The Green Rating was developed by Yahoo! Autos in consultation with Environmental Defense, a nonprofit organization that finds practical ways to protect the planet.
The Green Rating covers all the major environmental costs of a motor vehicle, including: Unhealthy smog that comes from tailpipes; Emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming; The fuel a vehicle consumes; Pollution from manufacturing the vehicle and its components. 
The Green Rating measures a vehicle’s environmental friendliness on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher a vehicle’s Green Rating, the “greener” it is and the lower its harm to human health and the health of the planet.
Here’s the list of Yahoo Auto’s top-10 (with ties) green cars:
1. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, MPG 45/40, 84 points 1. 2010 Toyota Prius, MPG 48/51, 84 points 1. 2010 Honda Insight, MPG 43/40, 84 points 4. 2010 Honda Civic GX 5-speed, MPG 36-24, 82 points 5. 2010 Ford Fusion, MPG 36/41, 79 points 5. 2011 Mercury Milan, MPG 36/41, 79 points 5. 2010 Mercury Miland, MPG, 36/41, 79 points 5. 2011 Ford Fusion, MPG, 36/41, 79 points 9. 2010 Lexus HS 350h premium, MPG 34/31, 77 points 10. 2011 Ford Escape Limited, MPG 31/34, 76 points
To view the entire list of the Yahoo Autos top-100 Green Cars, visit: Yahoo! Green Cars.
Article Last Updated: May 1, 2026.
James Raia
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.