Here are the top 10 fuel-efficient vehicles for 2009, based on EPA fuel economy data for combined city and highway driving:

Vehicle	City/Hwy/Combined
1. Toyota Prius	48/45/46
2. Honda Civic Hybrid	40/45/42
3. smart fortwo	33/41/36
4. Volkswagen Jetta Sedan/Jetta SportWagen	30/41/34
5. Toyota Camry Hybrid	33/34/34
6. Nissan Altima Hybrid	35/33/34
7. MINI Cooper/Cooper Clubman	28/37/32
8. Toyota Yaris	29/36/32
9. Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid/Mazda Tribute Hybrid (tie)	34/31/32
10. Honda Fit	28/35/31

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Record high gas prices make many people change their habits. Maybe for years you were used to drive your SUV and never felt the pain at the gas pump. You drove over 40 miles one way to work and it felt normal, but now with hundreds of dollars spent per month on gas alone you don’t see it that normal anymore. So if so far you never thought of ways to save money on gas perhaps now is the best time to do it.

Here are some practical tips on how you can save money at the pump:

1) Carpool- If you are driving a lot of miles every day to and from work, there is probably somebody in your area or within short distance that does the same thing. There are quite a few websites out there where you can post free ads looking for people that are willing to carpool in your route. One generic side would be the well known craigslist.com and a more specific site for this is erideshare.com. It might take you a few weeks or months to find the right person to ride with, but it’s definitely worth it. You will pretty much cut you gas expenses in half. So what would you say if you would see $2.00 / gallon gas. I am sure you will be pretty excited. So go ahead make the decision and start looking for a carpool partner.

2) Move closer to work-I know it is easier said than done. In today’s economy we are hit not only buy the high gas prices but also by a very, very slow real estate market. It is not that easy to sell you home anymore. I admit that this solution is a better fit for people who are renting. If you are not caught up in a long term contract do whatever possible to find a place to live close to your workplace. There are rumors that the gas prices are only going to go up, so the less you drive the better off you are.

3) Buy a car that gives more miles per gallon. Be ready to give up a little comfort. You might not have that spacious car but for sure a small little car will keep you away from the gas pump for a longer period of time. If you want to check the miles per gallon average numbers you can check it out at www.mpgbuddy.com.

4) Use the public transportation – Depending on what city you live in and where you go to work, there is probably a public transportation system that you could use. If you plan on doing this, as a method to save money on gas you have to be very organized. You got to know the bus schedule, wake up earlier than you use to and allow a lot more time to get to and from work.

I think that almost every single American is affected by the high gas prices, but not everyone is ready to take some of the drastic measure that I mentioned above. You don’t have to , but unless you are a millionaire I am pretty sure that you have to make some changes to your daily habits so that you can keep your budget under control.

How can I achieve better gas mileage? With the price of gas well over $4 these days, this is a question that is on most peoples mind today. Everyone is feeling the price pain at the gas pump, and it can be difficult for many people to fill up their tank with gas prices so high. More than ever before people are beginning to ask how to get better gas mileage, and thankfully, there are some things that can be done to enhance the mileage that you get out of your gas.

Try Using Your Cruise Control More. One thing that you can do to help get better gas mileage is to try using your cruise control a bit more. Since using the cruise control can help you keep at a steady speed, it can help with getting better gas mileage. However, this only works when you are driving on roads that are primarily flat. If you're going to be driving on roads that are fairly flat, then using the cruise is a great idea that will help you to save at the pump.

Clean Your Car. Believe it or not, keeping your car clean on the outside can improve your fuel economy as well. You should make sure that you keep your car washed and waxed. Doing this on a regular basis actually helps to improve the aerodynamics of your car, which will affect the fuel mileage you get on your vehicle. This in fact, is so important that it can actually improve your fuel economy by about 7%, which is a substantial savings.

Avoid Idling as Much as Possible. Idling can really start killing your gas mileage, so you'll want to avoid it as much as possible. You're using fuel when you are idling but you aren't even moving. This means you're actually getting 0 mpg at this time. When you let your car continually run when you're waiting on someone in the store or even sitting at a drive through, you are actually wasting your gas. You'll be better off to turn off your car and then restart it instead of letting it idle so much.

Don't Run the Air if You Don't Have To. If you don't absolutely have to, avoid running the air conditioning as well. However, at some times it can be better to keep the air running. Usually if you are out on the highway traveling fast, it's better to keep the windows shut and run the air conditioning; however, if you're driving at slower speeds around town, you'll save by keeping the windows down.