The Kia Soul and Subaru Impreza hatchback are similar in some ways, such as engine size; use of simple controls; easy access to the noisy cabin; and comparable fuel economy, cargo room, and turning circles. Yet, there are big differences in styling and performance.

At a time when all automakers are offering small, fuel-efficient cars, they are mostly stamped out from the same cookie cutter. Familiar shapes and boring personalities are commonplace. But then there is the Hyundai Veloster, a three-door couple-like hatchback that dares to put fun in the mix. We just finished testing the Veloster, finding it funky, efficient, and with some compromises.

Chrysler dusted off the "Dodge Dart" nameplate for a small sedan based on an elongated and stretched platform shared with the Alfa Romeo Guilietta, a premium compact sold in Europe and elsewhere. This is the first new Dodge car to emerge from the Chrysler-Fiat alliance, and others are expected to soon follow. Based on our first impressions, it is a significant improvement over the long-retired, chintzy Neon.

Not many consumers have even seen Ford's new electric Focus hatchback on the road. Fortunately, we had a chance to drive a couple Focus EVs and learn why they're so rare.

After driving a preproduction 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ, we were looking forward to buying one of own to test. Unfortunately, living with our test car for a while revealed that something was lost in translation.

The average American family now spends more than $7,600 annually on transportation, according to a recent government study. To put that amount in perspective, it's more than what's spent on food and over twice as much as on health care. The reason cited by the Treasury Department report is due to the increasing cost of gasoline and, consequently, traveling by car.

If you're thinking of trading in your old car for a new one, there may be no better time to do it than right now.

Car shoppers have been buying increasingly more fuel-efficient vehicles recently, as reflected by a new study showing that the average new car sold in March returned 24.1 mpg. The analysis by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Group reveals this past month as the first time the 24 mpg milestone had been crossed, since they began monitoring sales-weight fuel economy sales.

Only 35 percent of hybrid vehicle owners choose to purchase a hybrid again when returning to market, according to Polk, an auto industry data provider and research company. This rate drops to less than 25 percent if Toyota Prius owners are removed from the sample.

For 2013, Daimler is updating the Smart ForTwo and for the first time offering a choice of a gasoline or electric powertrain in either coupe or convertible models.

As gas prices hover near $4 a gallon nationwide, there are more than 20 SUVs and trucks that cost more than $100 to fill up. But, there are almost 30 cars that cost less than $50 to refuel. We crunched the numbers and found the cheapest cars in America to fill up.

We've enjoyed Mazda3s for years. They've often been the driver's choice for the most fun-to-drive small sedan. And now they're very fuel efficient, as well.

If you're looking for a gas sipper to help save money at the pump, there are many used cars that make excellent choices. And if you do your research, you can buy one that is not only efficient, but safe and reliable, as well. To make it easier to find what you're looking for, we have identified some of the best used deals on fuel-efficient small cars.

Toyota's crystal ball must be running on all cylinders. (Or maybe it's a hybrid.) With rising gas prices and a still-lukewarm economy, the Prius C seems tailor-made for these times: Prius fuel economy without the Prius price tag.

There was a time when consumers could count on redesigned cars to be better than the previous model. Well, not any more, as exemplified by Honda's string of models that performed worse than their predecessors. Now it seems Toyota has followed suit, with its all-new Yaris being less competitive than before.