Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
Best EV 2025
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles I review EVs for a living – these are the 7 best electric cars I’ve tested in 2025 so far
Three cars on show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with one on track.
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles Electric cars can be fun – the 6 hottest new EVs from the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025
Shanghai Motor Show 2025
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles The 5 most exciting new EVs from the Shanghai Auto Show 2025 that could launch globally
CATL
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles CATL unveils its new battery tech that charges in five minutes, offers huge range but doesn’t cost a fortune
A CATL battery swap station next to the Geely Haoyue R7 car
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles The world's first range-extending hybrid car with swappable battery packs has landed – here's why it could be the future
The Kia EV5 parked by a lake
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles I took the Kia EV5 on a weekend away and it's a near-perfect electric SUV for families – with one major drawback
Peugeot E-208 GTi
Hybrid & Electric Vehicles Peugeot reinvents its GTi badge for the EV age – and the E-208 is the best looking electric hot-hatch so far
  1. Vehicle Tech

5 of the best gas-saving cars and the tech behind them

News
By Marc Carter published 1 October 2015

The electric motor is here to stay

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Spend less time doing this and more time driving

Spend less time doing this and more time driving

Back in the '80s and '90s, if you wanted a fuel efficient car, you were forced to find a small car with a sputtering, fuel-sipping engine. Today, buyers looking for a fuel efficient vehicle have more choices than ever before.

We still have a few vehicles on the market that stay true to the "small engine with even smaller performance" principle but, thanks to the arrival of the electric motor, things have changed. It's no secret that hybrid and electric vehicles are easily the most efficient cars on the market.

We've put together a list of five of the best. But not only that, here's a glimpse of what makes each whip go.

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius essentially started the hybrid revolution back in the early aughts. The Prius, which is now about to enter its fourth-generation, has consistently been one of the most fuel efficient hybrids on the market. How does it do it?

For starters, the car is powered by a fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine and an electric motor. During slow stop and go traffic, the Prius's electric motor is able to keep the Prius moving along and then when speeds begin to pick up the 1.8L four-cylinder kicks in.

The current Prius has a 51 miles-per-gallon (mpg) highway rating. The next-generation, 2016 Prius is expected to best that by about 10% - giving it a rating around 55 mpg.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Chevy Volt

Chevy Volt

If the Toyota Prius is the face of the hybrid segment, then the Chevy Volt is easily the face of the plug-in hybrid segment. The Chevy Volt has only been around since 2011, but it signaled the arrival of a new generation of green vehicles that would be even more fuel efficient than their hybrid predecessors.

While the current standard Prius can only travel about a mile in fully electric mode, the Volt trounced that with the ability to travel up to 38 miles (about 61 km) on electricity alone. Once that 38 miles is up, the Volt's four-cylinder gas engine kicks in to charge the battery and electric motor, giving the Volt a total driving range of 380 miles (about 611 km). The next-generation, 2016 Volt is going to up the ante even further, with a 53-mile electric driving range and a total driving range of 420 miles (about 675 km).

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf

Electric cars aren't an entirely new concept, if you can remember the General Motors EV1, or the Honda EV Plus. Both electric vehicles were produced in very limited numbers in the late '90s, but they were a preview of the future.

Fast forward to 2010, when Nissan released the Leaf electric car, the first electric car for the masses. Powered by a 107-horsepower (hp) electric motor and a lithium-ion battery, the Leaf has an 84-mile driving range and takes up to five hours to recharge on a 240-volt outlet.

For 2016, Nissan is giving the Leaf a 30kWh (or kilowatt-hour) larger battery. That boosts its driving range to 107 miles, which is further than any of the Leaf's direct competitors.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S

Probably the biggest reason that car buyers have stayed away from electric cars is because of this little thing called "range anxiety." For decades, buyers have been used to driving gas or diesel powered cars that can drive 300 miles (about 482 km)or more on a single tank of gas, which then can be easily refueled in a matter of minutes.

The electric car is not quite at that level yet, since most of them can only drive 80 to 100 miles (about 128 to 160 km)on a single charge, not to mention that nearly nonexistent infrastructure. But one automaker has changed that: Tesla.

The Tesla Model S is one of the most sought after electric cars on the market, and not only because of its sexy exterior. The Model S has a driving range up to 270 miles (about 434 km), which puts it closer to a gas-powered vehicle's range.

Tesla's Model S not only proves that it is possible to make an electric car with a reasonable driving range, but the Model S also proves how fast electric cars can be, thanks to their instantaneous torque. With its dual electric motors, the Model S can reach 60 miles per hour (about 96 kilometers per hour) in an insanely fast 2.8 seconds.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
BMW i3

BMW i3

In 2014, BMW introduced the world to its new "i" sub brand, which would house its new electric i3 and i8 models. While the i8 plug-in hybrid was a sexy supercar for those select buyers that could afford a $100,000 sports car, the i3 with its electric powertrain and small, city-friendly footprint, grabbed most of the attention.

Rather than base its electric car off of an existing platform, BMW chose to create a standalone model that would be designed from the ground up to be an electric car. This meant that BMW could optimize every part to make it as light as possible, and even its shape would be optimized with aerodynamics in mind.

The i3 is the first production car to use carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic to keep its weight down. The unique material is just as strong as steel, but half the weight.

The i3 is also the only vehicle on the market that can be powered by a fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain. If you choose the electric i3, you'll be able to travel up to 81 miles (about 130 km). But, if you want to drive further, the i3 with a gasoline range extender increases the total driving range to 150 miles (about 241 km).

How does the i3 with range extender work? Just like the Volt, the i3 drives first in electric mode up to around 70 miles (about 112 km), then a two-cylinder gas engine mounted in the back powers up to charge the lithium-ion battery.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Marc Carter
Read more
Best EV 2025
I review EVs for a living – these are the 7 best electric cars I’ve tested in 2025 so far
Three cars on show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with one on track.
Electric cars can be fun – the 6 hottest new EVs from the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025
Shanghai Motor Show 2025
The 5 most exciting new EVs from the Shanghai Auto Show 2025 that could launch globally
CATL
CATL unveils its new battery tech that charges in five minutes, offers huge range but doesn’t cost a fortune
A CATL battery swap station next to the Geely Haoyue R7 car
The world's first range-extending hybrid car with swappable battery packs has landed – here's why it could be the future
The Kia EV5 parked by a lake
I took the Kia EV5 on a weekend away and it's a near-perfect electric SUV for families – with one major drawback
Latest in Vehicle Tech
Apple CarPlay Ultra ADAS
Automakers appear to be turning their backs on CarPlay Ultra but that hasn’t stopped Apple adding this new feature
Sol Motors Pocket Rocket
This Pocket Rocket electric motorcycle essentially runs on a giant AA battery and it’s now available to pre-order
Elon Musk and Grok.
Tesla introduces Grok AI into some of its cars, but it can’t control the vehicle… yet
Three cars on show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with one on track.
Electric cars can be fun – the 6 hottest new EVs from the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025
Lucid Air Grand Touring Guinness World Record
The Lucid Air just broke the world record for the longest EV journey on a single charge – across three countries without stopping
Zeekr 001 FR
Zeekr could soon launch the most powerful Chinese EV ever – a hypercar that can break the 2,000hp barrier
Latest in News
ChatGPT
Convenience over privacy? Nearly one in three Brits sharing confidential information with AI chatbots
Google AI Mode
Google AI Mode is getting a bigger AI brain from Gemini
ChatGPT Agent
OpenAI claims the new ChatGPT agent can run your errands, build your slides, and make you look like you have your life together
A mash up of the Assassin's Creed logo and Netflix's
Netflix confirms Assassin's Creed live-action TV show is in the works, and I'm praying it doesn't silently kill the popular video game series
ChatGPT Agent Starting Soon
OpenAI just announced ChatGPT Agent – here's everything you need to know as it happened
Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong wears clothes in Banaza because Nintendo was 'conscious' of what the ape would look like 'from the back'
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Convenience over privacy? Nearly one in three Brits sharing confidential information with AI chatbots
  2. 2
    AI agents are set to offer $450 billion in value, but UK businesses are positioned to miss out
  3. 3
    After a couple of weeks testing the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, I found its performance and screen impressive, but its battery life? Not so much
  4. 4
    British astronaut Tim Peake wants to ‘put the data centers into space’: Here’s why
  5. 5
    Google AI Mode is getting a bigger AI brain from Gemini

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...