Number one priority is safety and I don't buy small cars. I have never owned anything that didn't weigh at least 4,000 pounds (with the exception of 2 muscle cars) and I have only bought three (3) new cars in my life and they were a Audi S6, Hellcat and Demon. I drove a full size pick up truck or SUV since 2003. I am an American, nothing I have ever owned got better than 18 miles per gallon (yeah a hellcat on eco mode will do 21 or so).
I beg to differ when it comes to safety and small cars. Having driven plenty of them, including the original Fiat 500s and various small sports cars, my safety depended on my ability to drive. Their much lower weight allowed maneuvers that just aren't possible with heavy vehicles.
Sure, if getting T-boned or falling asleep at the wheel it's much better to be in something with more mass, but I wouldn't call small cars unsafe. Instead I'd say that unsafe drivers are worse in larger cars, able to create more damage.
And for your mileage experiences, once again it probably comes down to the surroundings. I generally get about 22 mpg in my 'Cat, and that's passing
very aggressively (it sounds so good and is fun), and when the road is straight enough, cruise at 100 or so. Well, 80 - 120 depending on the road, but it (and I) like 100.
Driving a bit more conservatively (but not by a lot) my girlfriend consistently gets a bit over 24 in her Redeye. Heck, I've seen mid 17s on the Lie-O-Meter in her Ram 3500 CC longbed with a 6.4 when she hasn't been towing. My '21 Challenger GT AWD always got a bit over 30 mpg, but those don't really like doing over 100 mph it seems.
Basically, these same roads that rule out EV use tend to allow for good gas mileage.Largely because there's rarely a need to stop.
Insurance? Another plus for not being in some city atmosphere, I guess. At $544 per month it's not an unnoticeable amount by any means, but that's for full coverage on the '23 Challenger GT AWD, '17 3500 DRW C&C, '18 'Cat, and '21 TRX. There's also a Jeep JK that doesn't have full coverage, and the Durango isn't on there yet, but it does include a '20 Sundowner toy hauler, homeowners, and an umbrella policy.
Bottom line, it looks like I save enough money by living here in relative freedom to not need to use an EV for savings