With the price of gas these days, no one wants to make the trip to the pumps more often than they have to. To help you keep your fuel-station stops to a minimum, we’ve compiled a list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in Canada by their segment.
These are for gasoline or diesel vehicles, rather than hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) machines. There are also some other petroleum-powered vehicles that compete favourably with our winners here, but we’ve left them off the list because they’re mild hybrids. These use a self-charging system to provide fuel-free acceleration assist, although they can’t drive on electricity alone. And yes, they are even more fuel-efficient and they can be a great choice for drivers, but we’re trying to stay apples-to-apples here.
We also realize that there can be considerable discussion over precisely what differentiates, say, a car from a crossover, and then a crossover from an SUV, and then exactly where a subcompact deviates from a compact; and so we’ve done our best to divide them up as best we can.
We’re using fuel efficiency figures from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and for the combined city/highway rating, which blends 55% of the vehicle’s city rating and 45% of its highway rating. Of course, the phrase “your mileage may vary” is very true here. Numerous factors affect real-world driving, including ambient temperature, driving conditions, and how firm your foot is on that right-side pedal. Note that our prices are the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) for the base trim.
Most Fuel-Efficient Overall, Most Fuel-Efficient Car: Hyundai Elantra, 6.5 L/100 km
Last year’s crown went to the Mitsubishi Mirage at 6.2 L/100 km, but it isn’t sold in Canada anymore. The Hyundai Elantra is a larger vehicle than the Mirage but with only a fractional difference in in consumption. For that matter, the Elantra is larger than a number of other vehicles that use more fuel, including the Kona and Venue on the other side of the Hyundai showroom. Size isn’t the only factor; instead, it depends on such variables as engine, transmission, and any specific fuel-saving technologies.
That 6.5 L/100 km applies to the Elantra with 2.0L four-cylinder engine, making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, mated to an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) and with front-wheel drive. It’s also available with a turbocharged engine and as a hybrid.
2025 Hyundai Elantra
- Fuel Economy: 6.5 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $22,599 + $1,825 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Car Contenders:Nissan Sentra (6.6); Honda Civic (6.7); Toyota Corolla (6.7)
Most Fuel-Efficient Subcompact Crossover/SUV: Nissan Kicks Play, 7.2 L/100 km
Nissan “Kicks” its heels up twice on this list, because there are two versions of its subcompact sport-ute in first and then tied for second. An all-new Kicks arrives for 2025, but Nissan is continuing to build the last-generation one as well as a lower-cost option, and that is the top-rated-here Kicks Play.
The “Play” carries a 1.6L four-cylinder engine that makes 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque, with a CVT and front-wheel drive. The all-new Kicks has a 2.0L engine that makes 141 horsepower and it offers all-wheel drive (AWD), but even so, at 7.4 L/100 km in front-wheel and 7.7 in AWD, it’s just marginally thirstier than the Kicks Play – which brings us back to numerous factors being involved in fuel efficiency.
2025 Nissan Kicks Play
- Fuel Economy: 7.2 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $22,598 + $2,030 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Subcompact Crossover/SUV Contenders:Nissan Kicks (7.4); Toyota Corolla Cross (7.4); Volkswagen Taos (7.4)
Most Fuel-Efficient Compact SUV: Nissan Rogue, 7.6 L/100 km
Back with more “size isn’t everything,” the Nissan Rogue is larger and heavier than the Kicks and comes only in AWD for 2025, and yet is only a fraction of a litre less efficient.
The Rogue uses a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder engine that makes 201 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque and with a CVT. It uses a technology called variable-compression turbocharging, which varies how far each piston moves in its cylinder. This prioritizes either power or fuel efficiency, depending on what’s needed at the moment.
2025 Nissan Rogue
- Fuel Economy: 7.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $33,998 + $2,030 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Subcompact SUV Contenders:Honda CR-V (7.8); Ford Escape (8.0); Toyota RAV4 (8.0)
Most Fuel-Efficient Midsize SUV: Kia Sorento, 9.4 L/100 km
This segment is so hard-fought that it came down to 0.1 of a litre in some cases, but the Kia Sorento prevailed. The new Mazda CX-70 and CX-90 actually undercut it at 9.3, but they’re mild hybrids and as we mentioned above, we’re not including electrified models.
That noted, our crown goes only to the Sorento in base LX trim, which uses a 2.5L engine making 191 horsepower and 181 lb-ft of torque, with eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD. All other trims use a turbocharged version making 281 horsepower and rated at 10.3 L/100 km; still respectable but not quite enough to make our list here. With any vehicle, there can be a lot to consider when making your final decision.
2025 Kia Sorento
- Fuel Economy: 9.4 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $38,995 + $2,100 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Midsize SUV Contenders: Nissan Murano (9.7); Lincoln Nautilus (9.8); Chevrolet Blazer (9.9)
Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe, 9.8 L/100 km (est.)
Our winner here comes with an asterisk, because the Chevrolet Tahoe is an all-new version for 2025, along with its longer Chevrolet Suburban sibling, plus the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL derivatives. As with when it took the crown here for 2024, we’re looking at the turbodiesel-equipped version, which rated 9.8 L/100 km last year. This new version is more powerful at 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. It hadn’t been rated by NRCan at time of writing but we expect it won’t be far off last year’s number and should still squeak in.
So that said, because it is a diesel and that’s become a relatively rare creature in sport-utilities, even among these biggest-of-the-big, we’ll award a gasoline nod to the Jeep Wagoneer at 12.5 L/100 km. It uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0L inline-six engine making 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque, which can be upgraded to 540 horsepower and at 14.3 L/100 km in the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoner. Despite their names, the two are the same size; the “Grand” just has more luxury goodies stuffed into it.
2025 Chevrolet Tahoe w/Turbodiesel
- Fuel Economy: 9.8 L/100 km (est.)
- Canadian MSRP: $90,639 + $2,400 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 160,000 km (diesel)
- Other Full-Size SUV Contenders:Jeep Wagoneer (12.5); Lexus LX 600 (12.7); Ford Expedition (13.3)
Most Fuel-Efficient Small Truck: Ford Maverick, 9.4 L/100 km
We’ve donned our asbestos underwear for the expected chorus of, “That’s not a truck!” and we will reply with our usual, “Yes, it’s based on a compact SUV platform, but it has a bed and it hauls what its owners need it to haul, so yes, it’s a truck.”
It’s available with a hybrid engine, but we’re looking at the Maverick with 2.0L turbocharged engine – “EcoBoost,” in Ford-speak – that makes 238 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, and with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard AWD. Towing is rated at 2,000 lbs.
2025 Ford Maverick
- Fuel Efficiency: 9.4 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $33,500 + $2,195 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Small Truck Contenders:Hyundai Santa Cruz (10.7); Toyota Tacoma (11.2); Chevrolet Colorado (11.5); Honda Ridgeline (11.5)
Most Fuel-Efficient Full-Size Truck: GMC Sierra Turbodiesel, 9.3 L/100 km
As with the Tahoe/Yukon above, we’ve named the GMC Sierra mostly so the photo matches, but the Chevrolet Silverado shares this engine and fuel efficiency. We do note, however, that the GMC version has become a bit more upscale, and you can get the Silverado with this engine starting at some $2,100 less.
That engine is a 3.0L inline-six Duramax turbodiesel that makes 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque. All other full-size rivals that offered diesels have dropped them and a couple have added hybrid variations. The Ram 1500would have come in second at 10.8 L/100 km with its V6 and mild-hybrid system; but that electric-assist takes it out of our competition here, although its non-hybridized inline-six engine still captures third place. Even though the diesel takes our top spot, some of the Silverado’s gas-only rivals pull in some very decent fuel numbers for the size of their trucks. This also wraps up our list of larger trucks because NRCan doesn’t rate the heavy-duty models.
2025 GMC Sierra w/Turbodiesel
- Fuel Efficiency: 9.3 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $66,589 + $2,400 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 160,000 km (diesel)
- Other Full-Size Truck Contenders:Ford F-150 (11.3); Ram 1500 (11.5); Toyota Tundra (12.0)
Most Fuel-Efficient Minivan: (Tie) Chrysler Pacifica/Honda Odyssey, 10.6 L/100 km
The minivan segment isn’t as large as it used to be, but it’s still an important one for many families. It’s also a segment that’s moving into alternative powertrains, because while our winners are gasoline-only, the Kia Carnival comes in gas-only or hybrid; the Pacifica is also offered as a plug-in hybrid; and the Toyota Sienna is now exclusively a hybrid.
The Chrysler Pacifica uses a 3.6L V6, making 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, with nine-speed automatic transmission (there’s also the Chrysler Grand Caravan, but it’s simply a lower trim level on the Pacifica and shares its engine and fuel efficiency rating). The Honda Odyssey is powered by a 3.5L V6 that makes 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, with a ten-speed automatic transmission. It uses fuel-saving variable cylinder management, which shuts off some of the cylinders when they’re not needed for full power. Both are front-wheel drive.
Chrysler Pacifica
- Fuel Efficiency: 10.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $54,995 + $2,095 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
Honda Odyssey
- Fuel Efficiency: 10.6 L/100 km
- Canadian MSRP: $49,9920 + $2,000 destination charge
- Comprehensive Warranty: 3 years / 60,000 km
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 years / 100,000 km
- Other Minivan Contenders:Kia Carnival (11.1)
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.