The best gas mileage cars include the Toyota Prius hybrid. However, they also include a few surprises, vehicles that may not come to mind when we think top fuel efficiency.

With gas prices soaring to all-time highs, and very little relief in sight, there are very few alternatives to ease the strain on our wallets. We can drive less, find ways to improve our gas mileage and go further for the same amount of money, or look for alternatives such as hybrids or even bio diesel.

The best gas mileage cars also happen to be new models. Unfortunately, it defeats the purpose of saving money on gas if we have to spend even more money buying a brand new car.

For $21,100 the Toyota Prius gives us a Combined EPA Mileage of 42 mpg. Other top performers include the Mini Cooper, the Honda Civic, and the Toyota Corolla. Surprisingly though, the Toyota Altima is on the list as well.

Along with the Toyota Prius, many of the top gas mileage cars are what you might expect, however not all of them are obvious.

The price for a barrel of oil probably isn't going to settle down in the very near future. As a result, the price for a gallon of gas will probably remain pretty volatile, and continue going up. About the only upside is that we've had to learn to conserve energy.

Even though gas prices aren't likely to drop in the near term, there are steps we can take now. If we can't drive the best gas mileage car, we can make the care we do drive more efficient by keeping the tires inflated properly, making sure they're aligned, and keeping our engines properly tuned.