USA - ACEEE names 10 greenest cars in the US - Not one is a US brand

It must be pretty difficult to identify which vehicle is truly the most environmentally responsible. But one group accepted that challenge and identified ten of the "greenest" vehicles on the U.S. market for 2014.

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive ranks first on the list, beating out the runner-up by two points. This all-electric vehicle produces just 74 horsepower but manages to achieve 122/93 mpg city/highway and has a low environmental impact.

Second on the list is the Toyota Prius C hybrid vehicle, which gets 53/46 mpg city/highway. The Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, and Honda Civic Hybrid round out the top five "greenest" vehicles for 2014. The rest of the list is also dominated by alternative powertrain vehicles. The Lexus CT 200H, Toyota Prius Plug-In, Mitsubishi Mirage, Honda Civic Natural Gas, and Honda Insight are next in the line.

The gas-powered version of the Smart ForTwo was ranked ninth while the Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid took the tenth spot. On the other end of the spectrum, the "Meanest Vehicles for the Environment" this year, according to ACEEE, include the Ram 2500, the 10-mpg Bugatti Veyron, and the Ford E-150 Wagon FFV. The rankings are not just based on fuel economy. They also take into account the health-related impacts of pollution, global warming, and upstream emissions. Each vehicle gets a composite "Green Score" that determines their rankings.

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