The greenest new car you can buy isn’t a fully electric vehicle: it’s a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius.
Despite having a gas engine, the Toyota Prius Prime SE is apparently more environmentally friendly than many all-electric vehicles.
That’s according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) that ranks 2024 model cars based on a “green score” that evaluates a vehicle’s emissions and pollution. In addition to emissions from driving the vehicle, the scores also take into account emissions from manufacturing the vehicle.
Toyota Prius plug-in: the greenest car you can buy
When the first Toyota Prius models hit the market more than 20 years ago, they were among the most fuel-efficient mass-market cars in the United States. Even as the spotlight has shifted to electric vehicles, the Prius remains one of the best options for car buyers whose top priority is the environment.
There are several Toyota Prius models available on the market today. According to the ACEEE report, the traditional Prius hybrid, which runs on gas and tops out at 55 mpg, is the greenest car available that uses traditional fuel as its sole energy source.
The Prius Prime is a plug-in hybrid vehicle that has a gas-powered engine and can be driven for a limited number of miles on electric power. Even if drivers have to fill up the tank (at least for longer trips), the vehicle still manages to beat all fully electric vehicles in the greenest cars ranking for 2024.
The Prius Prime has a range of only about 44 miles on electric power alone, but the relatively small size of the battery is actually an advantage in some ways because it means there’s less environmental impact from its production. And depending on your lifestyle, 44 miles could cover most of your daily driving.
The vehicle also ranks high in terms of environmental friendliness thanks to its lighter weight, body shape and advanced technology, ACEEE experts said at Washington Post.
After the Prius, the next four cars in the top five are fully electric vehicles. Here is the ACEEE ranking of the most eco-friendly cars:
The most eco-friendly cars ever
- Toyota Prius Prime SE (PHEV)
- Lexus RZ 300e (EV)
- Mini Cooper SE (EV)
- Nissan Leaf (EV)
- Toyota bZ4X (EV)
- Toyota RAV4Prime (PHEV)
- Hyundai Elantra Blue (hybrid)
- Hyundai Kona Electric (EV)
- Toyota Camry LE (hybrid)
- Kia EV6 (EV)
The greenest cars that use gas
- Toyota Prius
- Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue
- Toyota Camry Hybrid LE
- Honda Accord hybrid
- Toyota Corolla hybrid
- Kia Niro FE
- Honda Sonata Hybrid
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Lexus ES300h
- Honda CR-V front-wheel drive
Note: This list excludes PHEVs, which run partially on battery power and also have gas engines.
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