When you shop for your next car, one of your top questions should be, "What kind of fuel economy does it get?" Gas prices are rising and many experts feel they will continue the upward trend indefinitely. Be prepared by making fuel economy your top priority.Of course you will want to get a car that meets your other needs. Still, you might be surprised at how many different models are available that will provide good fuel economy and a long list of attractive features.

Selecting a Fuel-Efficient Car
One of your first stops should be to visit Fueleconomy.gov, where you can quickly see the mileage and emissions ratings of all the cars currently for sale. Edmunds.com also carries the EPA mileage figures on the "Features and Specs" page of each vehicle.

Another good starting point is two lists provided by Edmunds.com: Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Sedans of 2010 and Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient SUVs and Crossovers of 2010. The 2011 versions of these cars get mileage that's equal to — if not better than — their 2010 counterparts. If one of these vehicles doesn't catch your eye, consider the following general rules when searching for a car that delivers good fuel economy.

Four-Cylinder vs. V6 and V8: In most cases, the smaller the engine, the better the fuel economy. This means that instead of buying a car with a V6 or V8 engine, consider getting the four-cylinder engine for that car. The initial purchase price will be lower and you will save money on gas. Many four-cylinder engines, particularly those that are turbocharged, are surprisingly energetic and can provide plenty of power for merging and passing.

Standard vs. Automatic Transmission: When it comes to smaller, compact-size cars, a manual transmission comes standard; getting an automatic transmission sometimes adds about $800-$1,000 to the purchase price. Meanwhile, a manual-shift typically achieves slightly better gas mileage and also allows you to drive in a more fuel-efficient way. If you don't live in the city and don't get stuck in traffic a lot, this is a money-saving alternative for you. For more information on manual transmission cars, see this article. You might also consider the new breed of automated manual transmissions, which combine the fuel efficiency of a manual with the ease of a traditional automatic, though with a slight loss in the refinement that a traditional automatic offers. If an automatic is what you need, consider one that offers a broad spread of gear ratios; six-speed automatics are relatively common now and eight-speed automatics are offered on some luxury models.

Hybrids: Many different hybrid vehicles are on the market now. In some hybrids (the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius), the gas mileage was top of the class. Hybrid SUVs (the Ford Escape and the Lexus RX 450h, for example) provide respectable fuel economy but have put an added emphasis on performance. See our Hybrid and Electric Center.

Diesels: In the past, diesels have had a bad rap because they were thought to be slow, smelly and noisy. Recently, technology has improved and you can barely tell you are driving a diesel. Furthermore, the fuel economy provided by diesels rivals some hybrid cars. Currently a few automakers are offering models with a diesel engine. Look for more diesels to arrive soon. See our Diesel Center.