Toyota Prius C named greenest car of the year

The ACEEE named the Toyota Prius C hatchback its greenest car of 2013. The ACEEE's GreenScore formula factors in a variety of data including the emissions of utility companies used to charge plug-in cars.

When deriving a car's GreenScore, the ACEEE also looks at the energy used to build and dispose of the car, which pushes cars with larger battery packs like the plug-in hybrids and electric cars farther down the list.

“The vehicles at the top of this year’s rankings are proof that automakers are really ramping up their offerings. There are more hybrid and electric options on the market this year than ever before and the race for a spot on the Greenest list is increasingly competitive," said ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. "Automakers have revamped their offerings to meet the growing demand for efficient vehicles and new fuel economy standards."

The expansion of hybrid and electric options this year pushed the eight-time greenest car leader, the Honda Civic Natural Gas vehicle, from the top of the list to outside of the top twelve in 2013.

Source: NY Daily News