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.

A Japanese electric car is expected to go on sale in Australia as early as 2010. Its the the Mitsubishi i MiEV, and it will sell for as little as $20,000 USD (approx $30,000 AUD).

The egg-shaped four-seater electric car will go on sale in Japan later this year. But Mr Robert McEniry, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Australia, said  the chances are good that Aussie car dealers will see their first shipment of the i MiEV some time next year.

On February 12, Mitsubishi will import two i MiEV electric cars to Australia. One will go on display at the Melbourne motor show next month, and the other electric vehicle is for potential customers to test drive.

The i MiEV is expected to sell well to corporations and government departments who are trying to reduce their carbon footprint and project a green image to the public.

“I think the public will go for them in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne. They are ideal for city commuting,” said Mr McEniry.

Unlike hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius or the hybrid Honda Civic, the little i MiEV has only an electric motor. It runs on electricity 100 per cent of the time. Hybrid cars normally use a gasoline engine plus an electric motor.

The i MiEV electric car doesn’t emit any carbon dioxide itself. However, much of Australia’s electricity is still generated by coal-fired power stations. McEniry says Mitsubishi is looking for green energy suppliers to be part of the project.

The Mitsubishi i MiEV has a 47kW electric motor and can be driven up to 160 kilometres before it needs recharging. The electric car recharges in  around eight hours at an ordinary power point, or in just 20 minutes at a dedicated high-voltage charger.

Mitsubishi examining recharging infrastructure for its electric vehicles and is in talks with two possible suppliers.

But Mitsubishi is not the only car manufacturer planning to  sell electric vehicles in Australia.

Holden plans to sell the Volt car by 2012. It’s a plug-in hybrid electric car that runs mostly on electricity.

Micro car maker Smart plans to sell a two-seater electric car in Australia. Toyota will consider selling the FT-EV here. Nissan iis pondering its EV car, and Mini is looking at its own E car.