Who is the EPA?

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is a US Government body, tasked with assessing possible and actual environmental issues that affect our environment, and indirectly, we the people who live in that environment.

The organization has been around for a while – since 1970 in fact – but increased environmental awareness has lead to their activity building up over time.

Why Is the New Formula Necessary?

Before the new EPA formula came into play, many vehicles used to be rated with a far better mpg than they could ever achieve under real driving conditions. This was because the formula used failed to take into account real driving conditions and issues, such as speeding, cold weather and aggressive driving, all of which impact on fuel economy (your miles per gallon).

Improving the way that average miles per gallon information is calculated means that you are better able to make good choices when buying a vehicle. You save money on fuel costs and, hopefully, will have less impact on the environment.

How Does This Help You?

Well, by having more accurate information regarding fuel consumption on easy to read stickers in the windows of all new cars and trucks sold in the US, consumers can now shop according to their requirements. For instance, you can now easily find, for example, cars that get 30 mpg or more, or even cars that get more than 40 mpg, and make a selection from those “pre qualified” candidates.

Making this information freely available to the public, by an unbiased third party, means that consumers can choose cars that will really save fuel.

What Other Information Does the EPA Provide?

Aside from the new EPA gas mileage statistics on every car, a visit to the  EPA website is worthwhile if better fuel economy is high on your list of requirements for your car, or even to check data on your existing vehicle.

Among the information offered on the site is a fuel consumption calculator, that allows you to search based on make, model and year, and provides average fuel consumption data. This can help you to check whether you are driving to save fuel, or even if your car could do with maintenance and repair.

The site also has a section for the greenest vehicles. These are the best fuel economy car, truck and vehicle statistics, and are a great resource when buying a new car.

What Information is Included

When running a search on the EPA site, you can make a comparison between two models, again useful if you are upgrading. You can also calculate the running costs for a year, based on an average of 15000 miles per year.

Information on where specific car models are sold, the emissions of those models, and many other useful pieces of information are included. This helps you to not only choose a car that will save money on fuel, but it let you know where to buy one, and how much of an environmental impact your choice will have.

What Else Can You Do

Once you have used the EPA site’s data to choose and purchase a new vehicle, which offers more miles per gallon as a standard, there are other ways you can improve this. So you can further improve gas mileage, and really save fuel.

When considering the fuel efficiency and emissions problem from all angles, whether it be finding cars that save fuel when buying, checking emissions to find out what your environmental impact is, or choosing a car that provides the best of both worlds, the new EPA gas mileage calculator, and indeed the whole website, is certainly a great resource.

Fuel-efficient cars save you, the driver money, and the environment in terms of less consumption of finite fossil fuel resources, and probably a lower emissions score. So if you are in the market for a new vehicle, or you want to find out more about your existing car, pay the EPA website a visit, and check how your wheels stack up.

Make informed choices, learn how to save on fuel costs, find out how alternative fuels can help you save money or emissions, and start making a difference, and saving money by getting more mpg out of your car or truck today.

The Toyota Prius has an EPA mileage score of 48/45. That’s 48 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 45 mpg on the highway. That’s extremely impressive. The Prius combines a regular 1.5 liter, 4-cylinder gasoline powered engine with a bank of batteries an electric motor. When you brake in traffic, the power that is normally wasted as heat in brake drums is used to charge the hybrid car’s batteries.

The hybrid Honda Civic achieves an EPA mpg score of 40/45 mpg and is powered by a 1.3 liter, 4-cylinder gasoline engine plus an electric motor. It looks identical to the regular gas-powered Civic (detailed below), except for a badge which says Hybrid.

The regular Honda Civic shows an EPA score of 26/34 mpg (manual) or 25/36 (automatic). It is small, stylish and luxurious, and Honda sure know how to make this baby squeeze every yard of travel from each drop of gasoline it burns.

The sporty Mini Cooper has an EPA mileage score of 28/37 mpg (manual) or 26/34 mpg (automatic). This modern remake of the famous 1960s British “Mini” car is actually built by BMW these days. It is a tiny vehicle with a surprising amount of room when you sit inside it. And like the little Cooper S model of old, this baby can accelerate and corner like a real sports car. It is certainly one of the best fuel economy cars, just as the original British mini was back in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Toyota Corolla just goes on and on as a reliable cheap-to-run favorite vehicle. It does 26/35 mpg (manual) and 27/35 mpg (automatic) by EPA figures. That’s truly excellent fuel economy. The new 2009 Corolla is roomy, affordable and comfortable. And its reliability is legendary.

The Nissan Altima achieves an EPA 23/32 mpg (manual), 23/31 (automatic). Like the hybrid cars above it has a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) which has no obvious gear changes – since it is making infinitely-small gearing changes all the time.  The Altima is a mid-sized car with a 2.5 liter engine, and it squeezes every inch of power out of it while delivering excellent fuel economy.

The Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec does a respectable 23/32 mpg on the EPA tests, and does it with luxurious style inside and out, powered by its 3 liter V6 engine which makes you think you are driving an 8-cylinder monster.

Fluctuating gas prices and the worldwide financial crisis are both making US motorists think again about their big gas-guzzling automobiles. And while foreign imported cars were cheap in looks and quality some decades back, that is no longer the case. The quality is now excellent and the savings are too good to ignore. That’s why it’s time to look for the best fuel economy cars you can get. At present the main ones are all made overseas, but you can expect this to change real fast.