10 Top Rated Economy Cars

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage orange ・ Photo by Mitsubishi

When your budget's tight, but you still want a new ride, it's time to take a look at the top rated economy cars. These are the choices that will go easy on your bank account, yet still offer objective advantages over the competition. After all, even though all of the vehicles here are priced below $19,000—with many far below that point—we're still talking about one of the biggest purchases you'll make in your lifetime. So you'll want to maximize whatever amount of money you spend, and these vehicles let you do just that.

But the point of today's honor roll is that you don't have to take our word for it. We've checked in with some of the industry's most-watched third-party vehicle raters to see which entries are at the top of their lists. Read on to see for yourself.

2016 Honda Civic

Perhaps the top rated of the top rated economy cars is the 2016 Honda Civic, which is Autobytel's Compact Car of the Year, the North American Car of the Year, a Top Safety Pick+ of the IIHS, and a member of the 2016 Ward's 10 Best Interiors list. The Civic checks in with superior fuel economy ratings, too. It's one of the rare compacts to join the 40-mpg club with its standard powertrain. The Civic’s MSRP is at the upper range for today’s economy cars, since it starts an MSRP of $18,640, but as the old saying goes, you do get what you pay for.

Photo by Honda

2017 Mitsubishi Mirage

Many customers shop for top rated economy cars based on fuel economy ratings, and the 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage is among the EPA leaders in the non-hybrid, gas-powered category. With a standard 5-speed manual transmission—and a plenty economical MSRP of $12,995—the Mirage has EPA grades of 33 mpg city/41 mpg highway/36 mpg combined; opt for the available CVT and that line rises to 37/43/39. Further, those ratings come even as Mitsubishi has squeezed a bit more output from the car's 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder engine and gently refreshed its design and content. The brand also has introduced a Mirage G4 sedan this year, and it opens at $13,995.

Photo by Mitsubishi

2016 Hyundai Accent

The 2016 Hyundai Accent enjoyed an impressive spike in demand to kick off the year, actually toppling the Nissan Versa to become the best-selling compact in the country in April. Likely helping matters is that the Accent is another of the top rated economy cars with the EPA. The Accent achieves segment-leading EPA marks of 27 mpg city/38 mpg highway/31 mpg combined when relying on its 6-speed manual transmission. The entry cost: a mere $14,745. Additionally, the current-generation Accent was the first non-lux car to win its segment in the J.D. Power Initial Quality and APEAL studies in the same year.

Photo by Hyundai

2016 Nissan Sentra

The top rated economy cars for occupant protection face a dilemma: The only way to earn a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS is to provide high-tech driver-assistance features, but those can have a noticeable impact on MSRPs, making the vehicle less economical financially. For example, the 2016 Nissan Sentra aces all IIHS crashworthiness tests at its entry price of $16,780; adding forward emergency braking, as required for TPS+ certification, means adding more than $8,000 to that total. On the other hand, it also means adding luxuries like leather-appointed seats, blind-spot warning, Bose audio and lux technologies such as NissanConnect infotainment.

Photo by Nissan

2016 Subaru Impreza

The watchdogs at Consumer Reports have a well-deserved reputation for independent research, so the top-rated economy cars from that group, including the 2016 Subaru Impreza, should get your attention as well. The Impreza was chosen as CR's Best Compact Car of the Year, thanks to a relatively spacious cabin, a comfortable ride and "great crash-test results." In fact, with its optional EyeSight safety package, the Impreza has Top Safety Pick+ recognition. Even without it, the Impreza, priced from $18,295, rates as the most fuel-efficient all-wheel drive car in the country. The car is rated at 28 mpg city/37 mpg highway/31 mpg combined with its continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Photo by Subaru

2016 Honda Fit

Meanwhile, the No. 1 choice for Consumer Reports in the subcompact category was the 2016 Honda Fit, which also was one of the top-rated economy cars with U.S. News & World Report. The USNWR rankings are particularly worth watching because they're based on reviews and news from across the industry, which then get combined into overall scores. And overall, the Fit comes out quite well in that consensus, garnering special praise for its cargo ratings: Seats up, Honda owners can fit 16.6 cubic feet of gear in the rear cargo hold; seats down, there’s 52.7 cubic feet and space to carry unexpectedly tall and long items.

Photo by Honda

2017 Hyundai Elantra

Autobytel experts like to stay ahead of the curve, so we're projecting the all-new 2017 Hyundai Elantra will be one of the top rated economy cars for safety this year. Consider: The 2016 model received a 5-Star Overall Safety Score from NHTSA, and passed all the IIHS crashworthiness tests, and the 2017 Elantra will be available with the necessary front crash-prevention technology. To be clear, the redesigned Elantra’s safety results have yet to be released, but it is on sale, and its MSRP of $17,150 makes it $100 less expensive than last year--despite welcoming a brand-new standard engine with ratings of 147 horsepower and 37 mpg on the highway.

Photo by Hyundai

2016 Kia Soul

The 2016 Kia Soul doesn't generate quite the buzz it used to, yet it's still among the best rated economy cars for a wide range of customers, from families to drivers with active lifestyles. Indeed, for the 2016 model year, the Soul was literally named one of U.S. News & World Report's Best Cars for Families and received an Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year Award. The Soul also scored the best possible grades in all IIHS crash tests and, with available forward collision warning, has Top Safety Pick certification, too. Hamster fans also should know that the Soul’s highly rated spokes-animals are back again in a new summer ad campaign.

Photo by Kia

2016 Chevrolet Spark

As folks continue to expect more technology from their new vehicles, the top rated economy cars will have to keep up with those expectations. Of course, one entry, the 2016 Chevrolet Spark, already delivers high ratings for high tech, courtesy of a standard Wi-Fi hotspot and 4G LTE connectivity. And remember, you get Chevy's 3-month/three gigabyte trial data plan as part of the Spark's $12,600 MSRP, along with a MyLink infotainment system supported by a 7-inch touchscreen and the latest smartphone-integration functionality for Android and Apple users. A new-for-2016 turbo engine also boosts EPA ratings above the 40 mpg mark for the first time for the Spark.

2016 Mazda Mazda3

Consistently one of the top rated economy cars for driving dynamics, the 2016 Mazda Mazda3 leverages an athletic suspension setup for hot handling, comes with a standard 6-speed manual transmission for DIY shifting, and can be ordered with a 2.5-liter engine that combines 184 horsepower and up to 40 mpg in highway driving. But the Mazda3 also owns the highest standard EPA ratings in the compact class with its entry-level engine: The 2.0-liter unit yields up to 41 mpg on the highway. Moreover, the Mazda3 hatch has a dedicated cargo hold rated at 20.2 cubic feet and a total cargo rating of 47.1 cubic feet. Sealing the deal are a Top Safety PIck+ rating from the IIHS.

Photo by Mazda