Published November 21, 2011
The EPA and Department of Energy have released the latest installment of their annual Fuel Economy Guide, which ranks every EPA-rated vehicle available in the U.S. market. Last year, the Toyota Prius ended its long run atop the list of vehicles with the highest overall fuel economies when its 50-mpg combined rating was bested by both the Chevy Volt (at 60 MPGe combined,) and the Nissan LEAF's 99-MPGe rating.
Now, the LEAF too will end its year-long run as the most efficient vehicle in the United States, thanks to the release of the all-electric Mitsubishi i, which officially goes on sale in January rated at 112 MPGe (99 on the highway, 126 in the city.)
Fully electric vehicles don't exactly use “gallons” of electricity, so the EPA's miles-per-gallon equivalent rating system―which not many fully understand―isn't all that useful in and of itself for car shoppers. Still, beating the Nissan LEAF in both price and energy efficiency is an accomplishment for Mitsu, which has been running ads of late trumpeting just how “Normal” the car is, despite exotic new lingo like MPGe.
Of course, as a subcompact, the i is significantly smaller than the mid-sized LEAF, and also carries a range that is somewhat shorter. While the EPA rates the LEAF's electric range at 73 miles, the i has received an official rating of just 62 miles.
Other new hybrid and electric vehicles listed in the guide include the Ford Transit Connect, at 62 MPGe, and the Prius v, which comes in at 42 mpg. Toyota's Prius Plug-in and Fisker's Karma electric sports sedan have yet to receive their official ratings.
