Hybrid Coupes

In 2008, when the price of gasoline broke past $4 a gallon, many drivers started to question the wisdom of owning a large vehicle—especially when most of the time, we travel solo (all too often stuck in traffic). Suddenly, two-seater cars, compacts, and subcompacts started looking like a smart move. Gas prices will continue to go up and down, but the appeal of a growing list of gas-powered, hybrid, and all-electric coupes is here to stay.

Small cars are, by nature, fuel efficient—and can also be super-stylish, fun to drive, and easy to park. The Smart ForTwo tops the list of coupes for efficiency, weighing in at 1,600 pounds and 36 combined city/highway mpg. (Photo by Adam_T4 via flickr.com creative commons.

List of Hybrid Coupes

We define "coupe" broadly as any two-seater. As you can see from this list, coupes come in a wide variety of styles, prices, and powertrains.

Name	Combined MPG	Technology	MSRP	Available	Description
Tango T600	n/a	Electric	$108,000	Now	First, throw away all the expected conventions about the appropriate size of your daily car. This all-electric vehicle is half the size, from side to side, of most cars.
Myers NmG	n/a	Electric	$36,000	Now	The Myers NmG is a funky, single-occupant three-wheeled electric vehicle. That’s right, there’s just enough room for you and a cart’s worth of groceries.
Tesla Roadster	n/a	Electric	$109,000	Now	The Tesla Roadster is a screaming-fast, all-electric two-seater sports car built on the frame of the Lotus Elise.
Venturi Fetish	n/a	Electric	$400,000	Now	The Venturi Fetish, described by its maker as “the first production electric sports car in automobile history,” will set you back $400,000.
ZAP Xebra	n/a	Electric	$12,000	Now	Chinese-built three-wheel road-ready electric vehicle.
Toyota Yaris	32 MPG	Small Car	$12,400	Now	The Yaris is the leader of the subcompact triumvirate, which includes the Honda Fit and the Nissan Versa.
Mini Cooper Clubman	32 MPG	Small Car	$19,900	Now	The same hip and efficient Mini Cooper, but with a longer body and wheelbase.
Mini Cooper	35 MPG	Small Car	$18,700	Now	Matches or beats efficiency of other subcompacts, but with tons more style.
Smart ForTwo	36 MPG	Small Car	$12,000	Now	The Smart ForTwo is cute and relatively fuel efficient, but underpowered with a clunky transmission.
VentureOne	n/a	Plug-in Hybrid	$18,000	2009	The exhilaration of a fast motorcycle, the safety and comfort of a commuter car, and the fuel efficiency of advanced automotive technologies.
Toyota iQ		Small Car		2010	The iQ will compete with Smart by offering four seats, and Toyota quality.
Mitsubishi iMiEV	n/a	Electric	n/a	2010	Mitsubishi plans to mass-market a small electric vehicle by 2010.
Honda CR-Z Hybrid	n/a	Hybrid	n/a	2010	Can a hybrid compact car be sporty and speedy? Honda will try.
Th!nk City	n/a	Electric	$28,000	2010	A viable highway-capable all-electric two-seater from an industry veteran.
Fisker Karma	100 MPG	Plug-in Hybrid	$87,000	2010	The rear-wheel drive sporty plug-in hybrid from designer Henrik Fisker.
Dodge Circuit	n/a	Electric		2011	.
Ford Reflex	n/a	Diesel	n/a	Concept	Concept sports coupe marries 1.4-liter turbo-diesel engine with Ford's hybrid drive.
Subaru B5-TPH	n/a	Electric	n/a	Concept	A sporty two-seat, all-wheel-drive grand tourer that blends elements of coupe, sporty hatchback, and Outback sport-utility.
Toyota Volta	n/a	Hybrid	n/a	Concept	Before the Chevy Volt, there was the Toyota Volta—a super-hip and speedy concept hybrid from Toyota.
Volvo 3CCC	n/a	Electric	n/a	Concept	Rocket-shaped three-seater can accommodate the full range of power systems and fuels.
Subaru R1e	n/a	Electric	n/a	Concept	Subaru's concept vehicle to work on getting charge times down to five minutes or so.
Volkswagen up!	n/a	Small Car	n/a	Concept	Volkswagen's play into the high-mpg minicar market.
Mini E	n/a	Electric	n/a	Concept	Limited run of 500 units of all-electric version of Mini Cooper.
Toyota FT-EV	n/a	Electric	n/a	Concept	Toyota FT-EV concept, an all-electric car based on the Toyota IQ, offers a driving range of 50 miles.