Maruti continues to dominate the fuel efficiency list with nine cars from its stable.
Published on Jan 06, 2025 10:50:00 AM
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Fuel economy and running costs have always been among the top priorities for Indian car buyers. With petrol prices averaging Rs 100 in most cities, it's no surprise that fuel efficiency takes precedence for many. Maruti Suzuki has always dominated on this front and the same is the case with this list.
We have compiled a list of the top 10 most fuel-efficient petrol cars currently being sold and ranked them from lowest to highest. The list is based on official ARAI figures revealed by manufacturers, though actual figures may vary depending on driving conditions and styles. As all these cars come with an optional automatic gearbox over the standard manual, we have taken an average of both figures.
The Maruti Ignis claims the last spot in this list and is run by the 1.2-litre K Series petrol engine, which that is also seen in some other cars from the brand. The tried-and-tested mill returns a 20.89kpl mileage in both manual and AMT variants of the four-wheeler. This engine is known to be extremely frugal and refined and has also done duty in the previous generations of the Maruti Swift and Dzire. Earlier, the Ignis was also offered with a 1.3-litre diesel engine that had exceptional fuel economy but was discontinued due to stricter emission norms. Suzuki sells the Ignis hatchback in India via its premium Nexa outlets exclusively.
The Renault Kwid happens to be the only non-Maruti car that has made it to this list. Under its hood lies a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that can be had with either manual or automatic gearboxes. As for mileage figures, they are 21.7kpl (MT) and 22.5kpl (AMT), respectively, averaging at 22.1kpl. For anyone who is considering the Maruti Alto K10, the Renault Kwid can prove to be a good contender, especially for its pricing and the cabin space it offers. While it has good power delivery at the bottom end, in our road test, we observed that the engine lacks refinement and sounds gruff. The compact form-factor helps in easy maneuvering in traffic and parking in tight spaces.
Maruti Fronx is a coupe-crossover derivative of the Baleno and is powered by a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, which it shares with its hatchback sibling. This engine has an ARAI-claimed fuel economy of 21.79kpl for the manual gearbox and 22.89kpl for the AMT one, giving a combined figure of 22.34kpl. The Fronx also gets a more powerful 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. This, however, is slightly less efficient as it returns 21.50kpl with the manual and 20.01kpl with the automatic transmission, giving a combined figure of 20.75kpl. Its badge-engineered sibling, the Toyota Taisor, also has identical claimed fuel efficiency figures.
The Maruti Baleno and Toyota Glanza share the same 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine mated to either manual or AMT transmission. While the manual versions have an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 22.35kpl, the AMT ones have a claimed efficiency of 22.94kpl, giving a combined figure of 22.64kpl. The petrol engine is refined and satisfactory around town, but has a weak mid-range, requiring to be revved out for overtaking. The light clutch and smooth manual make driving easy, though the AMT is not quite up to class standards. The hatchback body style and slightly lesser kerb weight of both these models make them marginally more efficient than the Fronx and Taisor duo.
The Alto K10 is currently the most affordable car in India. While the Alto is no longer the value offering it once was, the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine returns an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 24.39kpl for the manual version and 24.9kpl for the automatic, resulting in an average of 24.65kpl. This engine feels very peppy and energetic in the Alto, and the painless ownership experience is obviously a boon, but the Alto’s higher variants are now quite pricey for an entry-level car.
The Maruti S-Presso is also powered by a 1-litre petrol engine, which can be had with either a manual or AMT gearbox. In the manual guise, Maruti claims a mileage of 24.13kpl (Std (O) and LXi (O) variants) and 24.76kpl (VXi (O) and VXi+ (O) variants). This goes up to 25.3kpl in the automatic variants. That translates into a fuel average of 24.72kpl, placing it slightly above the Alto K10 sibling. The hatchback maintains a tall-boy stance with ample cladding on the front and rear bumpers. It’s got a relatively roomy cabin that is decently equipped. For our long-term report on the S-Presso, click here.
The tall-boy Wagon-R hatchback from Maruti Suzuki is not only popular for its practicality and space-efficient interior, but it's also a very economical car to run. It comes with two petrol engine options. There’s a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with a claimed fuel efficiency of 24.35kpl for the manual version; the automatic one returns 25.19kpl, giving a combined average of 24.77kpl. Then, there’s the larger 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine, which is marginally less efficient with an average of 23.9kpl.
The Dzire is the most fuel-efficient compact sedan you can buy in the market. Powered by the Z-Series 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, the Dzire’s manual version has a claimed fuel efficiency of 24.79kpl, while the automatic variants return 25.71kpl. That translates into a fuel average of 25.25kpl. Notably, this is the same unit that propels the Maruti Swift. With the new engine, the sedan’s average fuel economy has improved by over 7 percent. The Dzire is a nice all-rounder with a comfortable and well-equipped cabin besides a brand-new powertrain with best-in-class mileage.
The fourth-generation Swift comes with an all-new Z Series, 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine. It has a claimed fuel economy of 24.80kpl for the manual version and 25.75kpl for the automatic one. So, the average is 25.30kpl, an improvement of 3kpl over the previous model. The Swift’s new three-pot engine produces 8hp and 1Nm less than the outgoing four-cylinder K-Series unit, but the focus was always on efficiency. Maruti Suzuki's has acheived this high fuel efficiency target with each cylinder now measuring 400cc in capacity, which is considered to be the sweet spot for a cylinder's volumetric efficiency.
The Celerio is currently the most efficient pure-petrol car you can buy in the country. It's powered by the extremely frugal DualJet K10 1.0-litre petrol engine and is underpinned by the lightweight Heartect platform. The Celerio has a claimed ARAI fuel economy of up to 25.24kpl for the manual version and 26.68kpl for the automatic transmission, taking the average to 25.96kpl. The affordable Celerio is a sensible hatchback that's easy to drive and live with.
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