based on the 4 Series, swaps EV components for its gas-powered ones. That simultaneously results in a lot of unused space and some of the skimpiest storage space in the luxury EV class, lacking even a front trunk. One wonders what BMW designers and engineers could do with a more dedicated i4 design rather than shoe-horning the EV into a more conventional body.

It's a minor gripe and shouldn't stop the i4 from slowing sales of the Tesla Model 3. But there are other competitors, ranging from the Audi e-tron and Polestar 2 to the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Cadillac Lyriq, and Mercedes-Benz EQE Sedan. The i4 meets or beats many in range, delivering up to 307 miles per charge, and offers a broader span of power and performance than most. Its infotainment system also sets a benchmark, helping make the i4 one of today's top luxury EV picks.

Hyundai wastes no time re-inventing the Sonata sedan. Although it's been in the automaker's portfolio for 34 years, the Sonata is constantly on the receiving end of styling trends and updates. Like clockwork, the 2024 Hyundai Sonata wears a distinct new look (the last update was in 2020), this time emphasizing a four-door coupe profile with a signature tapering roof, slightly elevated rear bumper, and all manner of geometric sheet metal creases and folds.

For what it's worth, we like it. It's a little over-wrought and won't likely mature into a timeless classic, although its thin, seamless front headlights and light strip are fully on-brand with modern electric vehicles. And we'll almost always take a mainstream, non-luxury sedan with some visual daring over safe and slabby, bland and boxy, any day.

Some of that adventure carries over to the redesigned Sonata's interior, too. The resculpted dash and center console provide a cleaner look with more space and storage, while the top conversation piece is the dash-spanning widescreen gauges and infotainment display. It's an impressive look that cribs from a similar BMW design, but gives the Sonata a tech edge on its rivals.

Nothing much changes under the skin or hood, although Hyundai has dropped the 1.6-liter turbo engine. A standard four-cylinder packs adequate, if not adrenalized, power. For the latter, the 290-horsepower N-Line trim carries over. The hybrid returns as well, giving the Sonata up to 47 mpg. While not a stand-out performer or luxury cruiser, the Sonata looks sharp and drives well enough to earn its place among benchmarks such as the pricier Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

A staple of Toyota's lineup for nearly 60 years, the Corolla remains one of the best-selling compacts in the U.S. thanks to a combination of reliability, utility, and value. Toyota continues to refine the formula with the 2024 Toyota Corolla.

The Corolla gets nearly 40 mpg on the highway with its standard gas engine, and up to 50 mpg in hybrid form. The roomy interior is trimmed in high-quality materials, the infotainment system is more sophisticated than you'd expect for the price, and it comes with useful driver-oriented features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. It's also the only compact hybrid sedan with all-wheel drive, a combination that gives it a little extra performance boost. It's even available as a hatchback (reviewed separately).

But the Corolla isn't especially inspiring to drive. It's not quick, not particularly dynamic, and it won't tickle your heart rate in a tight turn. For that, you want a competitor like the Honda Civic or Mazda 3. The Corolla also falls short in trunk space, trailing rivals such as the Civic or Hyundai Elantra, although the Corolla hatchback option makes this less of an issue. The Nissan Sentra and Subaru Impreza are also worth a look. Still, the Corolla remains competitive for good reason. Buyers today, like before, will find it offers a compelling mix of features and price to suit their needs.

The 2024 Lexus ES is a luxury sedan for buyers who want maximum comfort and none of the compromises that come with a sport sedan. Its sophisticated suspension smooths out even the roughest roads while the heavily insulated cabin blocks wind and road noise. The result is a serene ride that makes the ES excel as a daily commuter or a weekend road trip car. All front-wheel-drive gas models are powered by a silky smooth V6 engine with plenty of power for passing and reasonable mileage numbers. When equipped with all-wheel drive, the ES is powered by a four-cylinder engine that has considerably less punch. Hybrid models also get the four-cylinder engine, but their electric motor makes up for some of the lost horsepower. The hybrids also deliver exceptional mileage for a sedan in this class. All ES models come standard with a long list of features and high-quality materials throughout the cabin. The interior design favors function over form, with accessible knobs and switches that are easy to use at a glance. The driver and front passenger get very comfortable bucket seats along with excellent head and legroom. Rear passengers get plenty of legroom as well, although the sleek roofline cuts into the headroom a bit for tall passengers.

Lexus upgraded the ES' technology interface last year with a much-improved system that offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity along with a voice recognition system that requires just a few spoken words for most commands. It's also worth noting that every Lexus ES trim comes with a comprehensive suite of safety technology with features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and bicyclist detection, lane-tracing assist, lane-departure alert with steering assist, road sign assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.

The Acura TLX is the Lexus ES' closest competitor. Similar in size, configuration, and price, the TLX has a sportier personality but lacks the ES' opulent luxury. The Genesis G70 and Genesis G80 bracket the ES in size and offer similar levels of luxury. But both are on rear-wheel-drive platforms that provide sharper handling. While several midsize luxury sedans have mild-hybrid tech, the ES is the only full-on hybrid in the segment.