Consumer Reports Lists the Most Fuel-Efficient Compact SUVs

When Size Matters in Your Smart Buying Decision Process

Smart buying decisions can be tough. Especially when your targeted vehicle type is among those that are popular and have depreciated significantly to an affordable price in the used car market of today where the demand is much higher than the supply.

Recently, we’ve learned about the best and the worst new cars today when it comes to fuel economy and discovered that the preferred used 5-year-old 2017 model fuel-sippers roughly range between $16,000 to $32,000 depending on the trim and model selected.

But what if you are looking to make the most of your dollar by finding a good used car that is bigger than a Prius, reasonably fuel-efficient compared to its bigger brothers; and, still in the same ballpark with the aforementioned used car pricing? The answer to this problem can be found in a recent Consumer Reports rating of the most fuel-efficient used (5-year old) compact SUVs that they recommend as a smart shopping alternative.

Consumer Reports recommendations of the most fuel-efficient 5-year-old compact SUVs

While fuel economy is a big plus toward rating their compact SUV vehicle choices, CR recommendations also factored in braking, acceleration and safety features such as forward collision warning (FCW), blind spot warning (BSW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) in the older vehicles that they determined remained on par operationally with newer models having the same features.

Here is a summary of nine top choices among used compact SUVs you should be looking for as a smart fuel-efficient purchase that CR analysts listed below ranked in order of their fuel economy test results when they were new.

For a more detailed breakdown of each vehicle’s features, please visit the Consumer Reports website. Note that while access to some information requires a CR membership, the potential savings make it negligible in comparison when looking for the latest information to aid your car buying research. Furthermore, you can also use this site’s search engine to find past reviews of many of the models at no cost to you.

1. 2017 Toyota RAV4
Price Range: $20,750 - $27,825
Owner Reported MPG: 25 mpg

2. 2017 Honda HR-V
Price Range: $17,900 - $21,450
Owner Reported MPG: 29 mpg

3. 2017 Lexus NX
Price Range: $30,100 - $32,900
Owner Reported MPG: 25 mpg

4. 2017 Honda CR-V
Price Range: $22,100 - $27,525
Owner Reported MPG: 29 mpg

5. 2017 Mazda CX-3
Price Range: $17,350 - $20,925
Owner Reported MPG: 30 mpg

6. 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport
Price Range: $17,900 - $21,550
Owner Reported Mpg: 26 mpg

7. 2017 Subaru Crosstrek
Price Range: $19,750 - $21,800
Owner Reported MPG: 28 mpg

8. 2017 Subaru Forester
Price Range: $18,775 - $24,600
Owner Reported MPG: 27 mpg

9. 2017 Mazda CX-5
Price Range: $18,925 - $23,050
Owner Reported Mpg: 26 mpg

And finally…

For more about smart shopping for used vehicles, here are two selected articles to help you find the right car:

Consumer Reports on How to Assess a Used Vehicle’s True Value | Torque News

The Best and Worst Used Toyotas to Buy Recently Reviewed

Timothy Boyer is Torque News reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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