Two top fuel-miser vehicles leading the revolt against traditional gas-guzzlers, are the hybrid fuel-electric cars from Japan, the Toyota Prius, the smaller Honda Civic the Nissan Altima.

Toyota’s Prius is a completely hybrid motor car, built from the ground up to combine its fuel-saving 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine with batteries and an electric motor. So it’s a two-motor car, actually one motor and one engine. (I couldn’t resist.) The Toyota Prius achieves an EPA fuel consumption figure of 48 mpg in city traffic and 45 mpg out on the open road.

The much-loved Honda Civic is now available as a hybrid car, too. I comes with a slightly-smaller 1.3 liter 4-cylinder engine. Its EPA figures are 40 mpg city, and 45 mpg on the highway. (For comparison, the better-known gasoline-powered Honda Civic model does 26/34 mpg, which is very good for a petrol engine.)

The Nissan Altima Hybrid is a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder car which manages an EPA 35 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. It does have an electric motor like the other hybrid cars, but it fails to match their super fuel economy. Instead the Nissan Ultima is a lot more powerful than those hybrids. But doesn’t that kinda defeat the whole idea of having a hybrid vehicle … I mean, they’re meant to save you gas.

Other non-hybrid vehicles in the best gas mileage category include the eye-catching Smart Fourtwo, a tiny gasoline-powered car that is often mistaken for an electric vehicle. The Fourtwo has a 1-liter, 3-cylinder, 71 horsepower petrol engine that delivers 33 mpg in the city and 41 on the highway. There is a diesel version of the Fourtwo Smart car, but only in Europe at the moment. American motorists will have to wait and see if the Fourtwo diesel ever lands in the United States.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI is a 2 liter 4-cylinder turbo-diesel passenger car which rates 30/41 mpg city/highway with its 6-speed manual gearbox. But the automatic transmission still manages to deliver 40 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. This modern Beetle is a serious contender in the best gas-mileage cars stakes.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid car does 33 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway with its 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine. It looks just like any ordinary Camry, which is a plus if you don’t want to stand out from the crowd. But its a minus if you want to show off your “green” credentials.

The sporty Mini Cooper delivers 28/37 mpg city/highway from its 1.6 liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine. The Mini Cooper seats four adults comfortably and gets you from A to B in style and with great fuel savings. It is comfortable, too, and has a lot more room inside than you’d think to look at the little beast.

The tiny Toyota Yaris gets you 29/36 mpg (city/highway) mileage from its 1.5 liter 4-cylinder engine and manual transmission. The 4-speed auto gearbox is almost as economical on gas, and returns an estimated 35 mpg on the highways. Like the better compact cars, the Yaris has more room on the inside than it would appear from the outside. It truly deserves to be on the list of best gas mileage cars.