Top 10 Most Fuel-efficient Petrol Cars We Tested In 2020

The list is equally divided between manual and automatic transmission-equipped models, hinting at the improvements in automatic gearboxes over the years

While 2020 may not have gone exactly as carmakers would have wanted, a few of them still launched new models this year itself, instead of pushing them to next year. We got to take most of them for our real-world fuel efficiency runs and as the year comes to an end, we’ve prepared a list of the top 10 most fuel-efficient petrol models. Take a look:

Note: Since cars are majorly used in the cities rather than highways, we have prepared the table in descending order of their fuel-efficiency figures in the city.

See More: Cars in India with mileage over 15kmpl.

10. Renault Triber AMT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.29kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 12.36kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 14.83kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Efficiency: 13.59kmpl

Price (AMT-equipped variants): Rs 6.29 lakh to Rs 7.34 lakh

While Renault launched its crossover sub-4m MPV in 2019, its AMT-equipped variants were introduced in 2020. The carmaker offers the AMT gearbox in all variants, except for the base-spec RXE. It comes mated to a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that belts out 72PS and 96Nm. This powertrain setup has ensured the Triber AMT gets a spot in the top 10 most fuel-efficient cars we tested in 2020.

9. VW Vento TSI AT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 16.35kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 12.45kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 16.52kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 14.48kmpl

Price: Rs 8.93 lakh to Rs 13.39 lakh

Volkswagen is one of those few brands that now offer petrol-only offerings since the BS6 norms came into effect. This led to the Vento gaining a new 1.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine (110PS/175Nm), replacing the previously offered 1.6-litre MPI and 1.2-litre TSI units. It comes mated to either a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed AT gearbox. The AT-equipped Vento has a claimed fuel efficiency of 16.35kmpl that puts the sedan at the 9th spot in the above table.

8. Skoda Rapid TSI MT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.97kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 12.79kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 17.13kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 14.96kmpl

Price (MT-equipped variants): Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 11.79 lakh

The most affordable compact sedan on sale in India, the Skoda Rapid shares its engine and gearbox options with its cousin, the VW Vento. Skoda offers both the 6-speed MT and 6-speed AT gearboxes across all variants. The MT-equipped Rapid is one of the most frugal petrol sedans available in India as evident from the tested fuel-efficiency figures. 

7. Skoda Rapid TSI AT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 16.24kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 13.67kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 17.30kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 15.48kmpl

Price (AT-equipped variants): Rs 9.49 lakh to Rs 13.29 lakh

Traditionally, AT-equipped variants models have been believed to be less frugal than their manual counterparts. However, with advancements in technology, new cars have been defying this belief as their AT-equipped variants are more frugal than those with a manual gearbox. This is clearly visible in the case of the tested highway fuel efficiency of the Rapid AT that beats the Rapid MT’s tested figure by a small margin.

6. VW Polo TSI AT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 16.47kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 14.05kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 17.69kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 15.87kmpl

Price (TSI engine-equipped variants): Rs 8.08 lakh to Rs 9.67 lakh

Another member of the Skoda-Volkswagen family in the top 10 most fuel-efficient cars of 2020 is the VW Polo. VW offers the lower-specced variants of the Polo with a 1.0-litre MPI engine while the higher variants and Polo GT get a 1.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine. While the former comes with a 5-speed MT only, VW offers the 1.0-litre TSI-equipped variants with a 6-speed MT as well as a 6-speed AT like its sedan cousins Vento and Rapid. The 1.0-litre TSI engine offered with the AT gearbox has put the hatchback in the list of the top 10 most fuel-efficient cars we tested in 2020.

5. Hyundai Aura Turbo

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 20.5kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 14.71kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.44kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 17.57kmpl

Price (Turbo variant): Rs 8.60 lakh

Hyundai offers its sub-4m sedan, the Aura, with both petrol and diesel engines. It also gets a turbocharged petrol unit offered in a single SX+ variant with a 5-speed MT gearbox. In our tests, the Aura Turbo delivered a mileage of 14.71kmpl in the city and 20.44kmpl on the highway, resulting in it being the most frugal sub-4m sedan we tested in 2020.

4. VW Polo TSI MT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.24kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 15.16kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 17.21kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 16.18kmpl

Price (TSI engine-equipped variants): Rs 8.08 lakh to Rs 9.67 lakh

While the TSI-AT combo-equipped version of the Polo returns an average fuel efficiency of 15.87kmpl, the one offered with the 6-speed MT gearbox betters the former by a small margin of 0.31kmpl. The Polo TSI MT was more frugal in the city than its AT-equipped counterpart while the latter offered better mileage on the highway.

3. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Turbo

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 20.7kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 16.18kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.29kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 18.23kmpl

Price (Turbo variants): Rs 7.75 lakh to Rs 7.81 lakh

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is offered with two petrol engines: 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol and 1.0-litre turbo unit. While the former is paired to either a 5-speed MT or AMT, the go-fast version of the hatchback comes only with a 5-speed MT. It offers improved performance over its naturally aspirated counterpart without compromising on the fuel efficiency, making it one of the most frugal petrol cars of 2020.

2. Honda City CVT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.4kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 16.28kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.62kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 18.45kmpl

Price (CVT-equipped variants): Rs 12.19 lakh to Rs 14.44 lakh

Honda’s fifth-gen City was one of the most anticipated launches of 2020. It is offered with a set of 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard on both. Honda also offers the petrol version of the sedan with the option of a 7-step CVT gearbox. This powertrain combo returns a mileage of around 16kmpl in the city making it the most fuel efficient petrol-powered sedan of 2020.

1. Maruti S-Presso MT

ARAI Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 21.7kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 19.33kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 21.88kmpl

Average Of City And Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.60kmpl

Price (MT-equipped variants): Rs 4.75 lakh to Rs 4.99 lakh

While the same data of 2019 had the AMT-equipped version of the Maruti S-Presso at the top spot, it is the S-Presso with the manual transmission that tops the chart as the most frugal petrol car of 2020. The S-Presso MT offers the best fuel efficiency in both city and highway driving conditions with an average mileage of 20.60kmpl.

The fuel efficiency of a car is majorly dependent on the driving style, the health of the car and the driving environment. Hence, these numbers could easily change if any of these factors are affected. If you own any of the cars from the above table, don’t forget to let us know the fuel efficiency you derive from your vehicle in the comments below.

all prices, ex-showroom