2010 Toyota Prius leads industry fuel economy ratings

(October 16, 2009) Toyota's 2010 hybrid Prius leads the industry in fuel economy at 48 miles per gallon/city and 51 mpg/highway, while Ford boasts four vehicles on a U.S. government list released on Thursday of the most-efficient models.

Japanese manufacturers again dominated the annual rankings issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), placing eight gasoline/electric hybrid models in the top ten.

Ford's top hybrid performers include the Fusion sedan and Escape small SUV as well as the Milan midsize sedan and Mariner SUV models sold under the Mercury brand. The Fusion and Milan share a common engineering platform as do the Escape and Mariner.

Toyota and its Lexus luxury brand placed four vehicles in the top group, while Honda's Civic and Insight hybrids also made the list.

The full list can be found at the government's fuel economy web site.