In the past, it was nearly a given that vehicles with manual transmissions had better fuel economy than the same cars with automatic. But as automatic transmissions gain more gears and become more advanced, they are getting comparable, if not higher, fuel mileage.

Is an automatic car more fuel efficient?

Manual cars always get better fuel economy than cars with automatic gearboxes. ... But as modern automatics gained additional gears and relied less on a torque converter, they have now overtaken manuals in terms of fuel economy.

What gets better mileage manual or automatic?

In our tests, we've found that in some cars a manual transmission can improve gas mileage by a significant 2 to 5 mpg, compared with an automatic, and can cut a car's price by $800 to $1,200. Manual transmissions often can also improve acceleration, sometimes significantly.