Sick of having to mortgage your house every time you want to fill up at the gas pump? Maybe a comparison of the options available to those among us who feel compelled to stretch the miles-per-gallon ratio is in order. CNN Money reports:

With gas prices steep as a Himalayan slope, fuel-efficiency is a prime consideration for an ever increasing number of car buyers. For all you smart souls with an eye on the pump, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most fuel-efficient cars currently sold in the U.S.

Rankings are based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) miles-per-gallon ratings for city and highway travel. More specifically, we used the EPA’s combined fuel economy formula: 55 percent of city mpg rating plus 45 percent of highway mpg rating. The rating for each vehicle below is expressed in mpg as a city/highway ratio. All ratings apply to base models equipped with a manual transmission, except where indicated otherwise with an asterisk.

Each model was allowed only one appearance on the list. The sole exception is the Honda Civic, which appears twice as a result of being available in both gas-electric hybrid and regular gasoline versions…

Then again, there’s always the bicycle. It runs on the same fuel as you do! Not so practical in places where it snows or navigation around walls of never-ending SUVs that can effortlessly kill you is necessary, though. Sigh.

[tags]car,hybrid,fuel efficiency,fuel efficient,mpg,miles per gallon[/tags]