The Toyota Prius c has been named the greenest car of 2013, with an environmental rating of 58, by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
The council which draws up an annual greenest list placed the new compact Prius model (similar to the Auris Hybrid sold here in the UK) ahead of competitors; the Honda Fit (Jazz), the original Prius, Prius Plug-in and Honda Civic Hybrid.
Now in its 15th year, conventional vehicles were largely driven off the ‘Greenest’ list by hybrid-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, and all-electric vehicles. The Scion IQ and Smart ForTwo were the only non-hybrid, non-plug-in vehicles to remain on the list.
Even the eight-time first-place Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle was pushed out of the top twelve in 2013.
Last year’s winner was the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
“The vehicles at the top of this year’s rankings are proof that automakers are really ramping up their offerings. There are more hybrid and electric options on the market this year than ever before and the race for a spot on the Greenest list is increasingly competitive. Automakers have revamped their offerings to meet the growing demand for efficient vehicles and new fuel economy standards,” said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan.
To decide which cars make the grade to be named on the greenest list, ACEEE examine the emissions and fuel consumption attributable to each car to develop a Green Score.
This year, a number of updates were made to the methodology to more accurately estimate vehicles’ environmental impacts. These include updates to emissions from the vehicle manufacturing process; changes to gasoline, diesel, and natural gas upstream emissions; and updates to the forecasted mix of fuels used to generate the electricity to power electric cars.
The council has also drawn up a Greener Choices list, for those who want to find a combustion car with the lowest environmental footprint and a Meanest list to name and shame the most environmentally intensive choices. The dirtiest vehicle for 2013 is the Ford F-350 FFV pickup truck with a Green Score of 17, followed by the Ford F-250 (FFV), and Ford E-350 wagon, both also scoring 17.
Full details of the lists can be found here.