Should you simply go out and buy the newest best mileage cars to be environmentally friendly? Which car is the most environmentally friendly?
To be as environmentally friendly as possible its not just a case of purchasing the car that uses the least fuel. New vehicles use huge amounts of resources to build and subsequently transport to dealers to be sold. This energy use can take years for even the best mileage cars to repay to the environment by way of their better gas mileage.
The best way to be environmentally friendly is to consume less of everything. This means driving less and not buying new products as often, such as cars. The most environmentally friendly thing to do of course is not own a vehicle and use public transport, a bike, or walk instead. Lots of the journeys driven in a car could be replaced by one of these other modes of transport, especially if you live in a city.
If you do need your own personal vehicle you could opt for a scooter which uses less resources to manufacture and is far more fuel-efficient than even the best mileage cars. Scooters are rapidly becoming very popular in crowded cities as a quicker and cheaper way of getting around. Their only disadvantage is safety, and its a big disadvantage. You have no protection in the event of crashes at all apart from your helmet and leathers. Not the best if you impact an SUV.
Needless to say there are lots of journeys which can only practically be done in a car, but you don't always need to own a car to do them. You could take part in a car share scheme either with friends or through a car share company. Car share businesses are expanding quickly throughout the world. They offer the benefits of car ownership through the use of cars situated in local "pods". Car share businesses usually buy the best mileage cars to save on their fuel costs, which is great news for the planet. By using a car share scheme you save thousands over owning your own car and the environment benefits enormously since 100 people can share 10 cars instead of having 1 car each. You usually pay by the hour to use a car.
If you do want to purchase your own vehicle its probably better for the environment to buy a fuel-efficient used car rather than one of the brand new best mileage cars. A used car that is 20% less economical than a new vehicle will still probably be better for the environment because of the resources required to build a new car. You can pick up a 5 year old car that has very good fuel consumption.
The worst thing you can do for the planet is buy a new vehicle every couple of years even if it is the latest fuel-efficient hybrid. If you do want a new car you should plan on keeping it for between 5 and 10 years. Todays cars will be reliable for longer than this so there's no need to keep buying new cars. We need to stop thinking of cars as fashion accessories. Car makers don't help here. They bring out new designs every couple of years and spend a lot to advertise them as the next cool thing you must own.
Making things more complicated is the fact that manufacturers are now pushing their green credentials by claiming usage of renewable power or carbon offsetting during the production of new vehicles. Don't get me wrong this is a welcome step forward, but beware of their claims. It would be pretty much impossible for them to make cars while having absolutely no environmental impact, and even if they could there would be no profit left for them.
In summary, the question of whether the most efficient cars are also the most environmentally friendly is not an easy one to answer. However if you do want to buy a brand new car, make it one of the best mileage cars and keep it for as long as possible.