5 Fuel-Efficient Volkswagen Models With The Best MPG

German manufacturers like Audi, BMW, and Porsche have built a large part of their reputations on being the best performance brands in the industry. The country itself has become synonymous with some of the most enjoyable cars on the road. The largest manufacturer in the nation, however, doesn't have the same name for itself, nor does it need to. Volkswagen has one of the largest global presences, leaving it up to brands like Audi, which the conglomerate owns, to champion the performance side of things. In-house, Volkswagen turns its attention to providing more affordable, practical models that appeal to a wider audience, with efficiency being a natural byproduct of that.

While the two Golf models or the Jetta GLI can't exactly be called efficient by modern standards, the rest of Volkswagen's current lineup ensures great fuel economy ratings, helping you save money in the long run as well as up front. Also, some of the recently discontinued vehicles from the brand still hold up today, providing a solid choice of models to choose from, if efficiency is paramount. Here's a closer look at five of the most efficient Volkswagen models that are either brand-new or recently discontinued.

One of the most unfortunate yet understandable trends in the modern automotive industry is brands axing their larger sedans. While they looked great and drove well most of the time, the practicality that crossovers offer for a similar price led to the sedans' sales to tank. The production costs then outweigh those sales, meaning low-volume nameplates like the Volkswagen Arteon lose their place in the lineup. Still, due to only being discontinued in 2023, Volkswagen's newest mid-size sedan still feels just as new as a 2025 model year vehicle.

Under the hood of the 2023 Arteon sits a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder, producing 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Put it against key rivals such as the A5 Sportback from the same model year, and the Arteon manages to keep in touch. It may sit at the bottom of this list for efficiency, but with its EPA rating of 28 MPG, it's only narrowly behind the crossovers that the manufacturer now prioritizes. Assuming 15,000 annual miles, that brings a year of fuel to about $2,150, which is more than the average new car, but KBB reports an average used price of just $24,601 for the base trim. Compared to the starting MSRP of $44,305, the current price should get you a far better deal than in 2023.

In Volkswagen's current lineup, there's a total of five SUVs to choose from, one of which is the all-electric ID.4. For the gas-powered entries, there are two compact models next to two mid-size nameplates that all make a strong case for themselves. The mid-size Volkswagen SUVs come with more power and space inside, but if you want a solid blend of the practicality of the larger models with compact-level efficiency, the Tiguan is the best option by a decent margin. It's essentially the all-rounder model in the lineup, falling in the middle just about everywhere on the spec sheet.

Performance isn't the strongest suit of the 2026 Tiguan (nor is it supposed to be), but you still get enough power from the turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder to motivate the compact SUV in most circumstances. You get 201 horsepower in the base trim, with the option of a 268-horsepower output if you go for the all-new SEL R-Line Turbo trim. But as expected, the latter engine takes a sizable hit for efficiency. The base S trim gets the highest rating from the EPA at 29 MPG combined, with the rest of the front-wheel drive trims sitting at 28 MPG. Selecting the 4Motion all-wheel drive drops it further to 25 MPG, equal to what the R-Line model can achieve. Pricing for the base trim comes in at $30,805, along with a $1,475 destination charge.

The second of the two compact SUVs currently produced by Volkswagen is the Taos. Smaller and more affordable than the Tiguan, the Taos comes in as the most efficient SUV from the brand moving into 2026, thanks to not needing the extra power to shift its lower weight. We got to test the 2025 model, which had received a major overhaul from previous years, and only had a few things we'd like to see improved. Its all-round practicality for an SUV so small is what really stood out to us.

For the 2026 model year, the Volkswagen Taos essentially remains the same as the model that we tested last year. Priced at $26,500 (with a $1,475 destination charge), the Taos is one of the most affordable in its segment, and with that come a few sacrifices. In our review of the 2025 model, we found that the base trim doesn't have much standard equipment, and its 174-horsepower output from the 1.5L four-cylinder probably won't put a smile on your face when putting your foot down. But, similar to the Tiguan, efficiency is far more important for this type of SUV, with the 2026 Taos getting a 31 MPG combined score from the EPA. Another strong suit is the space you have inside, as is the cabin technology you get with all trims.

While the Golf nameplate is still sold in the U.S. with the GTI and R models, the standard model hasn't been on the market in the States for a few years now. Similar to the Arteon, the Golf wasn't performing too well amidst the rise of SUVs at the end of the last decade and the start of this one, nor were a handful of key models in the hatchback segment, such as the Ford Focus. The GTI and Golf R justify their place in the lineup by offering a driving experience that's incredibly hard to match in a crossover, but they aren't the most efficient cars thanks to their performance-focused engines.

The brand's SUVs are all solid when it comes to functionality, but the 2021 Golf shouldn't be ignored if you want something smaller but still practical, alongside offering standout efficiency ratings. The final year of the seventh-generation run, its turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder producing 147 horsepower isn't much to write home about, but the combined fuel economy rating of 33 MPG shows what Volkswagen's intentions were for the standard Golf. Despite the lower output, we still found some enjoyment behind the wheel of the hatchback in our review of the 2021 Golf. As for pricing, KBB says that you can pick up a 2021 Golf for an average price of just $16,716 on the used market.

The standard Golf hatchback may no longer feature in Volkswagen's current fleet, but the German brand is still keeping its urban-focused compact sedan on the road, in the form of the Jetta. Being on the market since the 1980 model year, the Jetta has had plenty of time to establish itself in the segment against rivals like the Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra, even if it doesn't sell as well. While some of its rivals are helped out by their brand's reputation for reliability, the 2026 Jetta ticks most of the major boxes that a compact sedan should on paper.

Many of the key competitors in the segment sit around the 35 MPG mark, with the latest Jetta being one of these. The base trim achieves 34 MPG combined according to the EPA, and the rest of the lineup sits at a close 33 MPG. The Jetta GLI has more power, but drops to 29 MPG. Still, that's good enough to be equal to the Tiguan. Regarding the base model's performance, it's powered by a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder producing 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, with its torque rating being notably higher than similar VW models. It's also priced ultra-competitively, with an MSRP of $23,995 for the base trim (with a $1,275 destination charge).

To collect the data for each model's fuel efficiency, we looked at the official ratings provided by the EPA. We then compared all the current models you can buy brand-new, as well as looking back to recently discontinued models that still offer solid ratings against the modern Volkswagen lineup.