How Does The BMW i3 Rex Compare To Other Fuel-Efficient Cars? Really Well.

The flirtation that some parts of the country recently had with regular gas prices under $1.70 a gallon may soon become a fond memory. Gasoline prices seem to be trending back up and no one knows where they will be in the weeks and months ahead. What most people do understand is that low gas prices are probably fleeting and fuel mileage is still an important factor of car ownership.

Consumer Reports recently published its list of the most fuel-efficient cars that it has tested and are available in the U.S. Topping the list: the BMW i3 with Range Extender.

The assortment is fairly extensive, with pure electric vehicles, hybrids, and efficient gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles. It makes sense that a car designed and built from the ground up to be battery powered with a small auxiliary gasoline engine for battery charging purposes would be competitive in fuel efficiency.

Consumer Reports used a precision flow meter to measure liquid fuel mileage and rounded the results to the nearest mile per gallon (MPG). The final results were calculated from equal portions of city and highway driving. We assume that Consumer Reports used some sort of miles per gallon equivalency formula to derive the mpg figure for electric vehicles.

BMW fans interested in more conventionally powered cars should take note that on Consumer Reports’ list, tucked in among the EVs and hybrids at number 26 is the BMW 328d xDrive. With an overall average of 35 mpg and an impressive 49 mpg for highway driving, the 3 Series diesel would be an excellent choice for drivers who desire a fuel-efficient BMW but aren’t ready for the driving lifestyle changes that would come with an electric car. The BMW i3 Rex and the 328d xDrive are pretty close in price when similarly equipped.—Scott Blazey

Here is the list of the 37 cars that Consumer Reports tested for fuel mileage.

[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]