These Were The 10 Most Frugal Petrol Cars We Tested In 2022

While it’s a given that smaller cars are more frugal, one SUV on the list was impressively efficient

In 2022, most new cars were petrol-only models and we also got a handful of electrified vehicles including hybrids. Of all the new models with which we conducted our fuel-efficiency test runs, here are the 10 most frugal petrol offerings from 2022:

Note: Since cars are majorly used in the cities rather than on 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. Skoda Slavia 1.5-litre DCT

ARAI-Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.41kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 14.14kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.85kmpl

Price (1.5-litre DCT variant): Rs 18.40 lakh

Skoda has equipped only the top-spec Style trim of the Slavia with the optional DCT gearbox paired with the larger 150PS 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. This is also the only engine on the list to feature cylinder deactivation technology that aids its fuel economies. This petrol-auto combo returned a mileage of over 14kmpl in our city tests but went beyond the claimed figure on the highway runs. Skoda also offers this engine with a six-speed manual transmission.

9. Tata Altroz Turbo MT

ARAI-Claimed Fuel Efficiency: 18.13kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 14.17kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 18.40kmpl

Price (Turbo MT variants): Rs 8.35 lakh to Rs 9.55 lakh

Even though the Tata Altroz turbo was introduced in early 2021, we only tested it in 2022. Although its tested fuel economy in the city is below the claimed figure, the turbo-petrol equipped hatchback surpassed it on highway runs. The 110PS 1.2-litre turbo-petrol with a five-speed manual may not be the most frugal choice for the Altroz, it also gets two other engine options. They are the 86PS 1.2-litre petrol engine and the 90PS 1.5-litre diesel unit, with only the former getting the choice of a six-speed DCT automatic.

8. Citroen C3 MT

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 19.8kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 15.18kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.27kmpl

Price (N.A. MT variants): Rs 5.88 lakh to Rs 6.80 lakh

Citroen’s second product for our market was the C3 hatchback which has been introduced as a petrol-only offering. It has two engines on offer: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated unit (82PS and 115Nm) and a 1.2-litre turbocharged engine (110PS and 190Nm). The latter is paired with a six-speed manual transmission, while the former gets a five-speed manual. We’ve only tested the entry-level engine option and it’s the first on the list to deliver over 15kmpl in city traffic.

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7. Maruti Alto K10 MT

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 24.39kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 16.56kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 22.97kmpl

Price (MT variants): Rs 3.99 lakh to Rs 5.33 lakh

Maruti brought back the ‘K10’ suffix for its entry-level hatchback, the Alto, in 2022. The third-generation Alto K10 comes with a 1-litre petrol engine (67PS/89Nm) and gets both five-speed MT and AMT options. While the engine with both gearbox choices offers a claimed fuel economy of over 24kmpl, we got to test the MT version of the hatchback that returned over 16.5kmpl in city conditions and nearly 23kmpl on the highway drives.

6. Toyota Glanza AMT

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 22.94kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 16.94kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.31kmpl

Prices (AMT variants): Rs 7.98 lakh to Rs 9.99 lakh

The Toyota Glanza got its first mid-life update in 2022 following which it received the new Dual Jet 1.2-litre petrol engine (90PS/113Nm) as its Maruti counterpart, the Baleno. With the facelift, Toyota’s premium hatchback got an ARAI-claimed mileage of almost 23kmpl for its AMT variants. It failed to match the claimed figure but its 16.94kmpl tested fuel economy in the city puts it ahead of the Alto K10 on this list.

5. Toyota Glanza MT

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 22.35kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 17.35kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 21.43kmpl

Prices (MT variants): Rs 6.59 lakh to Rs 9.51 lakh

Expectedly, the manual transmission variant of the Toyota Glanza proved to be more frugal than its AMT variant. While the tested city fuel efficiency of 17.35kmpl was only slightly better, it still failed to match the claimed fuel-economy figure. That said, it came close to the claimed number on the highway by returning around 21.5kmpl.

Also Read: These Are The 10 Cars That Went Off The Market In 2022

4. Maruti Celerio AMT

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 26kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 19.02kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 20.08kmpl

Price (AMT variants): Rs 6.24 lakh to Rs 7 lakh

Maruti has provided the second-gen Celerio with a 1-litre Dual Jet petrol engine (67PS/89Nm) with both five-speed MT and AMT options. We had the petrol-auto combo for our tests and it delivered a little over 19kmpl in our city runs and more than 20kmpl on the highway. That said, in both scenarios, the compact hatchback was unable to match its claimed fuel-efficiency figure by a big margin.

3. Honda City Hybrid

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 26.5kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 20.15kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 23.38kmpl

Price: Rs 19.89 lakh

In 2022, Honda became the first brand to offer a mass-market strong-hybrid model with the introduction of the City e:HEV. The hybrid sedan is sold in a single trim and has a 1.5-litre petrol unit (98PS/172Nm) combined with two electric motors and a small battery pack. Although the carmaker claims a fuel efficiency of 26.5kmpl, the City Hybrid failed to match it in both city and highway tests but still returned more than 20kmpl in each.

2. Maruti Grand Vitara Hybrid

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 27.97kmpl

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 25.45kmpl

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 21.97kmpl

Price (hybrid variants): Rs 17.99 lakh to Rs 19.65 lakh

The second most fuel-efficient petrol car that we tested in 2022 happened to be the new Maruti Grand Vitara strong hybrid. Maruti has equipped it with a 1.5-litre petrol engine (116PS combined) with a strong-hybrid setup. It comes with an e-CVT gearbox and has a claimed mileage of 27.97kmpl. Although it failed to match the claimed figure in both city and highway conditions, the compact SUV did get close to it in the city drives by offering an economy of close to 25.5kmpl.

1. Tata Tigor CNG

ARAI-claimed Fuel Efficiency: 26.49km/kg

Tested City Fuel Efficiency: 26.93km/kg

Tested Highway Fuel Efficiency: 34.60km/kg

Price (CNG variants): Rs 7.45 lakh to Rs 8.84 lakh

The Tata Tigor got the choice of CNG for the first time in 2022 and it was the most efficient car with a petrol engine that we tested. It has a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.49km/kg but it surpassed the claimed number in both city and highway runs, delivering 34.60km/kg in the latter scenario. Tata has provided it with a 1.2-litre petrol engine making 73PS and 95Nm in the CNG guise. The CNG variants come with a five-speed manual only.

Also Read: A Look At All The Tata Cars Expected To Debut At Auto Expo 2023

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 Delhi

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