YONKERS, N.Y. -

As summer rolls in with consumers seeing little reprieve from high fuel prices, Consumer Reports put together a list of the best cars for fuel economy on the market, garnering information from its recent "real-world fuel-economy" tests.

To be recommended for CR’s best fuel economy list, vehicles, such as the Honda Fit and Ford Escape Hybrid, had to meet the test requirements, which spanned aspects such as performance, reliabiliy, safety, and, of course, fuel economy.

According to the magazine, not only do the cars chosen provide excellent fuel economy for their class, but they’re solid overall choices.

"Hybrid and diesel vehicles provide better fuel economy than conventional cars, but they usually cost more to buy, and as gas prices rise, the pay-back time gets shorter," said David Champion, senior director of CR’s auto test center in East Haddam, Conn., while discussing factors that went into the magazine’s vehicle choices.

"All-wheel drive usually reduces gas mileage by about 2 mpg while a manual transmission can improve fuel economy by 1 to 2 mpg,” he added.

Six categories included in the magazine’s total recommended list of best and worst cars for fuel economy by class are as follows:

Best subcompact car for fuel economy: The Honda Fit, $16,020, 30 mpg.    
Worst in class: Chevrolet Aveo LT with 25 mpg.   

Best small wagons and hatchbacks: Volkswagen Golf TDI (Diesel, manual) at $24,764, 38 mpg    
Worst in class: Scion xB, Subaru Impreza Outback Sport (AWD):23 mpg    

Best small sedans : Toyota Corolla LE, $18,404, 32 mpg    
Worst in class: Subaru Impreza 2.5i, 24 mpg   

Best family car: Toyota Prius IV (Hybrid), $24,750, 44 mpg    
Worst in class : Ford Fusion SEL (V6, AWD), Chevrolet Impala LTZ (V6), Mazda6 V6: 20 mpg 

Best upscale/sports sedan: Lexus HS 250 h (Hybrid), $38,939, 31 mpg    
Worst in class: Lincoln MKZ: 20 mpg    

Best small SUV: Ford Escape Hybrid, $32,575, 26 mpg    
Worst in class: Dodge Nitro SLT (3.7 liters), Jeep Liberty Sport 16 mpg    

The full list of vehicles will be available in the magazine’s July issue on sale now.