The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1989

Have you ever wondered what the most fuel efficient cars manufactured in 1989 are? In this article, we'll list out the best 100 fuel efficient cars from 1989 with information on each of them!

How to Determine Fuel Efficiency

The list of the best fuel efficient cars on this page is based on one simple metric provided to us by the U.S. Department of Energy: the combined miles per gallon (MPG).

This metric is calculated by taking the total miles driven by the car and dividing it by the total gallons of fuel used.

Manufacturers provide this information to the Department of Energy, they provide it to us, and we provide it to you after sifting and organizing it.

The combined miles per gallon (MPG) is a measure of how much fuel the car uses per mile and is a good indicator of how efficient the car is. It's a combination of both city and highway driving, to give you a more overall accurate MPG.

With that out of the way, let's dive into the list. You can click the links in the table below to see more detailed information about each car.

Best 1989 Cars by Miles per Gallon

The list below is sorted by the combined miles per gallon (MPG) of the car, with the highest MPG at the top. This list includes both electric and regular fuel cars.

Car Combined MPG Fuel Cost
Geo Metro 47 $1,350
Honda Civic CRX HF 44 $1,400
Chevrolet Sprint 41 $1,550
Geo Metro LSI 41 $1,550
Honda Civic CRX HF 41 $1,550
Pontiac Firefly 41 $1,550
Suzuki Swift 41 $1,550
Suzuki Swift 36 $1,750
Suzuki Swift GA 36 $1,750
Ford Festiva 35 $1,800
Chevrolet Sprint 34 $1,850
Chevrolet Turbo Sprint 34 $1,850
Daihatsu Charade 34 $1,850
Daihatsu Charade E 34 $1,850
Ford Festiva 34 $1,850
Geo Metro LSI 34 $1,850
Pontiac Firefly 34 $1,850
Pontiac Turbo Firefly 34 $1,850
Suzuki Swift 34 $1,850
Volkswagen Golf 34 $2,250
Volkswagen Jetta 34 $2,250
Geo Spectrum 33 $1,900
Isuzu I-Mark 33 $1,900
Pontiac Sunburst 33 $1,900
Toyota Tercel 33 $1,900
Daihatsu Charade 32 $1,950
Ford Escort 32 $1,950
Honda Civic CRX 32 $1,950
Honda Civic 31 $2,000
Isuzu I-Mark 31 $2,000
Subaru Justy 31 $2,000
Dodge Colt 30 $2,100
Mitsubishi Mirage 30 $2,100
Plymouth Colt 30 $2,100
Pontiac Lemans 30 $2,100
Subaru Justy 30 $2,100
Daihatsu Charade 29 $2,150
Honda Civic 29 $2,150
Honda Civic Wagon 29 $2,150
Pontiac Lemans 29 $2,150
Toyota Tercel 29 $2,150
Dodge Colt 28 $2,250
Dodge Colt Wagon 28 $2,250
Eagle Summit 28 $2,250
Geo Spectrum 28 $2,250
Honda Civic CRX 28 $2,250
Hyundai Excel 28 $2,250
Isuzu I-Mark 28 $2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage 28 $2,250
Mitsubishi Mirage Wagon 28 $2,250
Mitsubishi Precis 28 $2,250
Nissan Sentra 28 $2,250
Plymouth Colt 28 $2,250
Plymouth Colt Wagon 28 $2,250
Pontiac Sunburst 28 $2,250
Suzuki Swift 28 $2,250
Suzuki Swift GTI 28 $2,250
Toyota Corolla 28 $2,250
Toyota Corolla Wagon 28 $2,250
Ford Escort 27 $2,300
Ford Escort Wagon 27 $2,300
Ford Festiva 27 $2,300
Mazda 323 27 $2,300
Mazda 323 Wagon 27 $2,300
Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 27 $2,850
Mercury Tracer 27 $2,300
Mercury Tracer Wagon 27 $2,300
Nissan Sentra 27 $2,300
Nissan Sentra Coupe 27 $2,300
Nissan Sentra Wagon 27 $2,300
Pontiac Sunbird 27 $2,300
Subaru Justy 4WD 27 $2,300
Buick Skyhawk 26 $2,400
Buick Skyhawk Wagon 26 $2,400
Chevrolet Cavalier 26 $2,400
Chevrolet Cavalier Wagon 26 $2,400
Dodge Colt 26 $2,400
Dodge Omni 26 $2,400
Geo Prizm 26 $2,400
Honda Civic 26 $2,400
Honda Civic 26 $2,400
Honda Civic CRX 26 $2,400
Honda Civic Wagon 26 $2,400
Hyundai Excel 26 $2,400
Hyundai Excel 26 $2,400
Isuzu I-Mark 26 $2,400
Mitsubishi Precis 26 $2,400
Mitsubishi Precis 26 $2,400
Nissan Pulsar NX 26 $2,400
Plymouth Colt 26 $2,400
Plymouth Horizon 26 $2,400
Pontiac Lemans 26 $2,400
Toyota Corolla 26 $2,400
Toyota Tercel 26 $2,400
Yugo GV/GVX 26 $2,400
Acura Integra 25 $2,500
Buick Skyhawk 25 $2,500
Buick Skyhawk Wagon 25 $2,500
Chevrolet Beretta 25 $2,500
Chevrolet Cavalier 25 $2,500

Best 1989 Regular Fuel Cars by Miles per Gallon

The table below contains the best 1989 regular fuel cars by combined miles per gallon (MPG).

Car Combined MPG Fuel Cost
Volkswagen Golf (Manual 5-spd) 34 $2,250
Volkswagen Jetta (Manual 5-spd) 34 $2,250
Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 (Automatic 4-spd) 27 $2,850
Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet C2500 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet G10/20 Van 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet G10/20 Van 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC C2500 Sierra 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC G15/25 Vandura 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC G15/25 Vandura 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC Sierra 1500 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet G10/20 Sport Van 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 18 $4,300
GMC G15/25 Rally 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 18 $4,300
Chevrolet Blazer V1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet K1500 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet K2500 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet R1500 Suburban 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC Jimmy V1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC K2500 Sierra 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC R1500 Suburban 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC Sierra 1500 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC Sierra 1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet C2500 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet G10/20 Sport Van 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet K1500 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet K2500 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet Suburban V1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC C2500 Sierra 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC G15/25 Rally 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC K2500 Sierra 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC Sierra 1500 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC Suburban V1500 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800

Conclusion

The most fuel efficient car of 1989 is the Geo Metro. It has a combined MPG of 47 and costs $1,350 per year to drive it.

The most fuel efficient non-electric car of 1989 is the Volkswagen Golf. It has a combined MPG of 34 and costs $2,250 per year to drive it.

Most Fuel Efficient Cars By Year

If you want to continue researching the best fuel efficient cars of all time, you can also look at the list of cars by year.

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