Top 10 Cheap Sports Cars With Great Fuel Economy You Can Buy
All petrolheads love sports cars and want to own the best of them. However, some people don’t even think of buying one due to their low bank balance. Masses prefer affordable and fuel-efficient cars. Without realizing the fact that in today’s world there are sports cars that are both cheap and offer decent fuel economy, they made a buying decision.
Considering the above facts, we have prepared a list of some of the most affordable sports cars that offer best-in-class performance and unparalleled fuel economy.
These sports cars are good enough to give you the feel of an adrenaline rush in your body while accelerating your car. We have also included one electric car in case you are planning to switch to EVs.
Also read: List of Best Electric Cars
Here Are Top 10 Cheap Sports Cars With The Best Mileage (2021)
Here’s the list of some of the best sports cars available at reasonable prices. We have also mentioned the mileage against each one of them for convenience. Let’s check them out:
| Sports Car Name | Fuel-Efficiency |
| Ford Mustang Ecoboost Fastback | Highway – 30 mpg, City – 21 mpg |
| Tesla Model 3 | Electric Range – Up to 322 miles |
| Dodge Challenger | Highway – 30 mpg, City – 19 mpg |
| Chevy Camaro 1L RWD Coupe | Highway – 30 mpg, City – 23 mpg |
| BMW 330i sedan | Highway – 30 mpg, City – 26 mpg |
| Subaru BRZ | Highway – 33 mpg, City – 24 mpg |
| Kia Stinger | Highway – 29 mpg, City – 22 mpg |
| Mazda MX-5 Miata | Highway – 35 mpg, City – 26 mpg |
| Fiat 124 Spider Classica | Highway – 35 mpg, City – 26 mpg |
| Toyota 86 | Highway – 28 mpg, City – 21 mpg |
1. Ford Mustang Ecoboost Fastback
This legendary sports car will be on the list of every car guy. It is one of the fastest and cheapest Mustangs ever.
The 2021 Ford Mustang Ecoboost is powered by a 2.3-liter GTDI Inline 4 cylinder engine. It generates about 310 HP and a peak torque of around 350 lb-ft. Owing to this powerful engine, this muscle car has a top speed of 155 mph (249 kph). Additionally, it can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds.
Not only this, but the Mustang returns decent fuel efficiency numbers as well. The sports car delivers a mileage of 30 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg in the city.
The price range for the Ford Mustang Ecoboost Fastback starts from $27,155 (ex-showroom). When combined with these factors, this legendary sports car sits at the top of our list.
2. Tesla Model 3
Tesla Model 3 electric car has been a game-changer for Elon Musk, the CEO of the company. It’s one of the most affordable and best-selling electric car in the world. The price of the electric vehicle starts from $36,490 for the standard plus variant. Tesla Model 3 has a decent range of up to 353 miles (568 km) for the base model.
Don’t be fooled by its four-door sedan look; the Tesla Model 3 is just as sporty as the rumors at your local drag-strip describe it. With a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of only 3.1 seconds, the Model 3 punches well above its weight.
You also get an autonomous driving system that keeps getting better with each update.
The best part about owning a Tesla is Over The Air updates or OTA. You can get paid upgrades like heated seats just entirely online. Tesla continuously releases paid and free updates for the Model 3 at regular intervals. So there’s a good chance that the longer you own your car, the more features it’ll have.
3. Chevy Camaro 1LT RWD Coupe
It is one of the fastest yet affordable sports cars, the price of this Chevy Camaro, starts from $25,000 (ex-showroom). This legendary car has a 2.0-liter Turbo 4 cylinder engine. By adding a Turbocharger, this small engine churns out 275 HP and torque of around 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).
Like its rival Ford Mustang, the Camaro has a top speed of 155 mph (249 kph). However, it lags by almost a second in the 0 to 60 mph sprint. The muscle car can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds.
Similar to Mustang, the mileage of the Camaro is 30 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in the city.
4. Dodge Challenger
Let’s bring upfront the negatives first. Dodge Challenger is not as fuel-efficient as other sports cars on this list. This American muscle car delivers a mileage of 19 mpg in the city, up to 30 mpg on highways, and combined you get 23 mpg.
However, keeping aside the fuel economy, it’s a disguised beast when it comes to performance. It’s powered by a V6 engine which is usually used in sports and high-performance cars. Unlike the in-line engines, V6 engines are aligned in V-configuration and mounted lower than in-line. This is done to achieve better stability, lower center of gravity, and ultimately high speeds.
Anyway, the 3.6-liter V6 engine of Dodge Challenger produces over a whopping 300 HP and 363 Nm of torque. The engine comes meshed with an eight-speed automatic transmission system and RWD as standard.
The higher variant also comes with an AWD powertrain and even better specifications.
Speaking of the price, it starts at $28,095 (ex0showroom), which also makes it one of the most affordable sports cars to have a V-type engine.
5. BMW 330i Sedan
Though it may not fit perfectly in the list of cheapest sports cars, if you can stretch your budget a little bit, then the BMW 330i Sedan should be on your radar. The BMW 330i is powered by a 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo engine that creates about 255 HP with a maximum torque of around 294 lb-ft (398 Nm).
Apart from superb ride quality, the car also delivers peppy performance. The sedan can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds with a top speed of around 250 kph (155 mph).
Another main highlight here is the fuel efficiency of this beautiful car, BMW 330i has a fuel efficiency of 36 mpg on the highway.
However, due to the premium tag, it’s relatively a bit expensive. The price of the car starts at $41,250.
6. Subaru BRZ
Subaru BRZ is an affordable sports car from the Japanese automaker. The cost of the base model starts from $28,845.
The standard model comes with a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter Boxer engine that creates 205 HP and around (156 lb-ft) 212 Nm of peak torque.
Additionally, the car has a respectable fuel economy of 33 mpg on the highway. However, the engine is mated to an automatic transmission to provide this level of efficiency. It might be a problem for some people, but it’s still a great car to drive.
7. Kia Stinger
Kia Stinger is a dire wolf in regular wolf clothing. This car is a blend of sports and a luxury car at a reasonable price. The Kia Stinger GT-Line is the fastest among all the vehicles on this list with a top speed of 167 mph (269 kmph).
The car is powered by a 2.0L 4-Cyl Turbo with 255 HP using an 8-Speed Auto Transmission. Peak torque is a decent 259 lb-ft (352 Nm).
However, you might have to compromise on fuel efficiency as with 29 mpg on the highway, Kia Stinger lags behind a bit. Moreover, the price of this starts at $33,090 (ex-showroom). In short, it is one of the best and cheapest sports cars you can get on the market.
8. 2021 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Powered by a 2.0L DOHC engine, Mazda MX-5 Miata can produce 181 HP and a peak torque of around 151 lb-ft (205 Nm). Though not as powerful as the other cars on this list, it’s still the most sought-after entry-level sports car, due to its impressive performance to weight ratio.
With superior aerodynamics, the sports car provides a peppy performance. The vehicle has an EPA-certified fuel economy of 35 mpg on the highway.
Well, with a price tag of $26,830, the Miata, could easily be the default sports car for many first-time buyers.
9. Fiat 124 Spider Classica
The Fiat 124 Spider Classica is one of the most underrated and affordable convertibles out there with a starting price of $25,390 (ex-showroom). The car is powered by a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo Engine that makes around 160 HP and 250 Nm of peak torque.
Furthermore, the Fiat 124 Spider has a fuel economy of 35 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg in the city. The price of this cute monster starts from $25,390 (ex-showroom).
So these are some of the most appealing and affordable sports cars that you can have at an affordable price.
10. Toyota 86
Toyota 86 is more or less the same as the Subaru BRZ. Both these cars were jointly developed by the Japanese automakers Toyota and Subaru. The engine is same which is the 2.0-liter 4 cylinder boxer type and produces 205 HP and 212 Nm of torque, the design is same, however, there are some subtle changes.
Speaking of the features, Toyota provides some features as standard across all variants like auto dimming rearview mirrors, camera display in rear view mirror and few more which are optional in case of Subaru BRZ.
However, at the same time, the fuel-efficiency is quite lower than BRZ which drags it down in the list. Still, overall, Toyota 86 is an impressive sports car.
The price of Toyota 86 starts at $27,060 (ex-showroom).
Which Cheap Sports Cars With The Best Mileage Will You Buy?
Our personal favorite is the Mazda MX-5. It is light, it is fast and therefore delivers more horsepower according to its weight.
As already mentioned, it is fuel-efficient as well, so we can drive it daily without the fear of burning a massive hole in our pocket.
However, if we consider performance and driving pleasure only, then hands down to the Ford Mustang.
Which one would you buy? Is there anyone that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Well, in our opinion Chevrolet Camaro is one of the coolest car within the affordable range for many. The price of the car starts at just $25,000, for this price tag it’s one of the best options.
