The 12 greenest cars of 2008 in the US

Each year, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) puts out its list of the 12 'greenest cars', taking into account tailpipe emissions, mileage and curb weight. We've nicked CNET News.com's photo gallery of this year's greenest 12.

Don't be put off if you live in the UK -- some of these are actually available here, too. If you're hunting around for a good bargain, take a look at our Top 10 list of the cheapest green cars available in the UK. And if you want to go super green, we've also reviewed the best electric cars around.

1: Honda Civic GX
The Civic GX comes in as the ACEEE's greenest car largely due to the fact it runs on natural gas, which produces fewer smog-producing pollutants and greenhouse gases than petrol-powered cars do. The Civic GX gets 24mpg in the city and 36mpg on the motorway as rated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Honda Civic GX

2: Toyota Prius
The grand daddy of hybrid cars, the Prius uses a parallel electric powertrain to recycle kinetic energy that would otherwise be wasted, turning it back into motive energy for the car. It can drive under electric power alone at low speeds, or use its engine. The Prius is rated at 48mpg city and 45mpg motorway.

Toyota Prius

3: Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda's hybrid car uses a less robust electric system than the Toyota Prius, but the Civic's small engine gives it excellent economy and low emissions. Its fuel economy is 40mpg in the city and 45mpg on the motorway.

Honda Civic Hybrid

4: Smart ForTwo Convertible and Coupe
The Smart ForTwo makes its first appearance on this list, as it has just been introduced in the US. Its economical 1-litre engine and electronic clutch transmission gives it 33mpg city and 41mpg motorway.

Smart ForTwo

5: Toyota Yaris
The Yaris makes the green list for its exceptional fuel economy, as its engine doesn't use advanced technology beyond variable valve timing and efficient tuning. This tuning gets it 29mpg in the city and 36mpg on the motorway.

Toyota Yaris

6: Nissan Altima Hybrid
Nissan's first hybrid makes use of a system based on Toyota's hybrid technology, with a parallel electric powertrain. This system is paired with a larger petrol engine than many other cars on this list, but even so, it still pulls in mileage numbers of 35mpg city and 33mpg motorway.

Nissan Altima Hybrid

7: Toyota Corolla
The Corolla is another car that makes it on the greenest list due to its efficient engine rather than any use of advanced technology. The Corolla gets an EPA-rated 28mpg in the city and 37mpg on the motorway.

Toyota Corolla

8: Mini Cooper and Cooper Clubman
The Mini's appearance on this list shows that green doesn't have to equal boring, although this is the standard Cooper and not the turbocharged S version. The Cooper and the Cooper Clubman get 28mpg city and 37mpg motorway.

Mini Cooper

9: Ford Focus
Ford offers the only car from a US company to make it on the list. The Focus runs an efficient engine that gives it 24mpg city and 35mpg motorway.

Ford Focus

10: Toyota Camry Hybrid
Similar to the Nissan Altima Hybrid, the Camry Hybrid is a medium-sized sedan with one of the larger engines among the cars on this list. But the size of the engine is mitigated by the full hybrid system, which gives it 33mpg city and 34mpg motorway.

Toyota Camry Hybrid

11: Honda Civic
Honda's Civic makes its third appearance on this list in standard petrol form. Although not as green as the natural gas or hybrid versions, the regular car still gets 26mpg in the city and 34mpg on the motorway. (Pictured above)

12: Honda Fit
Honda rounds out the greenest cars list with its smallest car, the Fit. This standard petrol-fueled car gets 28mpg city and 34mpg motorway.

Honda Fit

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