The natural gas-powered Honda Civic has won the green ribbon from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the greenest vehicle of 2008. It's the fifth consecutive year it's taken the top prize.
Rounding out the top three eco-friendly podium were the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid.
Small is also now eco-friendly. The very mini Smart Fortwo convertible just missed a green podium finish with the number four ranking followed by the mini-compact Toyota Yaris rounding out the top five.
The ACEEE Green Book online ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles also liked the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid with the new General Motors two mode hybrid system.
Hybrids stand out even being taken down a notch by the new fuel economy regulations, said ACEEE vehicle analyst Shrudi Vaidyanathan with a reference to the revised 2008 federal fuel economy standards which reduce mileage claims for most hybrids.
While Japanese imports dominated the green awards, the Ford Focus finished in ninth spot, joining the Ford Escape Hybrid in the top ten finishers.
The diesel-powered Volkswagen Touareg repeated a last-place finish as the most environmentally unfriendly vehicle.
A gaggle of other diesels from the Mercedes-Benz GL320 to the Jeep diesel Grand Cherokee joined the Toureg near the bottom of the eco-friendly list.
Toyota showed well on the Greener Choices list with the Sienna minivan and Tacoma pickup joining their gas sippers.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.
