Which cars are the most fuel-efficient?

New cars on the market right now are ranked on claimed average (combined cycle) fuel consumption, with most economical on top.  Are there any cars that consume less than 3.9 litres per 100km?

Who is the current winner?  Is it a small city runabout with a tiny engine?  No – it is the plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan from Porsche, with Panamera S e-hybrid claiming the lowest consumption and emissions of an unbelievably low 3.1 l/100km and 71 g/km.

Car	l/100km	g/km	engine	price
Porsche Panamera S e-hybrid	3.1	71	plug-in hybrid	1 133 000
Porsche Cayenne S e-hybrid	3.4	79	plug-in hybrid	1 293 000
Volkswagen Polo hatch 1.2TDI BlueMotion	3.4	89	diesel	233 500
Volvo V40 D4 Excel	3.5	106	diesel	403 700
Ford Fiesta 5-door 1.6TDCi Ambiente	3.6	95	diesel	210 030
Toyota Yaris Hybrid	3.6	82	hybrid	276 300
Volvo V40 D2 Essential	3.6	94	diesel	315 700
Citroën C3 e-HDi 90 Seduction	3.7	98	diesel	241 900
Citroën DS3 e-HDi 90 Style	3.7	98	diesel	263 900
Audi A1 Sportback 1.6TDI SE	3.8	99	diesel	285 000
Peugeot 208 5-door 1.6HDi Active	3.8	98	diesel	223 000

What is a plug-in hybrid?  It means the electric motor’s battery needs to be charged by plugging it into a mains power supply.  This battery supplements the Porsche S e-hybrid 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine, and can run on electric power alone (with the engine off) for a while.

The Cayenne S e-hybrid is the only SUV in this winners list, and ties in 2nd spot with the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion at 3.4 l/100km, but the Cayenne’s petrol-electric drivetrain emits only 79 g/km, versus the 3-cylinder diesel hatchback’s 89g/km.

Volvo is 3rd with their new Drive-e engine generation – a 2-litre 4-cylinder diesel with a very low appetite for fuel, claiming 3.5 in the V40 sports long-roof hatch.

Both Porsches are over a million Rand to buy, so if you want the most affordable car price here, the Ford Fiesta 1.6TDCi Ambiente at R 210 030 is the winner for overall cost, with a still superb 3.6 l/100km.

The baby Toyota hybrid is the new Yaris facelift, with 3.6 figure claimed, though priced much higher than any of these smaller diesels.

Volvo is worth a mention for having a 2nd engine in this frugal line-up, with the V40 D2 also at 3.6.

Citroën’s e-HDi with 90 horsepower powers the C3 big hatch and compact DS3 style hatch using just 3.7 l/100km.

Taking up the last tie with just 3.8 l/100km are the Audi A1 Sportback with 1.6TDI engine, and Peugeot’s 1.6HDi in the stylish modern 208 hatch.  The Toyota Prius hybrid misses the cut-off point.

But this list will soon change, when “BMW i” cars arrive in South Africa – the BMW i3 and BMW i8 will go straight to the top.

This list excludes the Nissan Leaf, which is currenly the single pure electric car on the market, until the BMW i3 arrives.