Being green can be as easy as driving a Saturn Ion.

Last week the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its annual list of the twelve "greenest" and "meanest" vehicles sold in the United States, along with the environmental scorings of all model year 2006 cars and passenger trucks. The ACEEE, through its GreenerCars.com website, provides the facts necessary to examine the eco-performance of any 2006 model. Vehicles are analyzed on the basis of a "Green Score," a singular measure that incorporates unhealthy tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and the emissions of gases that cause global warming.

The Ion was featured among hybrids and some smaller cars as one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles on the road today. In addition, the Ion had a higher "green score" than the Chevy Aveo and Scion xA.

The list below shows the complete list of the ACEEE's top 12 vehicles:

• Honda Insight 1.0L CVT – Green Score 57
• Honda Civic GX 1.7L CVT – 57
• Toyota Prius 1.5L CVT – 55
• Honda Civic Hybrid 1.3L CVT – 53
• Toyota Corolla 1.8L Manual – 46
• Hyundai Accent 1.6L Manual – 45
• Kia Rio / Rio 5 1.6L Manual – 45
• Honda Civic 1.8L Automatic – 44
• Mazda 3 2.0L Manual – 44
• Pontiac Vibe / Toyota Matrix 1.8L Manual – 44
• Chevrolet Cobalt 2.2L Manual – 43
• Saturn Ion 2.2L Manual – 43

The Saturn Vue 2.2L Manual was also rated among the top five in its class with an "average" class ranking and a green score of 35.

"In the world of green vehicles, hybrids are still the team to beat, as they generally have better fuel economy and cleaner emissions than other models in their respective classes," stated author and principal vehicle analyst James Kliesch, a Research Associate at ACEEE. "Nonetheless, consumers should be aware that having 'hybrid' in the name doesn't necessarily mean the vehicle will be green." As automakers look to take advantage of the hybrid buzz, experts are concerned that the focus of hybrid design may shift from saving fuel to simply further increasing vehicle power.

The ACEEE says the "Meanest Vehicle for the Environment," for the second consecutive year, goes to the 8.3-liter, 500-horsepower Dodge Ram SRT10 pickup truck. Rounding out the "bottom 5" are the Lamborghini Murcielago, Bentley Arnage, Dodge Durango, and Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. Other prominent models on the "meanest" list include the Hummer H2, Ford F-250 pickup, GMC Yukon XL K2500, Volkswagen Touareg, and Chevrolet Suburban K2500.

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Source: ACEEE, GreenerCars.com