Top Five Green Vehicles on the Market

In 2007, Tara Baukus Mello, of Edmunds.com, explained that "Hybrid vehicle sales increased from just 9,350 vehicles in 2000 to over 346,000 for the 2007 calendar year." Despite a decrease of sales for hybrid vehicles in the year 2009 to below 260,000, as reported by HybridCars.com, the availability and variety of green vehicles has increased significantly since the inception of the Honda Insight in 1999.

Choosing a green vehicle can be overwhelming. These top five green vehicles have been listed by a number of green organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy as having high mileage and a light carbon-footprint.

1. Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a compact, sleekly designed car that gets approximately 52 highway miles per gallon, and 48 city miles per gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency's Green Vehicle resource website gives the Prius an Air Pollution score of eight, and a Greenhouse Gas Score of 10 (the highest score is a 10). It has a 1.8 Liter, 4 cylinder engine, and has two-wheel drive. With regard to buying new or used, Edmunds.com explains that, "Due to its popularity and relatively long sales history, Toyota's original hybrid car is a strong candidate for a shopper interested in a used hybrid vehicle."

2. Honda Civic Hybrid

The Honda Civic Hybrid bares more of a traditional style than some of its contemporary, new-age competitors. It scores a 9.5 on the EPA's GreenVehicle resource website, and a 10 for its Greenhouse Gas score. It gets about 45 highway miles per gallon, and about 40 miles per gallon in the city. The Greener Cars website (a division of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE) gives the Honda Civic Hybrid a green score of 51 out of a selection of gasoline vehicles. It ranked second only to the Toyota Prius.

3. Honda Insight

The Honda Insight has improved this model by making it roomier for 2010, and giving it a bit more horse power then previous models. The car's external appearance is similar to the Toyota Prius, but Honda introduced the design before Toyota brought their model to the United States. This midsized sedan is compact, with an aerodynamic design. While the Insight trails the Prius in the green scores provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, Edmons.com completed a road test between the Insight and the Prius and gave the first place prize to the Insight based on performance and economy. The Insight gets about 43 highway miles per gallon, and 40 city miles per gallon.

4. Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon TDI

The Jetta SportWagon is not a hybrid car. It uses diesel fuel, which can burn more cleanly then regular fuel. This car, fashioned in a non-intrusive, wagon body, is less reminiscent of the futuristic, small hybrids most people imagine when thinking of green vehicles. This car gets nearly 42 highway miles per gallon, and 30 miles per gallon in the city, making this car fairly competitive against the hybrids in terms of green gasoline consumption. The car only scores a six on the EPA's Air Pollution Score, but the gasoline powered Jetta earns an eight; however, that car only gets 30 highway miles per gallon, and 22 city miles per gallon, making it a competitive green alternative to the electric hybrids. The EPA gives the diesel Sport Wagon a score of eight in the Greenhouse Gas category, and the gasoline engine SportWagon gets a seven.

5. Smart ForTwo Convertible/Coupe

This small car comes with either a diesel or gasoline engine. The diesel engine can get 42 highway miles per gallon, and 30 city miles, whereas the gasoline engine gets 30 highway miles per gallon, and 22 city miles. The gasoline engine car earns an eight on the EPA's Air Pollution score card and a seven in the Greenhouse Gas score card. The Diesel only gets a six in Air Pollution from the EPA, and an eight in its Greenhouse Gas Score. The car is a small, two door car that seats two. The small size of this vehicle contribute significantly to its fuel efficiency, as Kellen Schefter of GeenCar.com says, "It doesn't take a genius to see the correlation between gas prices and car size."