Tailpipe Tally

How green is your car?

Posted: 01-Nov-2006; Updated: 01-Nov-2006

The Tailpipe Tally has been retired. Several excellent online resources can help you choose the greenest car:

• For one-stop shopping, use the Green Ratings on Yahoo! Autos. This unique rating system, developed in partnership with Environmental Defense, scores new makes and models according to their overall pollution, including global warming pollution. The Green Ratings are given along with price and other vehicle specs, making it easy to identify the greenest models that meet your other requirements.

• Most car shopping sites compare models according to fuel economy. Fuel economy is the most important criterion that determines how much heat-trapping pollution is emitted from a vehicle. Choosing a model that is just a few MPG more efficient makes a big difference over a year of driving, and a huge difference over the many years that most cars and trucks stay on the road. Fueleconomy.gov is the U.S. government's official guide for information on gas mileage.

• Environmental ratings for some recent model years can be found on Greenercars.com, a by the independent research group American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). It's Green Scores are similar to the Yahoo! Green Ratings, though scaled differently, Greenercars.com gives highlights of the "greenest" and "meanest" recent models free, and a subscription gives access to even more information.

• Once you've chosen a car, driving smarter can also reduce pollution and the costs of driving. See our driving tips.