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Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 05/23/2023

Buying a used sedan used to make a lot of sense. You save yourself the immediate hit of depreciation of a new car. However, these days, it’s not as simple as it once was, given the inflated used car prices. However, if you are looking for a used sedan, there are some great options from 2018 that will help save you cabbage on gas. Of these fuel-efficient used sedans, a fairly unpopular Subaru model made the list of the best-used sedans for gas mileage. Have you considered a 2018 Subaru Legacy? 

2018 Subaru Legacy driving on a road. shown in a list of the best used cars for gas mileage.
2018 Subaru Legacy | Subaru

Keep your used car purchase to around 5-years-old 

Looking at used cars at least five years old puts them in a place where the worst depreciation has likely already happened. However, they aren’t too old that you have to sacrifice all of the newer car features. As such, a 5-year-old car is a bit of a financial sweet spot. 

Is the Subaru Legacy a good used car? 

Subaru is growing its reputation for being reliable, safe, adventure-ready, and family-friendly vehicles. A huge part of the Subaru brand is centered around every vehicle coming standard with AWD. This feature also makes the 2018 Subaru Legacy unique on this list. 

Overall, the Legacy is an excellent four-door sedan with great versatility. It sports a comfortable ride, responsive handling, simple controls, easy cabin entry, a quiet cabin, and a roomy interior. 

Overall, the Legacy hit all the earmarks of a great sedan at the time. Smart buyers will try to find a top-trim model with Subaru’s EyeSight safety package. 

2018 Subaru Legacy mpg

The 2018 Subaru Legacy made the list of the best used sedans for gas mileage for a good reason; it gets great gas mileage, 27 mpg combined. For exclusively non-hybrid sedans, that puts it at the top of the fuel economy tower.

While the combined mpg is pretty good, the Subaru Legacy’s highway mileage clocks at a whopping 39 mpg. This is killer considering the fact that this is a midsize sedan with AWD. Between the size of the car and the heavy and demanding AWD system, 39 mpg on the highway is a heavy plus. 

Subaru has only gotten better

2018 was a big year for Subaru. For instance, models like the Outback and the Crosstrek got some much-needed updates for the 2018 model year. The cabins got better insulated, and the EyeSight system got more comprehensive. 

While the 5-year-old used car rule is a solid one, in general, it works particularly well in the case of used Subarus because of updates that year. 

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Staff Writer

Peter Corn

Peter Corn joined MotorBiscuit as an Autos Writer in 2020 and brings his quippiest Southern drawl to our table. Having, in his words, “helped” rebuild his dad’s 1959 MGA as a small child, Peter grew up loving vintage cars and trucks, adding motorcycles and all things 4×4 as he went.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Archeology and Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and has since melded his love of driving with storytelling. His voice, full of pleasantries and witticisms, can be enjoyed in The Gentleman Racer, The Vintagent, Gear Patrol, Iron & Air Magazine, and Classic Car Club Magazine.

Peter is a co-founder of both The Colloquial Magazine and The Fire Escape, the official podcast of The Colloquial. In an effort to increase his abilities in “ramping anything with wheels,” Peter has taken track training from Classic Car Club Manhattan and attended Rally School at Monticello Motor Club, where he was coached by eight-time Performance Rally motorsport champion Chris Duplessis.

On a lucky day, we get to hear Peter tell the story of his first car, a jewel of a 1958 Ford Fairlane, into which he dumped more time and money than made sense, but he has no regrets.