The 10 greenest cars of the year: No. 1 is not an EV

By Sean Tucker

Here are the 10 most environmentally-friendly cars, and the 10 meanest. See why an EV is on the list of most damaging models.

Millions of Americans want to cut their carbon footprints, help the U.S. economy get off of foreign oil, and save money at the gas pump. They'd do well to buy an electric vehicle. But, if they want to make a difference, they should buy a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

That's the conclusion of a new study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). A non-profit that aims to develop "transformative policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change," the council publishes an annual assessment of the real-world environmental impact of "every new model in the U.S. light-duty vehicle market."

In 2024, the council says, the greenest car on the market is the Toyota Prius Prime. Toyota's (TM) plug-in hybrid beat out every EV on the market thanks mainly to its light weight and smaller battery.

Learn more: What is EV, BEV, HEV, PHEV? Here's your guide to types of electric cars

PHEVs are part-time EVs

A plug-in hybrid is halfway between an EV and a gas-powered car. PHEVs recharge from a wall outlet and travel a certain distance on electricity - usually between 25 and 35 miles, depending on the model. They then use their gasoline engines to go further.

Buying one is like owning an EV for your commute and daily errands and a gas-powered car for road trips. But it only requires one car payment and one parking space.

Related: A hybrid just won 'vehicle of the year.' Here's why the EV case has been hard to crack.

Study considers costs of building, driving

The ACEEE's analysis considers the impact of driving a car and the resources used in building it. The council rates "each model year 2024 car on its cost to human health from air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing and disposal, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity, and vehicle tailpipe emissions."

"While a gigantic electric truck weighing thousands of pounds might be better than a gas truck of the same size, both will be outmatched by a smaller, efficient gas vehicle," the Washington Post explains. The massive, heavy batteries required to move such a large vehicle are resource-intensive. Mining and processing enough material to build them has real environmental and health costs.

"The more huge vehicles there are on the road, the harder it will be for the United States to meet its goal of zeroing emissions by 2050," the Post explains.

Check out: The cars, trucks, EVs and SUVs with the best resale value in 2024

Small EVs are among the greenest; large ones counterproductive

Smaller EVs still do very well in the ACEEE's analysis.

The Lexus RZ, Mini Cooper SE, Nissan Leaf, and Toyota bZ4X round out the top five. Each is a full EV, but on the smaller side.

Driving home the point, one EV made the list of the ten worst cars for the environment. The massive GMC Hummer is all-electric but is listed among the most damaging models. If you care about the environment, ACEEE's analysis says, you're better off buying a gas-powered heavy-duty pickup than the Hummer.

Should you consider a PHEV?

PHEVs seem like the best of both worlds. But there are drawbacks. Owning two powertrains means owning a lot of moving parts. More moving parts means more failure points. A recent Consumer Reports analysis found that PHEVs have 146% more mechanical problems than old-fashioned gas-powered cars.

Be sure to read: The electric car vs. plug-in hybrid debate: Which should you buy?

However, the Prius Prime enjoys Toyota's reputation for reliability. Several other PHEVs with ten-year powertrain warranties are available to ease this concern, including models from Hyundai, Kia (KR:000270), and Mitsubishi.

Read: It's the 2023 Toyota Prius, transformed

Scoring

The ACEE gives each car a "green score" based on "the emissions from fuel burned in a vehicle's engine," as well as "the upstream emissions generated by electricity used by a vehicle, emissions produced when mining and processing minerals for batteries, and emissions from manufacturing vehicles and vehicle components." Readers can see scores by vehicle class on the council's website.

The 10 greenest cars

   Rank  Make & Model           Powertrain  Green  MSRP     Estimated Annual 
   1     Toyota Prius Prime SE  PHEV        71     $32,975  $529 
   2     Lexus RZ 300e          EV          67     $55,150  $651 
   3     Mini Cooper SE         EV          67     $30,900  $747 
   4     Nissan Leaf            EV          66     $28,140  $741 
   5     Toyota bZ4X            EV          66     $43,070  $689 
   6     Toyota RAV4 Prime      PHEV        64     $43,690  $741 
   7     Hyundai Elantra Blue   Gas Hybrid  64     $26,250  $864 
   8     Hyundai Kona Electric  EV          63     $34,050  $695 
   9     Toyota Camry LE        Gas Hybrid  63     $28,855  $907 
   10    Kia EV6                EV          63     $43,975  $689 
   11    Toyota Corolla         Gas Hybrid  62     $23,500  $944 
   12    Hyundai Ioniq 5        EV          62     $41,650  $737 

*ACEEE analysis using Energy Information Administration data of annual cost-from gasoline, electricity, or a combination-of driving 15,000 miles

The 10 meanest cars

The meanest cars list is almost entirely populated with high-performance special editions built in rare numbers with extra-powerful engines. The Ram TRX, for instance, is a special edition of the Ram 1500 with more than 700 horsepower. The Ford F-150 Raptor R is a Ford (F) truck built to answer it with a muscle car's overpowered engine. The Cadillac Escalade V is a high-performance, supercharged version of Cadillac's standard large SUV.

   Rank  Make & Model                Powertrain  Green  MSRP      Estimated Annual 
   1     Mercedes-Benz AMG G63       Gas         20     $184,000  $4,242 
   2     Ram 1500 TRX 4×4            Gas         22     $98,335   $3,819 
   3     Ford F150 Raptor R          Gas         24     $79,975   $3,777 
   4     Cadillac Escalade V         Gas         26     $152,295  $3,388 
   5     Dodge Durango SRT           Gas         26     $74,995   $3,332 
   6     Jeep Wrangler 4dr 4X4       Gas         27     $35,895   $3,260 
   7     Jeep Grand Wagoneer 4×4     Gas         28     $91,945   $3,058 
   8     Mercedes-Benz G550          Gas         28     $143,000  $3,186 
   9     GMC Hummer EV SUV           EV          29     $98,845   $1,746 
   10    GMC Sierra                  Gas         29     $37,700   $3,069 
   11    Chevrolet Corvette Z06      Gas         30     $114,395  $3,169 
   12    Mercedes-Benz Maybach S680  Gas         30     $234,300  $3,031 

*ACEEE analysis using Energy Information Administration data of annual cost-from gasoline, electricity, or a combination-of driving 15,000 miles

This story originally ran on KBB.com.

-Sean Tucker

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03-04-24 0503ET

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