Three hybrids listed as Greenest Cars of 2006

Of the top 12 greenest cars of 2006, as listed by Washington-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, only three hybrids made the cut. The Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and Honda Civic hybrid.

Although both the honda insight and the honda civic gx (a limited natural-gas powered) tied with the highest (57) green score, the Honda Insight has a better mpg, giving it the top spot.

Toyota and Honda took all five top spots, while GM had three cars at 10, 11 and 12 with the Pontiac Vibe, Checy Cobalt, and the Saturn Ion.

The 'Meanest' vehicle was the DODGE RAM SRT10, with Dodge vehicles rounding out three of the worst five.

According to the FAQ at greener.com, the green score is calculated as follows:

We analyze automakers' test results for fuel economy and emissions as reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, along with other specifications reported by automakers. We estimate pollution from vehicle manufacturing, from the production and distribution of fuel and from vehicle tailpipes. We count air pollution, such as fine particles, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and other pollutants according to the health problems caused by each pollutant. We then factor in greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) and combine the emissions estimates into a Green Score that runs on a scale from 0 to 100. The top vehicles this year score a 57, the average is 30 and the worst gas-guzzlers score around 12. Further information can be found on the GreenerCars.com Methodology page.

The Greenest Vehicles of 2006

Make and Model	Specifications a	Emission Standard b	MPG: City	MPG: Hwy	Green Score
HONDA INSIGHT	1.0L 3, auto CVT	Tier 2 bin 5 / SULEV II	57	56	57
HONDA CIVIC GX	1.7L 4, auto CVT [CNG] c	Tier 2 bin 2 / PZEV	30	34	57
TOYOTA PRIUS	1.5L 4, auto CVT	Tier 2 bin 3 / PZEV	60	51	55
HONDA CIVIC HYBRID	1.3L 4, auto CVT	Tier 2 bin 2 / PZEV	49	51	53
TOYOTA COROLLA	1.8L 4, manual	Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II	32	41	46
HYUNDAI ACCENT	1.6L 4, manual	Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II	32	35	45
KIA RIO / RIO 5	1.6L 4, manual	Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II	32	35	45
HONDA CIVIC	1.8L 4, auto	Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II	30	40	44
MAZDA 3	2.0L 4, manual	PZEV	28	35	44
PONTIAC VIBE / TOYOTA MATRIX d	1.8L 4, manual	Tier 2 bin 5 / ULEV II	30	36	44
CHEVROLET COBALT	2.2L 4, manual	PZEV	25	34	43
SATURN ION	2.2L 4, manual	PZEV	26	35	43
a Certain other configurations of these models (with different transmissions or meeting different emission standards) score nearly as well. b A listing with two emission standards (e.g., Tier 2 bin 5 / SULEV II) denotes a single vehicle carrying both a Federal and California emission certification. Green Scores for such listings reflect the cleaner of the two certifications. c Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle fuel economy given in gasoline-equivalent miles per gallon. d These vehicles are "twins" — the same base model carrying different names.

Tags: hybrid, Greenest Cars of 2006, toyota, GM, dodge, Honda, mpg, pollution