The Hyundai IONIQ 6 was ranked most fuel efficient among 2024 models selling in the U.S. market.
The IONIQ 6 Long Range Rear Wheel Drive model with 18-inch wheels was honored as the most fuel-efficient vehicle with a combined fuel efficiency of 140 MPGe, according to Fuel Economy, a fuel-saving information site jointly run by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This marked the second year in a row that the IONIQ 6 has been recognized by the EPA as the most efficient electric vehicle, following the certification of the 2023 IONIQ model last year.
MPGe is the EPA’s measure of fuel efficiency for electric vehicles, based on the 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of thermal energy that can be obtained by burning one gallon (approximately 3.785 liters) of gasoline. It has the advantage of comparing electric vehicles with internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of fuel efficiency more easily than the existing unit of electric vehicle power efficiency (km/㎾h).
In the survey, four models of the Hyundai IONIQ 6 entered the top 10. The regular rear-wheel model (135 MPGe) came in third, the long-range all-wheel model 18-inch wheel model (121 MPGe) fifth, and the long-range rear-wheel model 20-inch wheel model (117 MPGe) seventh.
In addition to the IONIQ 6, the Kia EV6 Long Range-Standard Rear Wheel (117 MPGe) tied for seventh place, the Hyundai Kona Electric Long Range (116 MPGe) eighth place and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 Long Range Rear Wheel (114 MPGe) 10th place. Eight Korean-made EVs were among the top 10 most fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. government’s list.
Tesla has not yet reported fuel efficiency for its 2024 model year cars to the EPA. For Tesla’s 2023 model year cars, both the Model 3 (132 MPGe) and Model Y (123 MPGe) were on par or slightly below the IONIQ 6. However, their fuel efficiency is expected to decrease slightly, as the EPA estimates for the 2024 Model 3 and the Model Y listed on Tesla’s official U.S. website show drops of 17 miles (27 kilometers) and 20 miles (32 kilometers), respectively, compared to their 2023 model year cars.
Earlier, U.S. automotive website Edmunds released the results of its EV performance tests. The IONIQ 6 Long Range rear-wheel drive model topped the list with a range of 868 miles on a one-hour charge. In second place was the EV6 rear-wheel drive model (769 miles, or about 1238 kilometers). The IONIQ 6 all-wheel drive model (764 miles, or about 1230 kilometers) took third place.