The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy have released their 2012 Fuel Economy Guide, so let’s see what the numbers look like.

 For nearly 30 years, the guide has helped car buyers compare vehicle MPG and fuel costs. And this year it includes an All-Star roster of the top ten gasoline economy champs dating back to 1984. It’s amazing that classic penny pinchers like the ‘86 Chevy Sprint, Honda CRX and Geo Metro still rank near the top of the all-time gas miser list.

But these days, the battery is boss, since the top 10 fuel economy winners for 2012 are either electrics or hybrids.

The all-electric Mitsubishi i takes top honors as the year’s most fuel efficient vehicle with 126MPGe city and 99MPGe highway. The Nissan Leaf is close behind with ratings of 106 and 92. Keep in mind, electricity is not measured in gallons so EV fuel economy is calculated as an MPG equivalent.

As to 2012 car class leaders, for two-seaters it’s the Honda CR-Z. The hybrid automatic model tops all contenders with a rating of 35 mpg city/39mpg for highway. The Scion iQ jumps to the head of the mini-compact class with 36 city and 37 highway.  It’s also the highest non-hybrid gasoline car on the list.

A mixed bag makes up the compact car class with the extended range, plug-in Chevrolet Volt taking the lead at a rating of 58 MPG city/62 MPG highway. The Honda Civic Hybrid is next on the list. The best non-hybrids in that category belong to Volkswagen with both the Golf and Jetta diesels at 30mpg city/42 highway.

For the larger family sedans, the Toyota Camry Hybrid LE tops the list at 43 city/ 39 highway. While the Ford Escape Hybrid offers the best SUV mileage at 34 city/31 highway.

And it comes as no surprise that the worst fuel economy goes to the ultra-luxe vehicles, with the Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin DB9 and DBS and the Bentley Continental GTC all taking the bottom spot in their respective categories for motoring in-efficiency. And consumer savvy shoppers will choose the most fuel efficient models to meet their needs.