Traditionally, cars with high fuel economy have a reputation for being weak on the performance front. However, that’s not always the case. As detailed by Consumer Reports, there are many cars, SUVs, and trucks with high gas mileage and fast acceleration. 

Consumer Reports: Cars with high gas mileage and fast acceleration

Consumer Reports did an analysis of cars that provide both high fuel economy and fast acceleration. For cars, Consumer Reports broke down the list into sections for fuel-efficient cars, subcompact cars, compact cars, sporty cars and roadsters, midsize cars, large cars, upscale and luxury cars, and wagons and hatchbacks.

Fuel-efficient cars 

To make the list, vehicles need to reach a specific threshold for both gas mileage and acceleration. For the fuel-efficient car section, the requirements include a gas mileage of at least 40 combined mpg (or MPGe for electric vehicles) and a 0-60 acceleration time of 11 seconds or less. Notable cars for the fuel-efficient section include:

• Tesla Model 3 Long Range (130 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds)
• Hyundai Kona Electric Limited (120 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 6.6 seconds)
• Chevy Bolt 2LT (120 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds)

Subcompact cars

For the subcompact cars, the requirements are a fuel economy of at least 31 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 11 seconds or less. This list includes:

• Kia Rio S (33 mpg/0-60 mph time of 9.9 seconds)
• Hyundai Accent SEL (33 mpg/0-60 mph time of 9.9 seconds)
• Nissan Versa SV Sedan (32 mpg/0-60 mph time of 9.6 seconds)

Compact cars

The next section is compact cars, with the requirements of a gas mileage of at least 30 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 10.5 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue (48 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.7 seconds)
• Hyundai Elantra SEL (33 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.9 seconds)
• Toyota Corolla Hatchback (36 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.7 seconds)

Sporty cars and roadsters

For sporty cars and roadsters, the requirements are a fuel economy of at least 25 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds or less. Notable models for this list include:

• Mazda MX-5 Miata Club (34 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds)
• Porsche 718 Boxster Base (26 mpg/0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds)
• Toyota Supra Premium (27 mpg/0-60 mph time of 4.6 seconds)

Midsize cars

The requirements for midsize cars are a gas mileage of at least 28 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.0 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• Toyota Camry Hybrid LE (47 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds)
• Hyundai Sonata Hybrid SEL (44 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.0 seconds)
• Kia K5 LXS (32 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.7 seconds)

Large cars

For large cars, the requirements are a fuel economy of at least 24 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 8.5 seconds or less. Only two models made this list:

• Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE (42 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.3 seconds)
• Nissan Maxima (25 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds)

Upscale and luxury cars

The requirements for upscale and luxury cars are a gas mileage of at least 24 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 8.5 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• Polestar 2 Standard (92 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds)
• Tesla Model S 100D (102 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds)
• Tesla Model 3 Long Range (130 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 5.3 seconds)

Wagons and hatchbacks

For wagons and hatchbacks, the requirements are a fuel economy of at least 25 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 10.5 seconds or less. Notable models for this section include:

• Hyundai Venue SEL (32 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.9 seconds)
• Nissan Kicks SV (32 mpg/0-60 mph time of 10.5 seconds)
• Kia Soul EX (28 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.8 seconds)

Consumer Reports: SUVs with high gas mileage and fast acceleration

For the list of SUVs with high gas mileage and fast acceleration, Consumer Reports has sections for small SUVs, small luxury SUVs, midsize SUVs, and large SUVs. The publication also has a section for minivans.

Small SUVs

The requirements for small SUVs include a fuel economy of at least 24 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 10.5 seconds or less. Notable models for this list include:

• Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE (37 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds)
• Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE (34 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds)
• Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SEL (35 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.7 seconds)

Small luxury SUVs

For small luxury SUVs, the requirements are a gas mileage of at least 24 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.0 seconds or less. Notable models for this list include:

• Tesla Model Y Long Range (121 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds)
• Mercedes-Benz GLA250 (27 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds)
• Audi Q5 Premium (24 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds)

Midsize SUVs

The requirements of midsize SUVs are a fuel economy of at least 20 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.0 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• Tesla Model X 100D (87 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds)
• Jaguar I-PACE HSE (76 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds)
• Audi e-tron Premium Plus (74 MPGe/0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds)

Large SUVs

For large SUVs, the requirements are a gas mileage of at least 15 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.0 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• BMW X7 xDrive40i (22 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds)
• Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 (20 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.4 seconds)
• Chevrolet Traverse Premier V6 (20 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.3 seconds)

Minivans

The requirements for minivans are a fuel economy of at least 20 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 9.0 seconds or less. Notable models on this list include:

• Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (84 MPGe in electric mode and 27 mpg in gas mode/0-60 mph time of 8.3 seconds)
• Toyota Sienna XLE (36 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.2 seconds)
• Honda Odyssey EX-L (22 mpg/0-60 mph time of 8.1 seconds)

Consumer Reports: Pickup trucks with high gas mileage and fast acceleration

For the list of pickup trucks with high gas mileage and fast acceleration, Consumer Reports places all of the trucks in one section. However, for the sake of clarity and convenience, we separate trucks into two categories: small and midsize trucks and large trucks.

Small and midsize pickup trucks

The requirements for the trucks section are a fuel economy of at least 16 combined mpg and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 10.5 seconds or less. Notable small and midsize trucks include:

• Hyundai Santa Cruz SEL Premium (24 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.6 seconds)
• Honda Ridgeline RTL (20 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.3 seconds)
• Ford Ranger XLT (20 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.4 seconds)

Large pickup trucks

Notable models for the large pickup trucks include:

• Ford F-150 Hybrid (20 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds)
• Ford F-150 2.7T (19 mpg/0-60 mph time of 6.7 seconds)
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT 3.0 Diesel (23 mpg/0-60 mph time of 7.9 seconds)

As you can see from these Consumer Reports lists of cars, trucks, and SUVs with high gas mileage and fast acceleration, you don’t always have to sacrifice performance for efficiency — and vice versa. You can have a high-performance driving experience while enjoying money-saving efficiency and minimizing the negative impact on the environment.