Top 3 most fuel efficient premium hatchbacks revealed

The premium hatchbacks in India have successfully justified their good looks, feature-packed cabin and premium interior. However, fuel efficiency of a car is still of paramount importance for most Indian buyers. They cannot do anything about the relentless increase in fuel prices. However, they can opt for a car that goes a little further with each drop of fuel.

Below, we have listed the top 3 most fuel efficient premium hatchbacks available in the Indian market now. These are ranked according to their highest ARAI-rated fuel efficiencies. 

1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno

ARAI fuel efficiency: 27.39kmpl (diesel); 21.4kmpl (petrol manual and AT)

The Baleno has created quite a stir in the automobile industry by setting many new benchmarks. Maruti Suzuki's latest entrant tops this list with both the petrol and diesel trims scoring the highest on the fuel economy charts. These variants come powered by the same engines from the Swift, but the lightweight Baleno achieves a better fuel efficiency as it is 100kg lighter than the Swift. In the practical world, the figures are also impressive as the diesel returned 19.6kmpl on the highway and 14.2kmpl in the city. On the other hand, the petrol automatic achieved 16.8kmpl on the highway and 11.9kmpl in the city. Our long-termer petrol Baleno is also delivering nearly 15.5kmpl on an average.

2. Honda Jazz

ARAI fuel efficiency: 27.3kmpl (diesel); 18.7kmpl/19kmpl (petrol/AT)

The diesel Jazz comes powered by the 100bhp 1,498cc four cylinder motor, which is the largest and the most powerful mill amongst the cars in this list. Interestingly, its fuel efficiency almost matches the diesel Baleno's figures. In our road test the diesel achieved 19.8kmpl on the highway and 14.5kmpl in the city. And if you preferred the more refined petrol mill also known for its strong mid-range grunt, both the manual and automatic variants have a decent fuel efficiency putting the Jazz in the second position in this list.

3. Hyundai Elite i20

ARAI fuel efficiency: 22.54kmpl (diesel); 18.6kmpl (petrol)

The segment leader in terms of sales might be at the third spot in this list, but still has fuel efficiency to match the other two. And for people looking for a car with a smooth, quiet and tractable diesel engine, the Elite i20's overall package only further helps to seal the deal. Its highway figures on our road test stood at 19.3kmpl, while the city fuel efficiency was 13.8kmpl. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is also extremely refined and delivers enough punch required for daily driving.