The top achievers in fuel economy for the 2009 model year are hybrids, nabbing five spots on our Top 10 list. Retaining the throne for 2009 is the Toyota Prius, with EPA mileage estimates of 48/45 mpg city/highway. There are diesel representatives on the list, too, with the Volkswagen Jetta diesel’s manual and automatic versions taking spots seven and eight. New this year is the new-for-2009 Smart ForTwo. See the complete list here.

A large number of 2010 models are already on sale, but many more are not, so we can’t definitively place 2010s in a new list yet. A few 2010 models that will surely gain recognition in the next list are the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid (41/36 mpg), Honda Insight (40/43 mpg), Lexus RX 450h (32/28 mpg) and Toyota Prius — pictured — (51/48 mpg). All four are currently on sale.

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