Economy Cars Reviews

When it comes to coverage of economy and compact cars, Car and Driver is one of the most thorough reviewers we've found, offering extensive, well-thought-out features on a variety of makes and models. Cars are tested on everything from drive quality to fuel economy to cargo space. Motor Trend is another excellent resource for comparative reviews, particularly with respect to the comprehensive coverage surrounding the magazine's annual Car of the Year evaluations. Edmunds.com also provides a wealth of current review coverage and offers a fresh perspective on the vehicles that it tests, though the site's best comparative reviews are provided in its Edmunds Inside Line online magazine. Consumer Reports excels in evaluating factors that most other publications gloss over, particularly long-term predicted reliability.

Consumer Guide isn't the best source for narrative reviews, but the website has great information on specifications, fuel economy, features, options and pricing. KBB.com, the online home of Kelley Blue Book, now goes far beyond estimating used-car values, offering an extensive review section. Kiplinger magazine rates compact cars with a focus on value, running costs and long-term reliability.

Although hybrid cars -- which use a combination of gas and electric power -- are hyped as being especially good values when it comes to fuel economy, experts say that in a strict cost/benefit analysis, they don't always come out better than a non-hybrid car in the long run. Consumer Reports magazine recently ran five-year projections on total costs for hybrid vs. similar non-hybrid cars. Estimates included insurance and maintenance costs, purchase price, probable resale value and income-tax credits (which are already being phased out on popular hybrid cars, and won't apply to any vehicle purchased after 2010). When it comes to SUVs and mid-priced sedans, there's little question that, for now, a hybrid car is actually more expensive to own and maintain by a significant margin. On the other hand, if recent hikes in gasoline prices continue unabated, these projections could change significantly in the coming months.

No one argues that hybrid cars represent forward-looking technology that's better for the environment. However, on an individual basis, most aren't yet more cost-effective than some standard economy cars like the Honda Fit (*est. $13,950 to $16,070), which gets up to 38 miles per gallon. In Consumer Guide's real-world mileage figures, the Honda Civic Hybrid achieved a mixed-driving average of 38 miles per gallon; the Honda Fit with a manual transmission achieved 35.6 mpg. (The Fit is a smaller car with a smaller engine, however.) See our separate report on hybrid cars for more on hybrid technology and choices.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
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Two Honda compacts, the Honda Civic sedan and the Honda Fit hatchback, get excellent reviews for the 2008 model year. The Toyota Corolla, which fits somewhere between those two cars, isn't as fun or forward-looking as the Civic and Fit, but its reliability record is one of the best in the business. Experts recommend the agile Mazda3 -- particularly in its performance-oriented Mazdaspeed3 trim -- to buyers looking for a sportier but still affordable compact car.

Very inexpensive cars like the Chevrolet Aveo and Kia Rio don't win many major awards, but if price is your main consideration, they're among the least expensive options on the market. Some reviewers warn, however, that the Aveo has a poor track record for long-term reliability, while the Rio suffers from below-average resale. As such, buyers may end up facing higher-than-average repair costs or rates of depreciation down the road. The Toyota Yaris, while slightly more expensive than either of these models, is likely to constitute a better value over time.