GreenerCars.com
Friday, November 26th, 2004These days, when purchasing vehicles for your company fleet or for your family, fuel economy and environmental costs probably gaining weight in your decision process. The folks at GreenerCars.com are making it easy to select what is friendliest to the planet and economical.
Based on official emissions and fuel-economy tests, and other specifications reported by auto manufacturers, they calculate a Green Score for each car, minivan, pickup, and SUV on the market. The Green Score falls on a scale of zero to 100. A higher score implies a greener car, meaning a vehicle having a lower environmental impact. The top performers in 2004 appear here (you need to register to see far enough down the list to find an American or European model).
| Make & Model | Specifications a | Emission Standard a | MPG: City | MPG: Hwy | Green Score |
| HONDA CIVIC GX | 1.7L 4, auto CVT [CNG] b | PZEV | 30 | 34 | 57 |
| HONDA INSIGHT | 1.0L 3, auto CVT | SULEV II | 57 | 56 | 56 |
| TOYOTA PRIUS | 1.5L 4, auto CVT | PZEV | 60 | 51 | 53 |
| HONDA CIVIC HYBRID | 1.3L 4, auto | PZEV | 47 | 48 | 51 |
| TOYOTA ECHO | 1.5L 4, manual | Tier 2 bin 9 | 35 | 43 | 43 |
| NISSAN SENTRA | 1.8L 4, auto | PZEV | 28 | 35 | 42 |
| HONDA CIVIC HX | 1.7L 4, manual | ULEV I | 36 | 44 | 42 |
| MAZDA 3 | 2.0L 4, manual | PZEV | 28 | 35 | 41 |
| TOYOTA COROLLA | 1.8L 4, manual | ULEV I | 32 | 40 | 40 |
| HYUNDAI ELANTRA | 2.0L 4, manual | Tier 2 bin 4 | 27 | 34 | 40 |
| SCION xA | 1.5L 4, auto | Tier 2 bin 9 | 32 | 38 | 40 |
| HONDA CIVIC | 1.7L 4, manual | ULEV I | 32 | 38 | 40 |
| a Certain other transmission and emission standard configurations of these models score nearly as well. b Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fuel economy given in gasoline-equivalent miles per gallon. |
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For a typical commuter, buying a car that gets 40 mpg instead of 25 will result in gas savings of 300 gallons in a 20k mile year or about $700. That’s almost like getting your car insurance for free!
GreenerCars.com charges about nine dollars for a month’s subscription, but that gets you the impartiality that comes with not relying on advertising. You will also learn as much as you want to know about emissions standards and maybe more.