Nissan Leaf tops Kelley Blue Book's list of greenest cars around
With promised highway performance of 38 miles per gallon, the Ford Focus shares its recognition with many hybrids and electric vehicles.
Even I know who the Kelley Blue Book people are, and I am not particularly automobile-savvy. So, I paid special attention when the organization published its list of the 2011 Top Green Cars.
The ranking looks at average miles-per-gallon fuel economy as well as carbon dioxide emissions implications in order to make its selections. It also uses the results of its regular consumer surveys about fuel economy in order to make the "green" assessment. For example, in March 2011, most consumers responding to Kelley Blue Book's survey said that a car would need to get at least 26.2 miles per gallon in order for them to consider it for their next vehicle purchase. The ones that are listed by the Kelley editors were considered against other vehicles in their class, not necessarily against the world of cars at large.
Still, there is definitely a celebration of electric vehicles and hybrids, with the Nissan Leaf driving into the No. 1 spot with its 99 miles-per-gallon equivalent performance as well as a design sensibility that reuses home appliances, old car parts and plastic bottles as the materials for other parts of the vehicle. The limited range, of course, means the Leaf won't work for every driver.
Here's the snapshot of each car on the list: