If you try to imagine a “green” car, an electric vehicle is probably the first thing that comes to mind. A silent motor with tons of torque; no fumes, gasoline smells or air pollution belching from an exhaust pipe. Last year, U.S. consumers had over 50 EV models to choose from, up from about 30 the year before.
But a new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy suggests that the “greenest” car in America may not be fully electric. The nonprofit group, which has rated the pollution from vehicles for decades, says the winning car this year is the Toyota Prius Prime SE, a plug-in hybrid that can go 44 miles on electricity before switching to hybrid.
“It’s the shape of the body, the technology within it, and the overall weight,” said Peter Huether, senior research associate for transportation at ACEEE. “And all different types of Priuses are very efficient.”
It’s not the first time that a plug-in vehicle has topped the GreenerCars list; the Prius Prime also won in 2020 and 2022. But with more and more electric vehicles on the market, the staying power of the plug-in hybrid is surprising.
The analysis shows that simply running on electricity is not enough to guarantee that a car is “green” — its weight, battery size and overall efficiency matter, too. 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. And the more huge vehicles there are on the road, the harder it will be for the United States to meet its goal of zeroing out emissions by 2050.
The GreenerCars report analyzes 1,200 cars available in 2024, assessing both the carbon dioxide emissions of the vehicle while it’s on the road and the emissions of manufacturing the car and battery. It also assesses the impact of pollutants beyond carbon dioxide, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulate matter — all of which can harm human health.
Combining these factors, the authors gave each car a “green score” ranging from 0 to 100. The Toyota Prius Prime received a 71, followed by several all-electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Mini Cooper SE with scores in the high 60s. The Toyota RAV4 Prime, a plug-in hybrid SUV with 42 miles in range, got a 64. One gas hybrid, the Hyundai Elantra Blue, made the list as well — thanks to an efficient design and good mileage.
At the bottom of the list were large gas-guzzling trucks such as the Ford F-150 Raptor R, with scores in the 20s. So was one electric car: the Hummer EV, which weighs 9,000 pounds and scored a 29.
Plug-in hybrids haven’t gotten too much attention in the race to electrify the nation’s cars. The vehicles, which can travel on electric power alone for 20 to 50 miles, have a few downsides. Drivers are forced to maintain both an electric motor and a gas-powered engine; plug-in hybrids also generally can’t be charged at super-fast charging stations. EV purists scorn them as a meager halfway step toward all-electric cars.
