Australia’s Most Economical Premium Small Car

These small cars come with a high price tag, but does that mean they save you more fuel?

To find out, we took the subcompact cars in the $40,000+ category on the VFACTS sales charts and compared them by taking fuel economy into account.

Some of these cars have different body types, trim levels, and powertrain and powertrain options that result in different economy ratings. Therefore, we have only listed the most efficient variant of each model.

This segment also includes the electric models Cupra Born, GWM Ora, MG 4 and Nissan Leaf, which we have left out of this comparison. They will be discussed in a separate article.

Click the links below to jump to your selected car or scroll through the story.

Peugeot 308

The Peugeot 308 Plug-in Hybrid is the most economical premium small car, consuming a total of 1.4 l/100 km – although, as with all PHEVs, this figure is based on a fully charged lithium-ion battery.

Priced from a hefty $64,990 before on-road costs, the hybrid GT Sport has a smaller 40-litre fuel tank and uses 95RON petrol – a theme for most of the cars on this list.

The petrol engine 308 GT and the two sedan and station wagon variants of the GT Premium are easier on the wallet, all of which have a fuel consumption of 5.3 l/100 km.

Petrol offerings start at $43,990 before on-road launch and are powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine.

The entire range features wireless phone mirroring and a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Peugeot 308
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Cupra Leon

The Cupra Leon VZe PHEV undercuts the price of the 308 GT with a drive-away sticker worth $64,990 and has a claimed fuel efficiency of 1.8L/100km on the combined cycle.

As with all PHEVs, this value depends on a charged lithium-ion battery.

The Leon’s petrol alternatives are more expensive than Peugeot’s offerings, starting at $49,190 per car for the base V and going up to $65,690 per car for the top VZx. Cheaper drive-away prices are available now through June 30th.

All three petrol variants are said to have fuel consumption in the region of 6.0L/100km, with the VZx being the most inefficient and expensive to run as it requires 98RON petrol.

The Leon range features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Cupra Leon
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Honda Civic

The Civic is the first Japanese car on this list, and its hybrid variant, e:HEV LX, consumes 4.2L/100km on the combined cycle.

It is also the only car that requires cheaper 91 RON petrol engines in the e:HEV LX and VTi-LX variants, which cost $55,000 and $47,200 respectively.

If fuel economy isn’t that important to you, you can opt for the high-performance Civic Type R, which starts at $73,600 per trip, uses 8.9L/100km on the combined cycle and uses 95RON petrol.

Honda offers a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty on its Civic range.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Honda Civic
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Audi A3

The 35 TFSI sedan variant is the most efficient Audi A3 on the market, with consumption of 4.9 l/100 km on the combined cycle.

The hatchback option performs slightly worse at 5.0L/100km, but both 35 TFSIs feature a 48V mild-hybrid system that helps them achieve an efficient rating.

The 35 TFSI Sportback starts at $50,600 before on-roads, while the sedan is available at $53,100 before on-roads.

The 40 TSFI Quattro starts at $57,700 before it hits the road for the Sportback and has a claimed fuel consumption of 6.6L/100km and a larger 55L fuel tank.

An updated A3 should be available Down Under before the end of 2024.

BUY: Contact a dealer about an Audi A3
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Volkswagen Golf

The Golf is the cheapest and most efficient non-hybrid car on this list and is claimed to consume 5.8L/100km on the combined cycle.

The Golf range starts at $39,190 before on-roads for the base model 110TSI Life, while the next-place 110TSI R-Line starts at $42,290 before on-roads and has the same economy figures.

If you want more power, you can opt for the GTI, which starts at $56,090 before on-roads and uses a claimed 7.0L/100km on the combined cycle.

Only the range-topping R model uses 98RON petrol and costs $70,590 before on-road with a claimed fuel consumption of 7.8L/100km.

The Golf range includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while Volkswagen offers a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Volkswagen Golf
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BMW 1 Series

The 1 Series is the first BMW duo on this list and is claimed to consume 5.9L/100km on the combined cycle.

The base model 118i M Sport is the most efficient small BMW and starts at $54,800 before on-roads, while its 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine requires 95RON petrol.

The 128ti and M135i xDrive variants both use more expensive 98RON petrol, but are more expensive and significantly less efficient at 6.9L/100km and 7.5L/100km respectively.

BMW offers a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as standard on the 1 Series.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a BMW 1 Series
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BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe

The 220i M Sport Gran Coupe is available before on-road launch from $65,200 and is claimed to consume 6.3L/100km on the combined cycle.

For almost $20,000 more you can buy the M235i xDrive Gran Coupe, but it uses 98 RON gasoline and is less efficient at 7.6L/100km.

Like the 1 Series, the 2 Series comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as well as wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe
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Mercedes-Benz A-Class

At the more expensive end of the segment, the A-Class A200 sedan starts at $63,400 before on-roads and has a fuel economy of 6.5L/100km on the combined cycle.

Like other cars on this list, the A200’s hatch is slightly less efficient, but both cars have a relatively small 43 liter tank.

Starting at $89,400, you can get the A35 AMG 4Matic variant before on-roading, which claims a claimed 7.9L/100km with the sedan variant.

The Performance model uses 98RON petrol and has a larger 51-litre tank, while the entire A-Class range is covered by a five-year, unlimited kilometer warranty.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Mercedes-Benz A-Class
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Subaru WRX

By far the least efficient car in the segment is the Subaru WRX, which consumes 8.5L/100km on the combined cycle.

Subaru’s Impreza is also the least efficient car in its VFACTS segment, but its big brother, the WRX, uses 95RON gasoline across the range.

Only the automatic variants of the WRX reach the figure of 8.5 l, while the basic versions with manual transmission and RS equipment achieve a combined consumption of 9.9 l/100 km instead.

The WRX range starts at $47,490 before on-roads for the base manual transmission and rises to $57,990 before on-roads for the tS automatic variant.

Subaru offers a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty on its WRXs and the range comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

BUY: Contact a dealer about a Subaru WRX
MORE: All Subaru WRX

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