Fuel-Efficient Honda Cars
The 2010 Insight is Honda's "Prius-killer." The style and fuel efficiency is similar, but the price is $19,800.
Honda took an early leadership role on hybrids, but hit a few bumps on the hybrid highway, especially after discontinuing the Honda Accord Hybrid and Honda Insight in 2006. The Accord Hybrid over-emphasized power instead of fuel economy, and the Insight was impractical as a two-seater.
But the company is back on track. Starting in 2009, Honda roars back with the second-generation Honda Insight—a more practical four-door hybrid vehicle aimed at great fuel economy and absolute affordability. The company is following a well-defined fuel efficiency strategy: hybrids for small cars—and diesel engines for larger vehicles. And the company continues to innovate. Honda leases a handful of Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered hybrids in California and sells the Civic GX, the only mass-produced car running on compressed natural gas. It also offers one of the most compelling small cars on the road, the Honda Fit.
Honda consistently earns high praise from environmentalists. David Friedman, research director of Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles Program, said, "Honda is in a class of its own when it comes to producing clean cars and trucks.” See our list of Honda models and read the latest news about Honda's fuel efficient models.
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Honda Hybrid and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
| Sort by: | Name | Combined MPG  | Technology | MSRP | Available | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Honda Civic Hybrid | 44 MPG | Hybrid | $24,000 | Now | Honda claims that the 2012 Civic Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient sedan (i.e. not a hatchback) on U.S. roads. |
 | Honda Insight | 42 MPG | Hybrid | $18,300 | Now | The Honda Insight combines practicality, affordability and the best fuel economy for under $20,000. |
 | Honda CR-Z Hybrid | 37 MPG | Hybrid | $20,000 | Now | Can a hybrid compact car be sporty and speedy? Honda tries. |
 | Honda Fit | 31 MPG | Small Car | $14,600 | Now | The Fit has a smart, but playful appearance, and a deceivingly large and versatile five-passenger interior. |
 | Honda Civic | 30 MPG | Small Car | $15,500 | Now | The best-selling compact is affordable, and gets good mileage. |
 | Honda Fit Hybrid | n/a | Hybrid | n/a | 2012 | The hybrid version of the Honda subcompact could become the leader of the pack on fuel efficiency, and with a low price. |
 | Honda FCX Clarity | 74 MPG | Hydrogen | n/a | Concept | A limited number of southern Californians will have the opportunity to lease a Honda FCX Clarity in the next few years. This is the first time a customer can obtain a fuel cell car directly from a retail dealer. |
Top news for Honda
Honda Delivers First Fit EV to City of Torrance, California
Acura NSX Hybrid Concept Revealed in Detroit- Unveiled at the ongoing Detroit Auto Show, the Acura NSX Sport Hybrid Concept has been said by Honda to be slated for Ohio production within the next three years. As you might guess, an all-wheel-drive supercar like this is not aimed at dethroning the Prius. Instead, it intends to provide balanced high performance with enough environmental consciousness to not turn buyers away in this decade’s greening marketplace. “In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities,” said Honda’s President and CEO Takanobu Ito.
Acura To Reveal Hybrid NSX Concept in Detroit- Honda Motor Co. has confirmed it will bring back the Acura NSX as an efficient but powerful hybridized challenger to larger displacement conventional supercars. People are speculating what it will look like, and short of an artist's rendition, we're showing an earlier NSX above, but greater clarity will be offered this January at the Detroit auto show when the NSX concept is revealed. Some eco-minded people may not care that an uber-powerful and likely uber-expensive car will be launched, but it does send a signal that Honda is going greener even with its most conspicuous car. Also potentially positive is the market forecasters at Honda think the economy is approaching a time to make such a project worthwhile. The original NSX was canceled after a 15 year run in 2005. Plans to launch a new concept were scrapped after the autumn 2008 Lehman Brothers failure.
- In Tokyo, Honda Reveals Details of Push Toward 30 Percent Emissions Cut by 2020
- Beyond the concepts, Honda president Takanobu Ito's message to reporters at Tokyo this year was focused on the near term, namely the period between model year 2012 and 2020―by which time Honda has pledged to reduce average emissions of its vehicles by 30 percent.
Honda Upgrades Japan-Market Insight Line- Today Honda Motor Company announced it will release refreshed Insight hybrids including a somewhat more upscale version with larger engine to the Japanese market. The 1.3-liter 40-plus mpg version will be joined by a 1.5-liter model Honda is calling the Insight Exclusive, and the company says dealers will get them Nov. 11. No word was given whether these tweaked models will find their way to the U.S., but it’s certainly possible.
Honda Tweaks Insight for 2012- Honda has announced several small but noticeable tweaks for the 2012 editions of its Insight hybrid. But will these changes bring the Insight any closer living up to its billing as a “Prius fighter?”
- Wisconsin Toyota dealer aiming for world record hybrid parade
- Next month a Wisconsin Toyota dealer hopes to post a new record for putting on the world’s longest hybrid parade featuring as many as 500 hybrid vehicles. Any make or model of production hybrid will be welcome at the Hybrids on Parade (HOP) event, being sponsored Sunday, July 24, by Smart Motors of Madison. The goal is to actually be recorded as a new Guinness World Record™ for longest hybrid vehicle parade.
Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe Defies Its Critics- The most maligned hybrid on the market today is the Honda CR-Z. It comes down to false expectations. Take one look at the sporty design of the coupe, and you might expect it to be a rip-roaring fast automobile. The people who complain most about the CR-Z—as if it’s some kind of personal attack on their worldview—say the same old thing over and over again: “It’s nor fast enough, nor fuel efficient enough.” But they’re looking at the wrong cues for an understanding of the car, and therefore miss the charms and benefits of the Honda CR-Z.
HybridCars.com Gets 68.7 MPG in 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid- The new 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, using a lithium ion battery for the first time, increased its average EPA fuel economy rating from 41 mpg to 44 mpg. The new model is rated at 44 in both city and highway driving. HybridCars.com, using hypermiling techniques, achieved the upper limit of what any driver should ever expect for fuel efficiency—a score of 68.7 mpg on a 10-mile course of mostly country lanes and some highway driving, with four or five stoplights along the way.
Generous New Federal Incentives Could Put CNG Vehicles on the Map- With average oil prices climbing ever closer to the $4 per gallon, momentum behind the newly updated NAT GAS Act is said to be growing in Washington.
