2024 Toyota Prius Prime hybrid rated cleanest vehicle as Tesla doesn't make the greenest cars

Half of the greenest, most energy-efficient vehicles that are sold in the US come from Toyota or its luxury subsidiary Lexus according to the latest report by the independent American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (AEEE).

The Council has been running an annual ranking of the greenest US vehicles for a good while now, and just released its 2024 scores. The results somewhat vindicate Toyota which keeps saying that a mixture of gas vehicles, hybrids, and EVs is actually more environmentally friendly at the current state of electricity generation sources and global charging infrastructure.

At the top of the green vehicle totem pole there is the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime SE with a score of 71. The plug-in hybrid starts from $32,975, can cover 44 miles on electricity alone with its 13.6 kWh battery, and has annual fuel costs of just $529.

It is followed by the Lexus RZ 300e electric SUV that is priced from $55,150 and consumes $651 in estimated annual fuel costs. The top 12 ranking is occupied by 7 electric cars, though, with 5 hybrids or plug-in hybrids interspersed, including the Toyota RAV4 Prime, Camry, and Corolla hybrids.

US greenest cars list

1. Toyota Prius Prime SE PHEV
2. Lexus RZ 300e
3. Mini Cooper SE EV
4. Nissan Leaf EV
5. Toyota bZ4X EV
6. Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEV
7. Hyundai Elantra Blue Gas Hybrid
8. Hyundai Kona Electric EV
9. Toyota Camry LE Gas Hybrid
10. Kia EV6 EV
11. Toyota Corolla Gas Hybrid
12. Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV

Unless made by Toyota or Lexus, the EVs that are present in the top 5 ranking of greenest cars in the US  are compact ones with smaller batteries. This is because the ACEEE ranking takes into account the whole life cycle of a vehicle, from the materials and components that go into its manufacturing, to its operation and eventual recycling, which may explain why Teslas don't make the cut:

To calculate GreenerCars scores, ACEEE evaluates each model year 2024 car on its cost to human health from air pollution associated with vehicle manufacturing and disposal, the production and distribution of fuel or electricity, and vehicle tailpipe emissions.

On that count, a plug-in hybrid vehicle from an experienced automaker with efficient manufacturing processes like the 2024 Prius Prime SE is actually better for the environment to make, use and dispose of than some pure EVs. It has a battery that is a fraction of the size that the average EV has which, however, covers most urban driving needs, and an efficient gas-powered engine for the highway.

The Hummer EV with its giant battery, for instance, is actually in the Meanest List of ACEEE where it puts the most polluting and inefficient vehicles when accounting for their whole life cycle. Tesla's relatively powerful and pricey electric cars aren't at the top by those metrics. ACEEE, however, notes that half of the cars in its 2024 Greenest List are now under $35,000 thanks to a drastic 18% drop in the price of electric cars just last year.

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