Honda Civic GX

In the past few years, American automakers have made strides in fuel efficiency and green vehicles but they are still lagging their foreign counterparts.

The natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX retains the title of the “greenest vehicle” for the sixth year running. Toyota’s hybrid-electric Prius, which places second, is the year’s top-scoring gasoline vehicle, while Honda’s Civic Hybrid ranks a close third. Rounding out the top five are the 2009 Smart Fortwo Convertible and Coupe and Toyota Yaris.

Domestically-produced vehicles are inching their way up, after being shut out entirely as recently as 2007. In 2008, the Ford Focus was the lone American vehicle on the Greenest list, sitting comfortably in the 9th spot. This year, the Focus was pushed from the list by the twins Chevrolet Cobalt/Pontiac G5, certified at PZEV / Tier 2 Bin 5, and the Tier 2 Bin 4 Chevrolet Aveo, among others. Narrowly missing out on a spot on the Greenest list were the Ford Focus, the Hyundai Accent, and the Toyota Corolla, all of which score very well but face stiff competition from vehicles with improved and more efficient engines.

The vast majority of the year’s Greenest Vehicles are widely available coast-to-coast. Not too long ago, the list was dominated by vehicles for sale only in California, while today more than 80 percent of the Greenest Vehicles can be purchased in any state.

Greenest Vehicles of 2009

Meanest Vehicles for the Environment in 2009

Also, Honda won the 2009 Kelly Blue Book Award for Overall Best Resale Value.  Trust me it is true.  When my 8 year old Honda was totalled last week, I got back almost half of what I paid.

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• For more information: EPA's Greenest Cars

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