Updated

With today's ever changing gas prices, many car buyers are opting to trade cargo space for fuel economy by purchasing a smaller vehicle than they might have otherwise. To help buyers who are looking for cargo capacity and fuel economy, our list below highlights vehicles we've tested that provide the best combination of the two. (Find out how you can compare these cars and get unlimited price reports with the Cars Best Deals Plus.)

In order to get on our list, a vehicle must meet benchmarks that vary depending on vehicle category. The vehicle must have achieved a minimum overall miles-per-gallon (mpg) figure in our real-world fuel economy tests and have a minimum number of cubic feet of cargo capacity, according to our measurements. (For more on saving gas, see our guide to fuel economy.)

Within groups, vehicles are listed in order of fuel economy; those with identical economy figures are listed in order of cargo volume.

Make & model Fuel economy
(overall mpg)
Cargo volume
(cu. ft.)
MINIVANS Overall mpg = 18 or higher; cargo = 60 cu. ft. or more
Honda Odyssey EX-L 21 61.5
Toyota Sienna XLE (FWD) 20 70.5
Toyota Sienna XLE (AWD) 19 70.5
Nissan Quest SL 19 62.0
SMALL SUVS Overall mpg = 21 or higher; cargo = 24 cu. ft. or more
Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium 26 35.5
Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.0L)
 
25 33.0
Mazda CX-5 Touring (2.5L) 25 33.0
Toyota RAV4 XLE 24 37.0
Honda CR-V EX 23 36.0
BMW X3 xDrive28i 23 33.0
Mitsubishi Outlander SE 23 32.5
BMW X1 xDrive 28i 23 26.0
Buick Encore Leather 23 26.0
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE 23 25.5
Ford Escape SE 22 35.0
Ford Escape Titanium 22 35.0
Acura RDX 22 31.5
Jeep Cherokee Latitude (4-cyl.)
 
22 31.0
Kia Sportage LX 22 28.0
Jeep Compass Latitude 22 26.5
Hyundai Tucson GLS 22 25.5
Nissan Rogue Select 22 24.5
Audi Q5 Premium Plus 21 32.0
Mercedes-Benz GLK350 21 32.0
Jeep Cherokee Limited (V6)
 
21 31.0
Volkswagen Tiguan SEL
 
21 30.0
Jeep Patriot Latitude 21 29.5
Kia Sportage SX (turbo) 21 28.0
MIDSIZED/LARGE SUVS Overall mpg = 18 or higher; cargo = 32 cu. ft. or more
Lexus RX450h (Hybrid) 26 33.5
Volkswagen Touareg TDI 24 34.5
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 23 35.5
Ford Edge SEL (4-cyl.) 21 36.5
Chevrolet Equinox 1LT (4-cyl.) 21 33.5
Lexus RX350 21 33.5
Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec 20 47.0
Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 20 40.5
Toyota Highlander XLE 20 40.5
Kia Sorento EX (V6) 20 37.5
Acura MDX Tech 20 34.0
Infiniti JX 19 39.0
Porsche Cayenne (base) 19 33.0
Honda Pilot EX-L 18 48.0
Ford Flex SEL 18 47.5
Toyota 4Runner SR5 (V6) 18 44.5
Dodge Durango Limited (V6)
 
18 44.0
Ford Explorer XLT 18 42.0
Nissan Pathfinder SL 18 39.5
Mercedes-Benz ML350 18 37.5
Toyota Highlander Limited 18 37.5
Ford Edge SEL (V6)
 
18 36.5
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (V6) 18 36.5
Lincoln MKX 18 36.5
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ (V6) 18 33.5
WAGONS/HATCHBACKS Overall mpg = 20 or higher; cargo = 24 cu. ft. or more
Toyota Prius V Three 41 32.0
Volkswagen Golf TDI 38 25.5
Ford C-MAX Hybrid SE 37 28.0
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (MT) 36 31.5
Nissan Cube 1.8 S 28 28.0
Ford Focus SEL 28 24.5
Volkswagen GTI 27 25.5
Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited 24 36.5
Volkswagen Golf 2.5 24 25.5
Mazda5 Touring 23 39.0
Scion xB 23 34.0
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen SE 23 31.5
Audi Allroad Premium
 
22 28.5
Toyota Venza V6 20 33.0

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