For the eleventh year in a row, Honda is the most green, most fuel efficient car company in the world. That’s the word from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), which rates five Honda models as among the “greenest vehicles of 2011” .
The greenest, most fuel efficient of them all is the Honda Civic GX natural gas-powered model, which earns the title of America’s greenest vehicle for the eighth time, with an MPG rating of 24 city/36 highway. Yes, yes, that’s not as good mileage as the Toyota Prius hybrid — which is rated at 51 MPG city and 48 MPG highway. But the Honda Civic GX kicks out fewer emissions — near zero emiissions — and therefore rates higher overall on the ACEEE Green Scale. The Prius actually ranks below the all-electric plug-in Nissan Leaf and the Smartfortwo.
The Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight Hybrid also rate high on the list of ACEEE’s top twelve most environmentally responsible vehicles available to the public. The Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid coupe and Honda Odyssey minivan were also named as the “greenest vehicles” within their respective classes.
In addition to the 11th year in a row that a Honda vehicle has received the number one ranking, it is the 13th straight year that multiple Honda vehicles have been named in the top 12.
The Honda Civic GX is assembled in America, and the only vehicle certified by the EPA to meet both Federal Tier 2 Bin 2 and Inherently Low Emission Vehicle (ILEV) standards. The clean-burning natural gas Civic GX is used mostly by corporate fleets, but because of demand, Honda announced recently it is expanding retail sales. So if you haven’t considered a CNG vehicle before, you should.
Other top-rated fuel-efficient green cars on the ACEEE list include the Chevrolet Volt, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Elantra. Here is the complete list, including fuel economy and their green score.
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