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The Worst Cars for the Environment?

Published
May 23, 2018
Christine DiGangi

Christine DiGangi is the former Deputy Managing Editor - Engagement for Credit.com and covered a variety of personal finance topics. Her writing has been featured on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo! Finance and The New York Times International Weekly, among other outlets.

Unsurprising news of the day: Big trucks don’t make the “Greenest Vehicles of 2014” list. Sports cars seem to be pretty bad for Mother Nature, too.

Granted, no one buys a Lamborghini for its fuel economy (which is a dismal 10 miles per gallon on city streets for the Aventador Roadster model). But a Prius, despite the 53 mpg-city, doesn’t look as cool as a Lamborghini. People have different priorities.

Environmentally Unfriendly Vehicles

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) scores the environmental impact of thousands of car models and releases them in its Green Book. It also lists the greenest (and meanest) cars out there.

The detailed methodology of the council’s ranking system is available on its website, but basically, the ACEEE analyzes fuel economy and emissions tests reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, in addition to other things reported by automakers. It also estimates pollution from vehicle manufacturing and factors in greenhouse gas emissions to come up with a Green Score on a scale from 0 to 100.

This year, the Dodge Ram 2500 (Class 2B) took home the title of 2014’s worst vehicle for the environment, with a score of 18. The Mercedes-Benz Smart Electric Drive Convertible/Coupe was the greenest, with a score of 59.

There are a lot more factors than fuel economy that go into these scores, but those are metrics most people know to look at when choosing a vehicle. One of these cars gets less than 10 miles to the gallon of fuel. Yes, single-digit fuel economy exists.

The Dirty Dozen

Most of the environmental slackers list is made up of luxury vehicles and trucks. Here they are:

12. Cadillac Escalade ESV
Fuel Economy: 13 mpg-city, 18 mpg-highway
Green Score: 23

11. Lamborghini Aventador Roadster
Fuel Economy: 10 mpg-city, 16 mpg-highway
Green Score: 23

10. Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB
Fuel Economy: 11 mpg-city, 19 mpg-highway
Green Score: 23

9. Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Fuel Economy: 11 mpg-city, 19 mpg-highway
Green Score: 23

8. Ford Expedition FFV / Lincoln Navigator FFV
Fuel Economy: 13 mpg-city, 18 mpg-highway
Green Score: 22

7. Ford F-150 Raptor
Fuel Economy: 11 mpg-city, 16 mpg-highway
Green Score: 22

6. Mercedes-Benz G550
Fuel Economy: 12 mpg-city, 15 mpg-highway
Green Score: 22

5. Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG
Fuel Economy: 12 mpg-city, 14 mpg-highway
Green Score: 21

4. Bentley Mulsanne
Fuel Economy: 11 mpg-city, 18 mpg-highway
Green Score: 21

3. Ford E-150 Wagon FFV
Fuel Economy: 12 mpg-city, 16 mpg-highway
Green Score: 21

2. Bugatti Veyron
Fuel Economy: 8 mpg-city, 15 mpg-highway
Green Score: 19

1. Dodge Ram 2500 (Class 2B)
Fuel Economy: 13 mpg-city, 18 mpg-highway
Green Score: 18

If your dream car is a gas guzzler, we’re not here to stop you. Before you go to buy one of these vehicles, you should have an idea of your credit standing and know whether or not you have a shot at affordable auto financing. So check your credit scores and carry on toward your fuel-stop-filled joy rides. You can see two of your credit scores for free once a month at Credit.com, plus get a personalized plan for improving your credit.

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