Electrified Cars Sweep Field in Overall Rankings
Every year the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) picks the “greenest” vehicles on the market. The group’s list, released last week, did not include a single vehicle from the Detroit Three automakers (General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and also consisted solely of electrified vehicles. Topping the list was the Hyundai Ioniq Electric. It was joined by six other full electrics and three hybrids.
The ACEEE also took another look at energy efficiency that probably makes more sense in the real world, since the cumulative sales of the 10 Greenest Cars barely registers compared to the current best-sellers. In this list they listed the greenest cars in each of six categories. This list had more variety to it, encompassing a variety of powertrains. Only one of the Top 10 green cars was on the second list, a reflection of the narrow range of electrified vehicles available and also some of the inherent biases of the ACEEE scoring system.
ACEEE scored the cars based on the whole environmental impact of a vehicle, including air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity and vehicle tailpipe.
Taken together, these two list frame the work we do here at Clean Fleet Report, giving readers more detail on what it’s like to live with the greenest cars in every category. Here are the lists with links to road tests we have done and news stories on the vehicles:
Top 10 Green Cars
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The Honda Insight was the only car to make both of ACEEE’s lists - Hyundai Ioniq Blue
- BMW i3
- Honda Clarity Electric
- Kia Soul Electric
- Nissan Leaf
- Honda Insight
- Hyundai Kona Electric
- Volkswagen e-Golf
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
Top Green Cars in Each Class
Subcompact car Chevrolet Spark
Compact car Toyota Prius c
Midsize car Honda Insight
Large car Honda Civic Five-Door
Small wagon Kia Niro
Medium wagon Volvo V90
Small SUV Toyota RAV4
Medium SUV Nissan Rogue Hybrid
Large SUV GMC Acadia
Minivan Chrysler Pacifica
Pickup Ford F-150
Two-seater Mazda MX-5
This should help you expand your shopping list. Incidentally, ACEEE also published its 10 Meanest list of vehicles at the other end of the environmental scale. We’re proud to say Clean Fleet Report has stayed away from all of them. You can see how much time we’ve spent in the top green cars.
Related Stories You Might Enjoy—Some of Our Top ~10 Lists
Top 10 Best MPG AWD SUVs/Crossovers
Road Test: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric
Road Test: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid
Road Test: 2017 BMW i3
Flash Drive: 2017 Honda Clarity Electric
Road Test: 2016 Kia Soul EV
Road Test: 2018 Nissan Leaf
Road Test: 2019 Honda Insight
News: 2019 Hyundai Kona Crossover Goes Electric
Road Test: 2018 Volkswagen e-Golf
Road Test: 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Road Test: 2014 Toyota Prius c
Road Test: 2016 Honda Civic
Road Test: 2017 Kia Niro
Road Test: 2018 Toyota RAV4
Road Test: 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid
Road Test: 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Road Test: 2018 Ford F-150
Road Test: 2018 Mazda MX-5
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