Maruti continues to dominate the fuel efficiency list with nine cars from its stable.
Published on Sep 17, 2025 02:38:00 PM
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Follow usFuel efficiency and running costs have always been among the top priorities for Indian car buyers. We have, therefore, compiled a list of 10 petrol cars with the highest mileage that are currently sold in India and ranked them from lowest to highest. The list is based on official ARAI figures revealed by manufacturers, though actual figures may vary depending on driving conditions and styles. Fuel efficiency has always been Maruti Suzuki’s forte, so it is no surprise that nine out of 10 cars on this list of highest-mileage petrol cars are Maruti Suzukis.
The Maruti Victoris, the flagship SUV sold out of Maruti’s Arena chain of dealerships, is powered by a 103hp 1.5-litre 4-cylinder mild-hybrid engine. Maruti claims a mileage of 21.18kpl for Victoris’s manual variants and 21.06kpl for the automatic ones. This engine can also be had in CNG-spec, which returns a claimed efficiency of 27.02km/kg. The Victoris is closely related to the Grand Vitara, which is sold from the Nexa chain, but it’s more efficient than the latter thanks to improvements in aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance from the tyres.
The Renault Kwid happens to be the only non-Maruti car that has made it to this list. Under its hood lies a 68hp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine that can be had with either a manual or an AMT gearbox. Renault claims an efficiency of 21.7kpl for the manual and 22.5kpl for the automatic. The Kwid is a good alternative to the Maruti Alto K10 for its space and features. While it has good power delivery at the bottom end, in our road test, we observed that the engine lacks refinement and sounds gruff. The compact form factor helps in easy manoeuvring in traffic and parking in tight spaces.
The Maruti Fronx is a coupe-crossover derivative of the Baleno and is powered by a 90hp 1.2-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, which it shares with its hatchback sibling. The Fronx has an ARAI-claimed mileage of 21.79kpl for the manual gearbox and 22.89kpl for the AMT. The Fronx also gets a more powerful 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. This, however, is slightly less efficient as it returns 21.50kpl with the manual and 20.01kpl with the automatic transmission. Its badge-engineered sibling, the Toyota Taisor, also has identical claimed fuel efficiency figures.
The Maruti Baleno and Toyota Glanza share the same 90hp 1.2-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine mated to either manual or AMT transmission. While the manual versions have an ARAI-claimed mileage of 22.35kpl, the AMT ones have a claimed efficiency of 22.94kpl. The petrol engine is refined and satisfactory around town but has a weak mid-range, requiring to be revved out for overtaking. The light clutch and smooth manual make driving easy, though the AMT is not quite up to class standards. The hatchback body style and slightly lesser kerb weight of both these models make them marginally more efficient than the Fronx and Taisor duo.
Next on our list of highest mileage petrol cars is the Alto K10, which is also currently the cheapest car on sale in India. While the Alto is no longer the value offering it once was, the 67hp, 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine returns an ARAI-claimed mileage of 24.39kpl for the manual version and 24.9kpl for the automatic. This engine feels very peppy and energetic in the Alto, and the painless ownership experience is obviously a boon, but the Alto’s higher variants are slightly pricey for an entry-level car.
The tallboy Wagon-R hatchback from Maruti Suzuki is not only popular for its practicality and space-efficient interior, but it’s also a very economical car to run. It comes with two petrol engine options. There’s a 68hp, 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine with a claimed fuel efficiency of 24.35kpl for the manual version, while the automatic variants return 25.19kpl. There’s also a larger 83hp, 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine that’s offered with MT and AMT gearboxes, but it is marginally less efficient with an average of 23.9kpl.
The Maruti S-Presso is powered by the same 67hp 1-litre petrol engine as the Alto K10. In manual guise, the S-Presso returns a claimed mileage of 24.13kpl (Std (O) and LXi (O) variants) and 24.76kpl (VXi (O) and VXi+ (O) variants). This goes up to 25.3kpl in the automatic variants, which means it is marginally more fuel efficient than the Alto K10. The S-Presso distinguishes itself with a tallboy stance and has a relatively roomy cabin but misses out on standard 6 airbags, which the Alto offers.
The Dzire is the highest mileage petrol sedan you can buy in our market. Powered by an 82hp Z-Series 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine (shared with the Swift), the Dzire’s manual version has a claimed fuel efficiency of 24.79kpl, while the automatic variants return 25.71kpl. With the new engine, Maruti improved the Dzire’s fuel economy by over 7 percent. The Dzire is a nice all-rounder with a comfortable and well-equipped cabin and a 5-star safety rating, besides its best-in-class mileage.
The fourth-generation Swift comes with the new 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder Z Series petrol engine. It has a claimed fuel economy of 24.80kpl for the manual version and 25.75kpl for the automatic one. The Swift’s new three-pot engine produces 8hp and 1Nm less than the outgoing 4-cylinder K-Series unit, but the focus with this new engine was efficiency. Maruti Suzuki has achieved this high fuel efficiency target with each cylinder measuring 400cc in capacity, which is considered to be the sweet spot for a cylinder’s volumetric efficiency. The lighter hatchback body style makes the Swift slightly more efficient than the Dzire.
The Celerio currently has the highest mileage of any petrol car you can buy in the country. It’s powered by the extremely frugal 67hp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder DualJet K10 petrol engine and is underpinned by the lightweight Heartect platform. The Celerio has ARAI-claimed fuel economy of up to 25.24kpl for the manual versions and 26.68kpl for the AMT transmission. The affordable Celerio is a sensible hatchback that’s easy to drive and live with.
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