Washington, D.C.—Looking forward to vehicle sales above 16 million in 2014 for the first time in seven years, automakers are capitalizing on the market upswing by offering customers a vast array of vehicle options. Today at greenercars.org(link is external), the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 17th annual comprehensive environmental ratings for vehicles.
This year, the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive tops the “Greenest(link is external)” list with a highest-ever score of 59 out of 100, just in time for the vehicle’s nationwide rollout. Following closely behind are the Toyota Prius C and the Nissan Leaf with scores of 57 and 55 respectively. Toyota’s entire family of Priuses performs exceedingly well again this year, with the regular Prius and the Prius plug-in hybrid nabbing spots #4 and #7. Other top scorers for 2014 include the Honda Civic Hybrid (#5), Lexus CT 200H (#6), Honda Insight (#10), and the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (#12). Making its return to the “Greenest(link is external)” list after an absence last year is the Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle (#9).
New to the list this year is the Mitsubishi Mirage, Mitsubishi’s new subcompact offering for the American market. With a Green Score of 55, the gasoline vehicle takes the 8th spot on our list. The only other non-hybrid gasoline model to make the list this year is the Smart ForTwo which placed at #11.
“We’ve had such an influx of hybrid and electric vehicles in recent years that the race to earn a spot on the “Greenest” list is more competitive than ever, particularly for conventional vehicles. It’s encouraging to see automakers investing heavily in eco-savvy vehicles on the whole,” said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan.
“From the rise in the number of efficient vehicles in car-sharing and car rental fleets to the myriad advanced technology vehicle choices available to consumers, the leading edge of the U.S. auto market is evolving rapidly,” said Steve Nadel, ACEEE’s Executive Director.
The greenercars.org(link is external) website also identifies top widely-available models in each vehicle class. This “Greener Choices(link is external)” list includes trucks and SUVs such as the Buick Encore, Nissan Rogue, and the Ram 1500 HFE. The Chevrolet Spark and Nissan Juke top their respective car classes. As the list demonstrates, consumers can make “greener choices” whatever their vehicle needs may be. Domestic manufacturers claimed four of the twelve “Greener Choices(link is external)” spots.
Greenercars.org(link is external) provides the facts necessary to examine the eco-performance of any 2014 model. The site assigns each vehicle a “Green Score,” a singular measure that incorporates lifecycle greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions. This year, a number of updates were made to the greenercars.org(link is external)methodology to more accurately estimate vehicles’ environmental impacts. These include updates to in-use emissions of methane and nitrous oxides, evaporative emissions estimates, and gasoline, diesel, and natural gas “upstream” emissions. Vehicles not intended to achieve significant sales volumes are not eligible for spots on the “Greenest(link is external)” list.
The “Meanest(link is external)” list this year is comprised of heavier light-duty vehicles and European sports cars that are the least friendly to the environment. The dirtiest vehicle for 2014 is the Class 2B Ram 2500 with a Green Score of 18, followed by the Bugatti Veyron and the Ford E-150 FFV Wagon with scores of 19 and 21 respectively. Special use vans above 8,500 lbs are given a Green Score but are not included on the “Meanest(link is external)” list.
In addition to highlighting the year’s “Greenest(link is external),” “Meanest(link is external),” “Greener Choices(link is external),” and best-in-class lists, the greenercars.org(link is external) website features informational write-ups on model year 2014 highlights, a consumer primer on vehicles and the environment, and advice on how to buy green when shopping for a new car or truck.
Summary “Green Scores” of the 1,000+ configurations of all model year 2014 vehicles are made available to subscribers of the greenercars.org(link is external) interactive database along with each configuration’s fuel economy, health-related pollution impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions. Subscribers can also build custom lists for comparing vehicles. Monthly and annual subscriptions to greenercars.org(link is external) are available on the website.
For access to all 2014 environmental scores, media should contact Patrick Kiker at 202.507.4010, pkiker@aceee.org.
About ACEEE: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit aceee.org(link is external).
