For decades, if you wanted to burn rubber, you had to burn through fuel. But recent innovations have yielded some super-fast fuel-efficient cars, like the all-electric Tesla Model S and the turbocharged Ford Mustang.
Even with the increasing selection of fast cars with good fuel economy, finding the right one for you can still feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. That’s why Jerry
, your car insurance
genius and broker for life has scoured reviews and ratings to bring you this list of the top 20 fast cars with good mileage. To make sure you can find your fit, we’ve included choices from all-electric to standard gas engines and sporty splurges to more frugal finds.
The five fastest electric vehicles (EVs)
If we didn’t separate EVs, they would dominate the list of most fuel-efficient fast cars. You can’t get a whole lot more fuel-efficient than using no gas at all! Unfortunately, to reach a more accessible price range, you have to sacrifice at least some speed.
A Ford Mustang Mach E
starts at only about $45K, but 0-60 takes 5.8 seconds, while a top-of-the-line Chevy Bolt Premier
starts at a mere $32,695 but takes just shy of 7 seconds to reach 60 mph. For those with a more expansive, or expandable, budget, here are the top five fastest EVs of 2022.
Tesla Model S Plaid—starting at $137,990
If you’re looking for fast, fuel-efficient cars, it doesn’t get much faster or more fuel efficient than the Tesla Model S Plaid
. Lucid Air Dream Performance—starting at $169,000
Though the Lucid Air Dream Performance technically has a higher top speed than the Tesla, it can’t tick off 60 mph quite as fast.
Tesla Model X Plaid—starting at 138,990
Like the Model S, but bigger. If you’re willing to sacrifice just a touch of speed, you’ll get the added passenger and cargo space of an SUV with the Tesla Model X Plaid
. Tesla Model 3 Performance—starting at $63,440
The Tesla Model 3
is about as “affordable” as it gets for a fast EV. You lose a second in your trek from 0 to 60, but you’ll still enjoy fuel-free “fill-ups.” Porsche Taycan Turbo S—starting at $185,000
The speed and fuel efficiency of an EV with the style and grace of a Porsche
. Who could ask for more? MORE: How to get a hybrid or electric car tax credit
The five fastest plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)
PHEVs may not be quite as fast as many EVs—and once you get past the all-electric range, you do still have to rely on standard fuel to move—but they still need to be considered separately from standard-gas-engined cars for our list.
While 0-60 ratings and top speeds are often comparable to standard-gas-engined cars, a gas vehicle’s mpg can’t stand against a PHEV’s MPGe. Unfortunately, getting top-end performance out of a PHEV means spending top-end dollars. A Toyota Prius Prime
, for example, starts at a frugal $35,475 but requires 10.3 seconds to reach 60 mph. Ferrari 296 GTB—starting at $322,986
All-electric range: 10 miles
It’s a Ferrari, so you really shouldn’t be surprised by the price tag, or by the fact that it has a higher top speed than any of the EVs listed above without sacrificing much time on the way to 60 mph.
Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid—starting at $106,350
All-electric range: 19 miles
A Porsche with the speed of a sports car, the practicality of a four-door sedan, and the fuel efficiency of a PHEV. Sign us up!
Polestar 1—starting at $156,500
All-electric range: 52 miles
With PHEVs, you often sacrifice a lot of electric-only range in pursuit of speed, but that’s not the case with Volvo’s Polestar 1
. Too bad they only made 150 copies. Volvo S60 T8 Polestar—starting at $65,845
All-electric range: 41 miles
The next best thing to Polestar’s halo car, the Polestar 1, is Volvo’s S60 T8
. You lose almost a second on your way to 60, and a bit of your all-electric range, but you gain over 15 MPGe. BMW 745e—starting at $96,895
All-electric range: 16 miles
The BMW 745e
won’t be returning for the next 7-series generation, so if you want the stylish, speedy, fuel-sipping Bimmer, you’d better head to your dealer now. MORE: How to choose the best gasoline or fuel for your car
The 10 fastest hybrid and high-mpg standard engine cars
Now that we’ve got the PHEVs and EVs out of the way, we can focus on some hybrid and standard-engine options.
BMW 230i Coupe—starting at $38,295
With a turbocharged 255-hp inline-four engine, the entry-level BMW 230i
offers as much driving fun as many upper-level Bimmers for a comparably-reasonable price. We only wish BMW
offered a manual transmission to accompany the surprisingly spritely and fuel-friendly powertrain. Toyota Supra 2.0—starting at $44,565
While the Toyota Supra 3.0
sports a beefier six-cylinder, the Supra 2.0’s
155-hp four-cylinder is far from disappointing. The 2.0 saves you nearly $10K over the 3.0, not to mention the money it’ll save you on fuel. Lexus LC 500h—starting at $100,125
The Lexus LC 500h
combines a 3.5L V6 with a pair of electric motors to create a hybrid powertrain with 354 horses under the hood. With the ability to travel over 600 miles on a single tank, this is the fast, fuel-efficient car of road-trippers’ dreams. BMW Z4 sDrive30i—starting at $50,895
With the BMW Z4 sDrive30i
, you get a lot of car for a comparably low price on a BMW
. Rivals in its class include the Porsche Boxster
and the Porsche Cayman
, which start at over $11K higher for base models and get nowhere near the gas mileage of the Z4’s base turbocharged 255-hp four-cylinder. BMW 430i Coupe—starting at $48,595
The market is flooded with boosted four-cylinders, but the BMW 430i Coupe’s
225-turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder stands out by spinning up lots of torque really low—294 lb-ft at a mere 1550 rpm to be precise. Spicy acceleration and good gas mileage?—yes please! Audi TT Coupe—starting at $51,595
If we’re being honest, the Audi TT
is a lot more about looks than performance, but that’s why opting for the base-model TT Coupe isn’t much like making a sacrifice. Not only do you get the superior fuel economy of the Coupe’s turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder, but you get the same snazzy styling as higher-tier models. Audi A5 Premium—starting at $47,095
The Audi A5 Premium’s
turbocharged gas/electric mild-hybrid 2.0L engine is capable of producing 261 horsepower without guzzling gas. It may not have the zip of the two more-powerful A4 variants, but they don’t come close to the Coupe’s fuel-sipping economy. Ford Mustang EcoBoost Fastback—starting at $28,865
You’re certainly not getting the fastest possible Mustang
by going with the EcoBoost, but you are getting the most fuel efficient. That said, the base-model turbocharged 4-cylinder ‘Stang is in no way power-starved with 310 ponies nestled snugly under the hood. Chevrolet Camaro—starting at $26,395
A turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder is standard with the base-model Chevrolet Camaro 1LS
, but don’t let that fool you about the car’s need for speed. Just because they’re fuel efficient, doesn’t mean the Camaro’s
275 horses aren’t fast. Mazda Miata—starting at $28,665
When you’re looking at a Miata
, you don’t even have to opt for the entry-level trim to get a fast car that also features good fuel economy. All models, from the entry-level Sport
to the top-tier Club RF
, feature the same 181-hp 2.0L four-cylinder that gets you an EPA-estimated combined 30 mpg. The fastest way to save on car insurance
Finding the fastest car with the best fuel economy can take a lot of time and work, but shopping for car insurance doesn’t have to. Just leave the hard work to Jerry
, and finding the best coverage at the best rate will take less than 2 minutes! Just download the Jerry's trustworthy super app
, and answer a few questions, then sit back and relax while Jerry generates your top options based on a cross-comparison of offers from more than 50 of the nation’s top insurance providers. Tap your pick and Jerry’s team of experts will walk you through setting up your new policy and even help you cancel your old one. Plus, while you’re saving money on fuel for your new fast car, you’ll also be joining the ranks of Jerry customers who save over $800 a year on car insurance!
“As a young person who owns a sports car and a high-end sedan, I couldn’t find quotes below a certain threshold. By using Jerry
, I managed to find full comprehensive coverage on both vehicles and saved $150 a month!” —Channing Y.
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