13 Used Cars That Can Get 40 MPG Or More

Anyone who's browsing the used car market for the first time in a while will find themselves facing a huge confusing array of models and powertrains to pick from. Alongside traditional gas-powered cars, there are also mild hybrids, full hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric cars on the market, and each offer their own efficiency benefits, as well as their own drawbacks. Not everyone has the desire or ability to switch to an all-electric car, particularly if they don't have access to a charger at home, and plug-in hybrid vehicles also need to be regularly connected to a charger if they are to get anywhere close to their officially quoted efficiency figures.

That leaves mild hybrids and full hybrids as the most efficient options, both of which are in plentiful supply in the used market. It's worth diving deeper into the differences between mild, full, and plug-in hybrids if you're not already clued up on hybrid tech, to make sure you pick the powertrain that's best suited to your driving needs. However, if you simply want the most efficient used car available that doesn't require you to plug into a charger, these models are a safe bet. Each achieves over 40 mpg combined according to the EPA, with some even reaching past 50 mpg.

The RAV4 is one of America's most popular vehicles, and it's easy to see why. It offers a compelling mix of practicality, Toyota build quality, and efficiency, all at a competitive price. The 2022 RAV4 Hybrid achieves a combined 40 mpg according to EPA figures, hitting 41 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. It's far from Toyota's most efficient car in terms of pure mpg figures, but it's competitive for a car of its size.

Toyota made some changes to the RAV4 Hybrid for the 2022 model year, including launching an SE trim to slot below the XSE trim in the range. A new color, Cavalry Blue, was also introduced for 2022, and the car was given a light facelift. Surrounding RAV4 model years are also equally appealing as used picks, with the fifth generation RAV4 first debuting for the 2019 model year. Between the 2019 and 2023 model years, the most efficient RAV4 Hybrid AWD from each year achieves a combined 40 mpg. From the 2024 model year onwards, Toyota revised that figure down to 39 mpg combined — still a competitive figure, but not quite enough to qualify for inclusion here.

Anyone who isn't sold on a RAV4 but still wants a used family-friendly compact SUV still has plenty of options at their disposal. The 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid is one such option, with the front-wheel drive variant of the car achieving 43 mpg combined, 42 mpg in the city, and 44 mpg on the highway according to the EPA. The latest generation of the Sportage was launched for the 2023 model year — and that launch model also achieves the same combined mpg — but the 2024 model saw a number of small improvements.

The 2024 Sportage Hybrid saw rear seat-mounted airbags become a standard feature across all trims, as well as the inclusion of standard LED headlights. Other aspects of the car remained unchanged from 2023. We put the current generation Sportage to the test in 2023 and came away roundly impressed with its interior layout and quality. Our reviewer noted that even the base trim Sportage Hybrid remained an appealing option, although for buyers looking for the most efficient transport, Kia's plug-in hybrid version of the Sportage was the way to go. However, even without the PHEV drivetrain, the Sportage Hybrid remains comfortably among the most efficient cars in its segment.

The compact SUV segment is a crowded one, and Honda's entry into the fray is the CR-V. Much like the Toyota RAV4 and Kia Sportage, the CR-V's appeal centers around pairing a spacious, practical cabin with an efficient drivetrain. In the CR-V's case, that drivetrain delivers a combined 40 mpg, hitting 43 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. A new generation of the CR-V launched for the 2023 model year, bringing with it revised styling both inside and out.

It also launched with an upgraded suite of infotainment and safety tech, although we found the latter to be far from perfect, with intrusive lane departure alert warnings spoiling the serenity of what was otherwise a pleasant driving experience. Still, since Honda's safety tech comes standard, used buyers can opt for any example of the 2023 CR-V Hybrid with the knowledge that they won't be missing out on those features, even if they are imperfect.

The most efficient version of the CR-V is the front-wheel drive variant — adding all-wheel drive drops the car's officially quoted combined efficiency rating down to 37 mpg. A non-hybrid version of the CR-V is also available, but it's significantly less efficient, offering either 30 mpg combined or 29 mpg combined depending upon whether it's in front-wheel or all-wheel drive guise.

While every previous generation Toyota Prius had styling that could most kindly be described as an acquired taste, the latest generation is much better looking. It launched for the 2023 model year, and even when it was new, it was affordably priced. Used buyers now have the opportunity to snag one for even less, although there is one small compromise they'll make by buying a 2023 Prius compared to the previous generation: the trunk space is reduced by as much as 7 cubic feet depending upon the trim. The LE trim offers the most trunk space of any 2023 Prius model, but it's still less than the 2022 car offered.

Aside from that, the 2023 Prius is an improvement in most other aspects. In its most frugal form, it's even more efficient than before, offering up to 57 mpg combined, 57 mpg in the city, and 56 mpg on the highway. This ultra-efficient variant is front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is also available. It drops the car's EPA-quoted figures down to 54 mpg combined, 53 mpg in the city, and 54 mpg on the highway. Those figures are still among the highest you can get from any used car without opting for a plug-in hybrid powertrain. If PHEV is your thing, a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius is also available. It's called the Prius Prime, and is considered a separate model to the regular Prius.

Hyundai recently repurposed the Ioniq name for its line of all-electric cars, but between 2017 and 2022, the Hyundai Ioniq was a standalone model. It initially launched with two variants: a hybrid and an all-electric version. A plug-in hybrid variant was later introduced for the 2018 model year. The only variant to not require a charger — and therefore warrant inclusion here — is the hybrid variant, which offered Prius-rivaling efficiency figures but without the same divisive styling.

The efficiency figures of the hybrid Ioniq varied slightly between model years, but all were frugal. The top performing variants according to EPA figures were the 2021 and 2022 Hyundai Ioniq Blue, which achieved a combined 59 mpg, 58 mpg in the city, and 60 mpg on the highway. For the 2017 through 2020 model years, the Blue variant achieved a similarly impressive 58 mpg combined.

The "regular" Ioniq — that is, not the ultra-frugal Blue variant — was still very efficient, offering a combined 55 mpg throughout its production run. Since the Ioniq was discontinued, Hyundai has not launched a direct replacement for the car, and none of its current 2025 hybrid models can match the efficiency figures of the 2021 Ioniq Blue.

Many of the most efficient hybrid used cars prioritize utility over luxury, but there are a few exceptions. The Lexus UX is one example: It's a subcompact luxury crossover aimed at taking on the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, but it's more efficient than its German rivals. The UX was a brand-new model in 2019, and so only a few tweaks were made for the 2020 model year. Either year is a worthy used pick, and both have the same efficiency figures.

In its most efficient form, the UX 250h returns 42 mpg combined, 43 mpg in the city, and 41 mpg on the highway. For maximum fuel savings, buyers will have to stick with front-wheel drive, since the available all-wheel drive UX 250h returns a slightly less stellar 39 mpg. A non-hybrid UX is also available, but with its combined rating of 33 mpg, it's a long way off the 40 mpg target and therefore worth avoiding if you're looking to keep your fuel bills to a minimum.

Plenty of Kia's more recent cars have sported unique styling, but some of them won't be to everyone's taste. The 2018 Optima Hybrid is the polar opposite: it's so unremarkable to look at that it's easy to forget it exists at all. Nonetheless, it shouldn't be disregarded, particularly for buyers looking for an efficient used pick.

The Optima Hybrid offers 42 mpg combined, 39 mpg in the city, and 46 mpg on the highway according to the EPA, yet it's still roomy enough to haul around a small family and their belongings. Adults might find the car's rear headroom a squeeze, but children should have plenty of space.

As well as being frugal, the Optima Hybrid packs much of the same appeal as other top Kia models, being decently equipped, with decent build quality and decent cargo space. It isn't a particularly interesting car even by the standards of its segment, but for buyers who just want efficient, affordable transport, being decent in most key areas should be enough to make the Optima Hybrid worth considering.

While it isn't the most efficient model that Toyota offers, the Toyota Crown blends competitive efficiency with upmarket features and eye-catching styling. We drove the Crown when it launched in 2023 and found it to be both comfortable and practical, with its additional ride height compared to other sedans making it easy for less mobile drivers to get in and out of. The presence of standard all-wheel drive will also no doubt be reassuring to drivers in areas where road conditions can be challenging in the winter months.

The Crown is available with either a standard hybrid or more powerful Hybrid Max powertrain, but buyers looking for maximum frugality will have to do without the latter option. In base hybrid form, the car achieves 41 mpg combined, 42 mpg in the city, and 41 mpg on the highway according to the EPA. Those figures are nothing to sniff at, and put it in the company of many smaller, less comfortable cars.

It's easy to wonder what happened to the Honda Insight. The Japanese automaker's Prius rival was quietly discontinued after 2022, but buyers who can find a clean example of the most recent Insight might be surprised at just how well-rounded it is. We drove the Insight shortly after the final generation of the car debuted in 2019 and found it to be much more under the radar than other similarly efficient cars. While the Prius of the era sported instantly recognizable — and inherently divisive — styling, the Insight looks like a slightly tweaked version of the Accord.

Under the skin, the Insight was actually based on the Civic platform rather than the Accord. Plenty of safety and convenience tech is shared between the two, but the Insight isn't simply a reskinned Civic. Its 52 mpg combined EPA rating is evidence of that, with the car able to hit an even more impressive 55 mpg in the city and 49 mpg on the highway. Throughout its last generation, the Insight was largely overlooked by buyers in favor of Honda's more well-known nameplates, but arguably unjustifiably so.

Ford revamped the Escape for the 2023 model year with fresh styling and revised infotainment, but it also reworked the car's powertrains. With the revisions, its combined mpg rating dipped to 39 mpg, and so buyers looking for the most efficient used version of the car will have to stick with the pre-facelift 2022 model. In front-wheel drive guise, the 2022 Escape Hybrid gets a combined 41 mpg, 44 mpg in the city, and 37 mpg on the highway.

The pre-facelift car isn't the most interesting car in its class, neither in the way that it drives nor in its interior, but it'll do fine as a suburban shuttle for a small family. While the 2022 Escape didn't sell in the same numbers that previous model years did, there should still be plenty of used inventory available. According to CarFigures data, Ford sold around 118,000 examples of the Escape, although that includes both hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the car.

The electrified Elantra made it onto our best hybrids of 2023 list thanks to its combination of affordability, good looks, and efficiency. The Hybrid Blue variant is the most frugal of the range, achieving 54 mpg combined, 53 mpg in the city, and 56 mpg on the highway. Even the regular Elantra Hybrid isn't far behind, hitting 50 mpg combined. Those numbers are a notable improvement over many similarly sized sedans, with the Blue variant in particular being one of the most efficient cars on the market that doesn't require access to an electric charger.

Making the Elantra Hybrid even better is the fact that it offers competitive levels of tech as standard, with the Blue variant receiving an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also included is dual-zone climate control and safety features like blind spot collision warning and lane keeping assist. Affordably priced sedans might not be in vogue like they once were, but cars like the Elantra Hybrid prove that there's still plenty of life left in the segment.

Over 340,000 Americans bought a Toyota Camry in 2018, and that kind of popularity doesn't come by accident. The Camry shouldn't need any further introduction to most car buyers, as it's extremely likely that any given buyer will either know someone that owned a Camry at some point or perhaps has owned one themselves. The Camry was redesigned for the 2018 model year, but Toyota didn't stray from the formula that made previous iterations of the car so successful.

It was still spacious, durable, and efficient, with the base LE trim offering the best performance for buyers looking to keep their fuel consumption to a minimum. According to EPA figures, it achieves 52 mpg combined, 51 mpg in the city, and 53 mpg on the highway. The higher XLE and SE trims are slightly less efficient, hitting a combined 46 mpg. A non-hybrid version of the Camry was also offered in 2018, but it sports far lower mpg figures, with the most fuel-hungry variant only achieving 26 mpg combined.

The 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid took the classic Honda sedan recipe and updated it to keep it fresh in an ever-changing segment. It arguably looks better than most other sedans at its price point, both inside and out, with the leather seats that feature on higher trim models being a welcome addition to our review car. It's still ergonomically laid out inside and comfortable on the road, again following the formula set out by older generations of the car.

Another pleasing sight for returning Honda buyers will be the car's efficiency figures, which are only marginally short of the best in class. According to the EPA, the 2023 Accord Hybrid should return 48 mpg combined, 51 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway. While the latter figure isn't particularly exceptional — the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue hits 56 mpg on the highway — the Accord's city figures make it a great candidate for urban and suburban commuting. Its high levels of standard safety equipment should also add an extra layer of reassurance for drivers navigating busy urban roads to boot.

To find cars that met the efficiency criteria for inclusion, we searched the EPA's database for cars manufactured between 2017 and 2024 with a minimum rating of 40 mpg combined. We chose 2017 as the cut-off point for used cars, as an eight-year warranty period is the industry standard for electric elements of a hybrid powertrain, which is a critical feature of all the cars here.

For editorial consistency, we have highlighted a particular model year for each of the chosen cars, although most of the listed cars have multiple model years with equal efficiency figures. This is not an exhaustive list of every used car that achieves over 40 mpg, but rather a guide that's intended to give used car buyers an overview of a range of efficient models on the market. Plug-in hybrids are not included here, since they require regular access to a charger to hit their officially quoted efficiency figures.

Other factors like reliability ratings, depreciation levels, and current model values were all considered to be beyond the scope of this article and therefore were not considered as criteria for inclusion into this list. Nonetheless, they all form an important part of the used car buying process, and so it's worth checking out SlashGear's other roundups for further information on each of these factors.