The 12 'Greenest' Cars For 2016

It’s apparently not an easy time in which to be a vehicular environmentalist. Sales of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market are plummeting in lockstep with falling gasoline prices, which at a national average of $1.83 (according to the AAA) is the lowest per-gallon cost in a decade. “Green” car sales dropped by around 16 percent last year as motorists are instead rekindling their love affair with trucks and crossover SUVs.

Still, automakers are putting more fuel-efficient cars in the pipeline – if only because they were conceived back when gasoline cost around $3.00 a gallon.

Not surprisingly, electrified vehicles comprise all 12 slots in the annual “Greenest Cars” list compiled by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) in Washington, D.C. On the plus side, with demand for them weakening, it’s become a buyers’ market for EVs and hybrids, with deep discounts and cash rebates being widely offered to help move the metal. What’s more buyers of full-electric and plug-in hybrid cars are still eligible for a federal tax credit as rich as $7,500, in addition to any state and local incentives that may apply.

It should be noted that the green scores given to each model are based both on a model’s fuel economy ratings and tailpipe emissions, as well as its overall impact on the environment, including manufacturing, disposal impact, and energy source. For example, while an all-electric car generates zero tailpipe emissions, its overall environmental impact depends greatly on the effect to which the local power source used to generate the electricity adversely affects the air, ground and/or water.

Unfortunately for environmental aficionados, many of the models on this year’s greenest cars list are sold only in California and perhaps a few other states that adhere to its stricter emissions standards (major automakers are required to sell at least one zero-emissions vehicle in California), and at that may only be offered via select dealerships in the largest cities that are considered major “green car” markets. Of the dozen models on this years greenest list, only the Toyota Prius and Prius c hybrids, and the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric, and Chevrolet Volt EVs are offered in all 50 states.

1. Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Convertible / Coupe

The battery-powered diminutive two-seat Smart ForTwo Electric Drive is named the “greenest” car in the U.S. for the third year in a row by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, with a Green Score of 63. It’s EPA rated at the electric equivalent of 107 mpg in combined city/highway driving, and is estimated to run for 68 miles on a charge. It’s available only in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

2. Chevrolet Spark EV

Chevy’s all-electric version of the subcompact Spark gets a Green Score of 63 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 119 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 82 miles on a charge. It’s sold only in California, Maryland and Oregon.

3. Fiat 500e

The electric Fiat 500e gets a Green Score of 62 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 112 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 84 miles on a charge. It’s sold only in California and Oregon.

4. Toyota Prius ECO

The top mileage ECO version of the redesigned-for-2016 Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid gets a Green Score of 61 from the ACEEE and is rated at 56 combined city/highway driving. It’s available in all 50 states.

5. Volkswagen e-Golf

The electric Volkswagen e-Golf gets a Green Score of 61 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 116 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 83 miles on a charge. It’s sold only in California, Connecticut,Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island,Vermont and Washington D.C.

6. Nissan Leaf

The redesigned-for-2016 electric Nissan Leaf gets a Green Score of 61 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 112 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 107 miles on a charge. It’s sold in all 50 states.

7. Kia Soul Electric

The Kia Soul Electric gets a Green Score of 59 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 105 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 93 miles on a charge. It’s sold only in California.

8. Toyota Prius c

Toyota’s subcompact Prius c gas/electric hybrid gets a Green Score of 59 from the ACEEE and is rated at 50 mpg in combined city/highway driving. It’s sold in all 50 states.

9. Toyota Prius

The standard version of the midsize Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid gets a Green Score of 58 from the ACEEE and is rated at 52 mpg in combined city/highway driving. It’s sold in all 50 states.

10 Ford Focus Electric

The compact Ford Focus Electric gets a Green Score of 57 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 105 in combined city/highway driving, with an estimated range of 76 miles on a charge. It’s sold in all 50 states.

11. Chevrolet Volt

Redesigned for 2016, the plug-in “extended range” electric Chevrolet Volt gets a Green Score of 56 from the ACEEE and is rated at the electric equivalent of 106 in combined city/highway driving while in EV mode, with an estimated range of 53 miles on a charge. It’s estimated at 42 mpg while running on gasoline. It’s sold in all 50 states.

12. Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid

The compact gas/electric Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid gets a Green Score of 56 from the ACEEE and is rated at 44 mpg in combined city/highway driving. It’s sold in all 50 states.

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