The Toyota Prius and its new family of counterparts dominated the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) 15th annual comprehensive, “Greenest,” environmental ratings. The Toyota Prius C, the compact, highest mileage version of the Prius, took the top spot. The original Prius took number three, the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid took number four, and the larger Prius V took number 11 on the list. Consumers and fleets now have a wider, more impressive list of fuel efficient vehicle offerings as the aggressive national fuel economy standards have kicked in for model years 2012 to 2025. Other top scorers are the Honda Fit electric vehicle (#2) and the Honda Civic Hybrid (#5). Three Ford vehicles made the list: the Focus EV and the Fusion and C-Max hybrids. European vehicles also placed on the list, with VW’s new Jetta hybrid and the Smart ForTwo placing #7 and #8.
This year, conventional vehicles were largely driven off the “Greenest” list by hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, and all-electric vehicles. The Scion IQ and Smart ForTwo are the only non-hybrid, non-plug-in vehicles to remain on the list. Even the 8-time first-place Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle was pushed out of the top twelve in 2013. The dirtiest vehicle for 2013 is the Ford F-350 FFV pickup truck with a Green Score of 17, followed by the Ford F-250 (FFV), and Ford E-350 wagon, both also scoring 17. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s 15th annual comprehensive environmental ratings can be found at greenercars.org.
