The Most Fuel Efficient Petrol Car In The UK Costs £18,699 And Returns 64.2 mpg

If you are looking for the petrol car that will cost you the least to fill up, the answer right now is the Suzuki Swift. Research by car shopping platform CarGurus has confirmed the Swift Hybrid as the most fuel-efficient petrol car on sale in the UK, with the 1.2-litre mild hybrid engine returning 64.2 mpg on the official WLTP combined cycle. The entry-level Motion model with a manual gearbox starts at £18,699, and Suzuki is currently offering 0% PCP finance with monthly payments of £237 until the end of June.

For a car that costs less than £19,000, returns over 64 mpg and comes with a specification list that would embarrass some cars costing considerably more, the Swift makes a strong case on paper. But there are a couple of caveats worth knowing about before you sign anything…

What 64.2 mpg Actually Means In Practice

The 64.2 mpg figure is the WLTP combined number for the manual gearbox version. That is an official test cycle figure, and in normal circumstances you would expect real-world consumption to fall short by 10 to 15 percent. What makes the Swift unusual is that owners and reviewers consistently report matching or even beating the official figure in everyday driving. Suzuki has built a quiet reputation for producing cars whose fuel economy numbers are not just marketing claims but something you can actually achieve on a Tuesday morning commute.

The engine is a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit with mild hybrid assistance. It is worth being clear about what that means. This is not a full hybrid like a Toyota Yaris, which can drive short distances on electric power alone. The mild hybrid system in the Swift uses a small battery and an integrated starter generator to assist the engine under acceleration and recover energy during braking and coasting. It cannot propel the car by itself. What it does is smooth out the power delivery, reduce fuel consumption at low speeds and in stop-start traffic, and cut CO2 emissions to 99 g/km.

If you opt for the CVT automatic gearbox, fuel economy drops to 60.1 mpg and the price rises to £19,949 for the Motion grade. The manual is the one to have if fuel efficiency is the priority.

Chris Knapman, Editorial Director at CarGurus UK, said: “Our research shows that the Suzuki Swift is the most fuel-efficient petrol car you can buy in the UK right now, with its mild-hybrid 1.2-litre engine returning an impressive 64.2mpg on the official WLTP cycle. The good news doesn’t stop there: the Swift is also genuinely enjoyable to drive, roomy for a car of its size, and great value too.”

The 0% Finance Deal

Suzuki is offering 0% APR PCP finance on the Swift Hybrid Motion manual until the end of June 2026. The numbers are straightforward: a deposit of £237, followed by 48 monthly payments of £237, with an optional final payment at the end if you want to keep the car. You can also put down a larger deposit to reduce the monthly figure, or make no deposit at all with payments adjusted accordingly.

At £237 a month with nothing to pay in interest, the Swift sits comfortably within the budget of most drivers who are currently spending that much or more on fuel alone for a less efficient car. The combination of low purchase cost, low fuel bills and interest-free finance is the kind of package that rarely lines up this neatly.

The PCP offer is time-limited. If the finance deal is part of your reason for buying, the end of June is the deadline.

What You Get As Standard

The Motion is the entry-level grade but it does not feel like one. Standard equipment includes heated front seats, keyless entry, a reversing camera, 16-inch alloy wheels, a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Suzuki’s suite of safety systems including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

For a car at this price point, that is a generous list. Heated seats and wireless smartphone mirroring are features that some manufacturers still charge extra for on cars costing tens of thousands more.

The Warranty Is Generous, But Read The Terms

Suzuki offers a standard manufacturer warranty of three years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. After that, the Service Activated Warranty extends cover for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles, provided the car is serviced at a Suzuki dealer at every scheduled interval.

The way it works is simple in principle. Once the manufacturer warranty expires, you book the car in for its next scheduled service at a Suzuki dealer. The warranty then activates and covers you until the next qualifying service is due. When you have that service done, the warranty renews again. This cycle continues up to a maximum vehicle age of 10 years or 100,000 miles.

There is no extra charge for the warranty itself. The cost is the servicing, which you would likely be paying for anyway. But the condition is strict: miss a service or have it done outside the Suzuki network, and the warranty lapses. Cars without a full Suzuki service history can still qualify, but they will be subject to a health check and any pre-existing faults will be excluded unless you pay for them to be repaired during that service.

For buyers who plan to keep the car long-term and are happy to service it within the dealer network, it is one of the most comprehensive warranty arrangements available. For anyone who prefers to use an independent garage after the initial warranty period, it is worth understanding that you would be giving up the extended cover by doing so.

The Insurance Catch

There is one area where the Swift’s value story weakens. Insurance groups for the current model sit between 20 and 22 depending on specification. For a small car at this price, that is higher than you might expect. Several competitors in the same segment start below group 10.

For experienced drivers with a clean history, the difference may be modest. For younger drivers or those with limited no-claims history, groups in the low twenties can translate into significantly higher premiums. It is worth getting an insurance quote before you commit to the purchase, particularly if insurance cost is a meaningful part of your monthly motoring budget.

Auto Express flagged the same issue in their long-term test of the Swift, noting that cheap fuel bills were offset by higher-than-expected insurance costs. It does not undo the fuel economy advantage, but it is a running cost that deserves the same scrutiny as the mpg figure.

How It Compares

The Swift’s closest rival on fuel economy is the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, which is a full self-charging hybrid and returns up to 68.8 mpg on the WLTP cycle. However, the Yaris starts from around £23,000, placing it in a different bracket. The Yaris can drive on electric power alone at low speeds, which the Swift cannot, but the price gap of more than £4,000 buys a lot of fuel.

The Dacia Sandero undercuts the Swift on price but cannot match its fuel economy. The MG3 Hybrid offers similar mild hybrid technology at a competitive price but sits in a slightly larger segment.

On pure cost-per-mile for fuel, the Swift’s 64.2 mpg figure is difficult to beat without moving to a full hybrid or a plug-in. At current fuel prices, a driver covering 10,000 miles a year in the Swift would spend roughly £1,050 on petrol. The same mileage in a car returning 45 mpg, a figure typical of many popular superminis, would cost around £1,500. That is a saving of roughly £450 a year, which over four years of PCP ownership adds up to £1,800 in fuel savings alone.

The Verdict For Buyers

The Suzuki Swift is not the most exciting car on sale. It is not trying to be. What it offers is a combination of low purchase price, class-leading fuel economy, 0% finance, and a long-term warranty that is difficult to find anywhere else in the market at this price point. The insurance grouping is the one weak spot, and it is worth checking before you buy.

If keeping your monthly motoring costs as low as possible is the priority, the Swift with the manual gearbox and the 0% PCP deal is one of the strongest propositions in the UK new car market right now. The finance offer ends in June, so the window is not open indefinitely.

Sources:

• CarGurus, most fuel-efficient petrol cars 2026
• Suzuki UK, Swift Hybrid
• Suzuki UK, Service Activated Warranty
• Auto Express, Swift Hybrid Motion long-term test