While hybrids and EVs get excellent fuel economy, they can be rather expensive. Folks on a budget may want to look for a regular car that has excellent fuel economy. Hyundai seems to dominate that front. Here’s a look at the two Hyundai cars with some of the best gas mileage for a conventional car. 

Why a car’s fuel economy can be important

Many things are increasing in price. This not only includes cars, thanks to the chip shortage, but also gas. Despite trying to tackle climate change, President Biden recently called on OPEC to increase oil production so that gas prices would fall. However, there’s an easy way to tackle high gas prices, and that’s by driving a fuel-efficient car. 

The more fuel-efficient a car is, the less gas it’ll use. Even in the era of EVs, fuel economy still matters. This is because EVs and hybrids aren’t cheap, and not everybody can afford one. So, a regular car that gets an excellent fuel economy strikes a good balance for people on a budget. And two Hyundais check all of those boxes and more.

The Hyundai Accent is one of the most fuel efficient regular cars

Like Car and Driver wrote, the Hyundai Accent was third place in the most fuel-efficient regular cars. This is largely thanks to its brand-new 1.6-liter I-4 engine, which replaced its old, similarly-sized engine. With that being said, this new engine gets 120 hp, which is 10 hp less than the old one, so it’s not a win everywhere. 

According to Car and Driver, the new engine, combined with the Accent’s CVT, allows it to get 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. This totals to 36 mpg combined. On top of that, the Accent starts at about $16,000 brand-new, so folks won’t have to spend much on it overall. 

While the Accent is a subcompact sedan, Car and Driver ranked it above the other cars in its segment. This is because it comes with a 5-inch touch screen display and decent interior options in its premium trims. Additionally, while its engine lost some power, it should still provide enough juice to make the Accent fun to drive.

The Hyundai Elantra is slightly better

The Hyundai Elantra was second place on Car and Driver’s list. It only lost out to the Mitsubishi Mirage, but it’s not a total loss. As Car and Driver wrote, the Elantra was redesigned for the 2021 model year, and it looks better than before. Not only that, but it’s also a bigger car than the Accent or the Mirage. As such, the Elantra may be the more practical option for folks who need a bit more space.

Since it’s a bigger car, the Elantra also has a bigger engine than the Accent. The Elantra has a 2.0-liter I4 that gets 147 hp. However, that’s not enough power to make the Elantra go fast. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in about 8.3 seconds. Regardless, thanks to this engine and the Elantra’s CVT, it gets a slightly better fuel economy than the Accent does.

Car and Driver said that the Elantra gets 33 mpg in the city, and 43 mpg on the highway, for 37 mpg combined. It starts at about $21,000, so it’ll still be affordable for most families. 

While both are great options, in an ever-changing economy, fuel efficiency doesn’t have to come at such a considerable cost.