With gasoline prices inching up towards a national average of $4 a gallon, Kelley Blue Book’s just-released ranking of the most fuel efficient vehicles for 2011 couldn’t come at a better time.
The list includes standard gas-powered vehicles, hybrids and all-electric cars. In compiling the list, the editors at Kelley Blue Book say they not only examined fuel efficiency, but also which “green” vehicles they actually enjoy driving and would recommend to others.
The top-ranked car is the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric vehicle that the EPA says will deliver 73 miles per charge, and the equivalent of 99 miles per gallon. But fuel efficiency isn’t the only thing “green” about the Leaf -- it also features materials made from recycled items such as old home appliances and plastic bottles.
Here is Kelley Blue Book’s Top 10 Green Cars of 2011:
1. 2011 Nissan Leaf, 99 mpg equivalent
2. 2011 Chevy Volt, 93 mpg equivalent
3. 2011 Toyota Prius, 50 mpg (51 city, 48 highway)
4. 2011 Lexus CT 200h, 42 mpg (43 city, 40 highway)
5. 2011 Honda Insight, 41 mpg (40 city/43 highway)
6. 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 39 mpg (41 city/36 highway)
7. 2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI, 34 mpg (30 city/42 highway)
8. 2011 Hyundai Elantra, 33 mpg (29 city, 40 highway)
9. 2012 Fiat 500, 33 mpg (30 city/38 highway)
10. 2012 Ford Focus, 31 mpg (28 city/38 highway)