To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day coming up this Sunday, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s top 5 “green” cars. Here are five eco-friendly cars that are made for saving the planet and your money.
Toyota Prius
The Prius is unique enough that it has become a brand of its own. With the addition this year of a larger model (the V) and a smaller model (the C) that brand has expanded. It is the best name for high-efficiency cars, having set the benchmark year after year.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Mitsubishi’s electric vehicle is a futuristic-looking electric car that is the most energy efficient vehicle available in America today. This pure-electric car uses lithium-ion batteries to drive a 66-horsepower engine, enough to give it spunky performance for driving around town.
Honda Civic Natural Gas
Natural gas doesn’t get the same hype in automotive design as electric power, but it’s green nonetheless. Green enough, in fact, for the LA Auto Show to award the natural gas-powered Civic the Green Car of the Year award. The range of this year’s model has been improved to 240 miles, which beats most electric-only vehicles.
Smart ForTwo
The ForTwo doesn’t achieve its high energy efficiency by using a small engine to power a small, lightweight car. It makes up for its size with a unique, head-turning style.
Lexus CT200
The CT200 is a hybrid-only model (not available in a non-hybrid form) that gets 43 mpg. Best of all? For the same price as the Mitsubishi-i, the Lexus is, well, a Lexus.
And, of course, we had to add in one of our favorite green cars.
Lamborghini Murcielago
This Italian high-performance exotic super car is known for its characteristic scissor doors that open upwards. But, unlike the other cars on this list, it’s neither very eco- nor budget-friendly.
