The 100 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars in 1988

Have you ever wondered what the most fuel efficient cars manufactured in 1988 are? In this article, we'll list out the best 100 fuel efficient cars from 1988 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 1988 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
Chevrolet Sprint Metro 47 $1,350
Honda Civic CRX HF 44 $1,400
Honda Civic CRX HF 41 $1,550
Chevrolet Sprint 39 $1,600
Pontiac Firefly 39 $1,600
Suzuki Forsa 39 $1,600
Ford Festiva 35 $1,800
Chevrolet Sprint 34 $1,850
Chevrolet Turbo Sprint 34 $1,850
Daihatsu Charade 34 $1,850
Ford Festiva 34 $1,850
Pontiac Firefly 34 $1,850
Pontiac Turbo Firefly 34 $1,850
Suzuki Forsa 34 $1,850
Suzuki Forsa Turbo 34 $1,850
Chevrolet Spectrum 33 $1,900
Isuzu I-Mark 33 $1,900
Pontiac Sunburst 33 $1,900
Subaru Justy 33 $1,900
Toyota Tercel EZ 33 $1,900
Ford Escort 32 $1,950
Ford Escort Wagon 32 $1,950
Honda Civic 32 $1,950
Honda Civic CRX 32 $1,950
Dodge Colt 31 $2,000
Honda Civic 31 $2,000
Isuzu I-Mark 31 $2,000
Mitsubishi Mirage 31 $2,000
Plymouth Colt 31 $2,000
Dodge Colt 30 $2,100
Honda Civic 30 $2,100
Mitsubishi Mirage 30 $2,100
Plymouth Colt 30 $2,100
Pontiac Lemans 30 $2,100
Chevrolet Nova 29 $2,150
Honda Civic CRX 29 $2,150
Honda Civic Wagon 29 $2,150
Pontiac Lemans 29 $2,150
Toyota Corolla FX 29 $2,150
Toyota Tercel 29 $2,150
Toyota Tercel 29 $2,150
Chevrolet Spectrum 28 $2,250
Dodge Colt Wagon 28 $2,250
Ford Escort 28 $2,250
Ford Escort Wagon 28 $2,250
Ford EXP 28 $2,250
Honda Civic 28 $2,250
Honda Civic CRX 28 $2,250
Hyundai Excel 28 $2,250
Isuzu I-Mark 28 $2,250
Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 28 $2,750
Mitsubishi Mirage Wagon 28 $2,250
Mitsubishi Precis 28 $2,250
Nissan Sentra 28 $2,250
Nissan Sentra 28 $2,250
Nissan Sentra Coupe 28 $2,250
Plymouth Colt Wagon 28 $2,250
Pontiac Sunburst 28 $2,250
Subaru Justy 4WD 28 $2,250
Toyota Corolla 28 $2,250
Toyota Corolla Wagon 28 $2,250
Buick Skyhawk 27 $2,300
Buick Skyhawk Wagon 27 $2,300
Chevrolet Spectrum Turbo 27 $2,300
Dodge Colt 27 $2,300
Honda Civic 27 $2,300
Honda Civic Wagon 27 $2,300
Isuzu I-Mark 27 $2,300
Mazda 323 27 $2,300
Mazda 323 Wagon 27 $2,300
Mercury Tracer 27 $2,300
Mercury Tracer Wagon 27 $2,300
Mitsubishi Mirage 27 $2,300
Nissan Sentra Wagon 27 $2,300
Oldsmobile Firenza 27 $2,300
Oldsmobile Firenza Cruiser 27 $2,300
Plymouth Colt 27 $2,300
Pontiac Sunbird 27 $2,300
Pontiac Sunbird Wagon 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
Chevrolet Nova 26 $2,400
Ford EXP 26 $2,400
Honda Accord 26 $2,400
Honda Civic Wagon 26 $2,400
Hyundai Excel 26 $2,400
Hyundai Excel 26 $2,400
Mitsubishi Precis 26 $2,400
Mitsubishi Precis 26 $2,400
Nissan Pulsar NX 26 $2,400
Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais 26 $2,400
Oldsmobile Firenza 26 $2,400
Oldsmobile Firenza Cruiser 26 $2,400
Pontiac Grand Am 26 $2,400
Pontiac Lemans 26 $2,400
Toyota Corolla 26 $2,400
Toyota Tercel 26 $2,400
Yugo GV 26 $2,400

Best 1988 Regular Fuel Cars by Miles per Gallon

The table below contains the best 1988 regular fuel cars by combined miles per gallon (MPG).

Car Combined MPG Fuel Cost
Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 (Automatic 4-spd) 28 $2,750
Chevrolet C10 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet C10 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet C20 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet C20 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet G10/20 Van 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC C15 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC C15 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC C25 Pickup 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC C25 Pickup 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
GMC G15/25 Vandura 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 19 $4,050
Chevrolet G10/20 Sport Van 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 18 $4,300
Chevrolet G10/20 Van 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 18 $4,300
GMC G15/25 Rally 2WD (Manual 4-spd) 18 $4,300
GMC G15/25 Vandura 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 18 $4,300
Chevrolet G10/20 Sport Van 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet K10 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet K20 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet R10 Suburban 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet V10 Blazer 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC G15/25 Rally 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC K15 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC K25 Pickup 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC R15 Suburban 2WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
GMC V15 Jimmy 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 17 $4,550
Chevrolet K10 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet K20 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
Chevrolet V10 Suburban 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC K15 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC K25 Pickup 4WD (Manual 4-spd) 16 $4,800
GMC V15 Suburban 4WD (Automatic 4-spd) 16 $4,800

Conclusion

The most fuel efficient car of 1988 is the Chevrolet Sprint 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 1988 is the Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5. It has a combined MPG of 28 and costs $2,750 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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