5 Non-Hybrid SUVs With The Best Gas Mileage

If you want an SUV with amazing gas mileage, most recommend buying a hybrid model. However, hybrid vehicles tend to be on the expensive side, so you'd likely skip them if you're on a budget. But that doesn't mean that you should settle for a gas-guzzling vehicle. So, we scoured the EPA's Fuel Economy report and looked for non-hybrid SUVs that have the best gas mileage.

The EPA list only shows the latest vehicles, so the cars we picked today are all 2024 and 2025-year models. Given that larger vehicles tend to consume more fuel, our list is inevitably composed mostly of subcompact crossovers, except for one compact SUV that was able to beat the odds.

Furthermore, four of the five models in our list are also in our roundup of the most affordable SUVs in the U.S. for 2024, so you could save some money when picking these vehicles. Of course, these are just estimates and the actual numbers that you'll get will vary depending on your load, driving habit, traffic conditions, and many more. But, at the very least, you will get within these ballpark figures if you drive normally for most of the time.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer hit the market in 2021 and bridges the price gap between the Trax and Equinox. This subcompact SUV is powered by a 1.3-liter ECOTEC turbo engine, which generates 155 hp at 5,600 rpm and 174 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm. If you're after fuel economy, you want to get the front-wheel drive version as it could hit 29 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, with a combined rating of 31 mpg.

This small SUV starts at $23,100, so while you're saving money on fuel costs, you're also saving on the total price of the car or your monthly payments if you choose to finance it. Nevertheless, you're not getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the Trailblazer's features.

It comes standard with an 11-inch touchscreen that has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities, Chevy Safety Assist advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and automatic headlamps. You also get a bevy of optional features, like the panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, and a premium seven-speaker audio system from Bose.

The Kona was Hyundai's second electrified model in the U.S., arriving after the Ioniq. However, it doesn't mean that the company dropped its gasoline only variant, so you could purchase the car in either EV or ICE format. What's amazing is that even though Hyundai could have focused its energies on making the Kona EV, it did not forget about the gas-powered Kona.

The Hyundai Kona, when packed with a 2-liter naturally aspirated engine, could hit 29 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. This translates to a combined rating of 31 mpg, and you don't have to pay through the nose to get this kind of figure. That's because the Kona SE starts at just $24,350, which makes it among the most affordable new cars available on the market today.

But if you want to save a few thousand dollars more, consider the Hyundai Venue instead. It is smaller but has a starting price of just $19,900. However, despite being smaller, you'll still get similar numbers to the larger Kona — 29 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg for combined driving.

Toyota is known for its hybrid offerings, having pioneered the industry with the Toyota Prius in the late '90s and early 2000s. But even if you're not getting a hybrid Toyota, you can still get a reliable and efficient vehicle with the Toyota Corolla Cross. While this model is available as a hybrid model, it still has a gasoline only variant for those looking to save some money.

This small crossover SUV starts at $23,860, and even though it's not a hybrid car, you could still get great mileage out of it. The Corolla Cross is estimated at 31 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, leading to a combined figure of 32 mpg. Since the Corolla Cross is based on the same platform and drivetrain as the legendarily reliable Toyota Corolla, you likely won't have to worry about dealing with issues with this model in the future.

Despite being on the affordable end of the spectrum, you still get a few creature comforts as standard with the Corolla Cross. This includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DRLs, LED headlights, and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. So, you're getting a lot of value for a such a low price and great fuel economy.

This is the largest model on our list, and we're surprised at how Nissan was able to pull off such great fuel economy performance despite its size. The 2024 Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover, although the Nissan website claims that it's a mid-size vehicle. But no matter who is right, what's more important is its fuel economy. EPA testing says this crossover SUV can get 30 mpg in the city and a whopping 37 mpg on the highway, giving you a combined figure of 33 mpg.

Of course, since you're going one notch higher, expect the Nissan Rogue to be far more expensive than the other options here. It starts at $29,230, just a few hundred dollars shy of $30,000, and you're bound to lose out on a lot of features at this price. Nevertheless, if you need the bigger space but still consider fuel economy as one of the most important features of a new car, you won't go wrong with the Rogue.

You should note, though, that amazing fuel economy means you're sacrificing some fun on the road. While it's not exactly slow, as it offers a peppy drive, we still wouldn't recommend this SUV for aggressive driving. Of course, if you bury your foot a little deeper on the accelerator to get more response out of its 1.5-liter engine, expect the fuel economy to suffer a little bit.

The 2024 Nissan Kicks isn't at the top of EPA's list of the most fuel-efficient SUVs. But if you remove all the hybrid and electric vehicles that are in the list, it's the first gasoline-only car that you will see.

The EPA estimates the Kicks could hit 31 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of 33 mpg. The company just launched an all-new 2025 Nissan Kicks, but we're sticking with the 2024 model so far, because it seems that the EPA hasn't finished testing the new one yet. Even so, we believe that the EPA ratings of the new model shouldn't be too far off.

Nevertheless, if you want to be sure that you're getting the most fuel-efficient model, then we recommend sticking with the 2024 Nissan Kicks. The all-new 2025 Kicks start at just $21,830, so, if you look for the older year model, then you might be able to get a discount on it, allowing you to get a good price on a fuel-efficient car.