The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its 17th annual comprehensive environmental ratings for vehicles.
This year, the Smart ForTwo Electric Drive tops the “Greenest” list with a highest-ever score of 59 out of 100, just in time for the vehicle’s nationwide rollout.
Following closely behind are the Toyota Prius C and the Nissan Leaf with scores of 57 and 55 respectively. Toyota’s entire family of Priuses performs exceedingly well again this year, with the regular Prius and the Prius plug-in hybrid nabbing spots #4 and #7.
Other top scorers for 2014 include the Honda Civic Hybrid (#5), Lexus CT 200H (#6), Honda Insight (#10), and the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (#12). Making its return to the “Greenest” list after an absence last year is the Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle (#9).
New to the list this year is the Mitsubishi Mirage, Mitsubishi’s new subcompact offering for the American market. With a Green Score of 55, the gasoline vehicle takes the 8th spot on our list. The only other non-hybrid gasoline model to make the list this year is the Smart ForTwo which placed at #11.
The “Meanest” list this year is comprised of heavier light-duty vehicles and European sports cars that are the least friendly to the environment. The dirtiest vehicle for 2014 is the Class 2B Ram 2500 with a Green Score of 18, followed by the Bugatti Veyron and the Ford E-150 FFV Wagon with scores of 19 and 21 respectively.Special use vans above 8,500 lbs are given a Green Score but are not included on the “Meanest” list.
This “Greener Choices” list includes trucks and SUVs such as the Buick Encore, Nissan Rogue, and the Ram 1500 HFE. The Chevrolet Spark and Nissan Juke top their respective car classes. As the list demonstrates, consumers can make “greener choices” whatever their vehicle needs may be. Domestic manufacturers claimed four of the twelve “Greener Choices” spots.
Greenest Vehicles of 2014
| Make and Model | Specifications | Emission Standard a | MPG: City | MPG: Hwy | Green Score |
| MERCEDES-BENZ SMART ELECTRIC DRIVE CONVERTIBLE / COUPE b | Electric (Li-ion bat.) | ZEV / Bin 1 | 3.61 | 2.77 | 59 |
| TOYOTA PRIUS C | 1.5L 4, auto | SULEV II / Bin 3 | 53 | 46 | 57 |
| NISSAN LEAF b | Electric (Li-ion bat.) | ZEV / Bin 1 | 3.75 | 3.01 | 55 |
| TOYOTA PRIUS | 1.8L 4, auto CVT | PZEV / Bin 3 | 51 | 48 | 55 |
| HONDA CIVIC HYBRID | 1.5L 4, auto | PZEV / Bin 2 | 44 | 47 | 55 |
| LEXUS CT 200H | 1.8L 4, auto CVT | SULEV II / Bin 3 | 51 | 48 | 55 |
| TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID c | Electric (Li-ion bat.) / 1.8L 4, auto CVT | PZEV / Bin 3 | 3.9 / 51 | 3.0 / 49 | 55 |
| MITSUBISHI MIRAGE | 1.2L 3, auto CVT | Bin 5 / LEV II | 37 | 44 | 54 |
| HONDA CIVIC NATURAL GAS | 1.8L 4, auto [CNG] | PZEV / Bin 2 | 27 | 38 | 54 |
| HONDA INSIGHT | 1.3L 4, auto CVT | Bin 3 | 41 | 44 | 53 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ SMART FORTWO CONVERTIBLE / COUPE | 1.0L 3, autol [P] | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 34 | 38 | 53 |
| VOLKSWAGEN JETTA HYBRID | 1.4L 4, auto [P] | PZEV / Bin 3 | 42 | 48 | 53 |
[CNG] denotes compressed natural gas
[P] denotes premium gasoline.
“auto CVT” denotes continuously variable automatic transmission.
a A listing with two emission standards (e.g., Tier 2 bin 2/ PZEV) denotes a single vehicle carrying both a Federal and a California emission certification. Green Scores for such listings reflect the cleaner of the two certifications.
b Fuel economy for electric vehicles is provided in miles per kilowatt-hour.
c Fuel economy for plug-in hybrids is provided in miles per gallon for gasoline operation and in miles per kilowatt-hour for electric operation
Meanest Vehicles for the Environment in 2014
| Make and Model | Specifications | Emission Standard a | MPG: City | MPG: Hwy | Green Score |
| RAM 2500 (CLASS 2B) b | 5.7L 8, auto Awd | LEV II | 13 | 18 | 18 |
| BUGATTI VEYRON | 8.0L 16, manual Awd [P] | Bin 5 / LEV II | 8 | 15 | 19 |
| FORD E-150 WAGON FFV c | 5.4L 8, auto | Bin 8 | 12 | 16 | 21 |
| BENTLEY MULSANNE | 6.8L 8, auto stk [P] | Bin 5 / LEV II | 11 | 18 | 21 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ G63 AMG | 5.5L 8, auto 4wd [P] | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 12 | 14 | 21 |
| MERCEDES-BENZ G550 | 5.5L 8, auto 4wd [P] | ULEV II / Bin 5 | 12 | 15 | 22 |
| FORD F-150 RAPTOR | 6.2L 8, auto stk | Bin 4 | 11 | 16 | 22 |
| FORD EXPEDITION FFV / LINCOLN NAVIGATOR FFV | 5.4L 8, auto | Bin 8 | 13 | 18 | 22 |
| ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DROPHEAD COUPE | 6.7L 12, auto stk [P] | Bin 5 / LEV II | 11 | 19 | 23 |
| ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM EWB | 6.7L 12, auto stk [P] | Bin 5 / LEV II | 11 | 19 | 23 |
| LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR ROADSTER | 6.5L 12, auto Awd [P] | Bin 5 / LEV II | 10 | 16 | 23 |
| CADILLAC ESCALADE ESV | 6.2L 8, auto Awd | Bin 5 | 13 | 18 | 23 |
[P] denotes premium gasoline.
“auto stk” denotes manually adjustable automatic transmission.
a A listing with two emission standards (e.g., Tier 2 bin 5 / LEV II) denotes a single vehicle carrying both a federal and a California emission certification. Green Scores for such listings reflect the cleaner of the two certifications.
b The ULEV version of this vehicle scores a 22
c The van version of this vehicle scores a 22
