The Top 10 Greenest Cars

I bet you think you know what comprises a "green" car, don't you? I mean, you're a worldly soul, you use the recycle bin at Starbucks, eat your veggies, and some of your best friends drive hybrids, right? It's a given that your Environmental Impact Award is on it's way any day now...


All sarcasm and sexy ad campaigns aside, there are reputable, clear criteria out there, outlined in the (non-profit) American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE) "Green Book," that comes out every year. Using logical, real world data, to include the VERY important and oft overlooked environmental impact of actually BUILDING and powering each vehicle, as well as the usual model of MPGs and tailpipe particulates. 


Ostensibly hyped as a "toy for the rich" by some very reputable sources, to include WIRED, we're not surprised that the rather lackluster Chevy Volt (which is not truly a pure EV) didn't make the top ten. That's not to say  there weren't a few intriguing entries we were happy to see, and one glaringly obvious winner that we love to report has been touted as the "greenest car" in multiple arenas for 11YEARS now. If you think it's a hybrid, I have a bridge or two I would like to sell you. The only hint you get is that you can fill it up at home, safely, and cheaper than electric.


On to the list:


8th, 9th, and 10th placeholders were a tie. Chevy's new Cruze ECO offering finds itself tied with Hyundai Elantra and the MINI Cooper base model. This is actually very encouraging (especially with an American offering), as we see all three of these cars being specifically tuned for efficiency and with body work that reduces drag. They also feature low rolling resistance tires, something we hope to see become more ubiquitous on new models.
We just hope to see these companies playing up the "green" aspect of their lineups more in future ads, especially as we see gasoline soon to be returning to $4/ a gallon.

(and you already know what a Mini Cooper looks like.)

We don't recall the Ford Fiesta being much of a party machine in the past, but was able to come in 7th place. We are glad to see another American company make this list, it shows a lot of promise, and Ford has done much in recent years to gain a new reputation for quality. With the SFE model's 40mpg/hwy and 29mpg/city, light curb weight, 6 speed dual clutch, and a growing body of praise, it seems like a great option for the price.

6th place belongs to the Honda Insight. Honda actually built the Insight sometime ago, but it somehow didn't seem to capture the public's attention in quite the way the Prius did. With a lot of redesign, and very blatantly taking styling cues from it's nemesis, it's back, with 4 doors, and a bit more room than it's peer, and ranking highly in safety tests and initial quality. Factor in a lower price point and peppier performance than a Prius, and it seems like it may have some staying power.

Honda's Civic Hybrid came in 5th place. It's a respectable entry with 40mpg/city and 43mpg/hwy but there's not much else to say about it that make it a remarkable entry. It's a Civic. It's good on gas,  and reliable.


Toyota... we wonder how they feel being in 4th place on here? After so many accelerator pedal issues, I'm sure they would have liked a win for their popular Prius, however, it must be nice to still outrank the Civic Hybrid. Rumor has it Toyota will be offering free pairs of lensless hipster glasses, free parking at the Silverlake library, a fixed-gear bike, and rare 12" records by bands you've never heard of with purchase or lease. Ahhh, but we jest. They have managed to garner the claim of the "best fuel economy in a gasoline car" for new cars this year in the US (don't mention European models!) by pulling off a respectable 51mpg in the city and 48mpg on the highway.


SMART comes on to the list in 3rd place with it's "interesting" (in the way that your grandmother calls your clothes "interesting" when struggling to say something nice) "Fortwo" cabriolet and coupe. The long and short of these cars?

They're so small you don't even have to orient the vehicle properly to park them, yet to qualify for this list they had to be equipped with manual transmissions and required premium fuel. The ACEEE says the electric version would have made the list if it wasn't limited to a production run of only 250 cars this year, but when you factor in the $600/mo. lease those scant 250 offerings require, they really aren't so attractive the "average Joe" (or Jane).

...and our WINNER IS... well, this year it's actually a tie as well! The perennial favorite by the logical green crowd, the Honda Civic GX, shares the crown with a newcomer, the Nissan Leaf. The Civic GX is our personal favorite, in spite of a few minor downfalls, most notably that it's only sold new in NY, CA, UT, and OK.


The Leaf is very promising as an EV, with a 100 mile estimated range per charge, and remember that ACEEE ranked it this highly with the inclusive considerations of battery production and the environmental impact inherent in charging the car. We do, however, feel that the Leaf falls quickly to second place when cost and appearance are considered.