WASHINGTON, DC, October 15, 2007 (ENS) - Hybrid vehicles continue to lead the government's fuel economy ratings released Friday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Toyota Prius tops the 2008 Fuel Economy Guide at 48 miles per gallon mpg city and 45 mpg on the highway. More hybrid models are available than ever - SUVs as well as cars - giving consumers greater choices when shopping for fuel efficient vehicles.

"Today's consumers expect the biggest bang for their buck. By fueling them with information on this year's fleet of vehicles, we are putting Americans in the driver's seat to save money at the pump and protect our environment," said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. "As we see in the wide range of fuel efficient leaders, going green can fit the needs of any lifestyle."

"Greater fuel efficiency is something we must approach more aggressively, effectively and creatively than we have over the past 30 years," said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman."

To help car buyers choose greener cars, the EPA-DOE Green Vehicle Guide at www.epa.gov/greenvehicles has been completely redesigned to allow search and sort features that were previously not possible.

Visitors can perform side-by-side comparisons of up to three vehicles and customize searches based on features they choose by using the new Advanced Search function. Photos of the available models have been added.

A search shows a list of all vehicles rated with an air pollution score, a fuel economy score and a greenhouse gas score - making it easy to compare all makes and models at a glance.

Fuel economy estimates, which appear on the window stickers of all new cars and light trucks prior to sale, are determined by tests that manufacturers and the EPA conduct according to EPA specifications.

This year's label values are based on new test methods EPA finalized in December 2006. The new methods are designed to better account for actual driving conditions that can lower fuel economy, such as higher speed driving, use of air conditioning and cold weather operation. Because of the new methods, fuel economy estimates for all vehicles will generally be lower than those of last year.

To view the 2008 Fuel economy guide and for tips on increasing vehicle efficiency: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

Visitors to the site can find the best gas prices, compare vehicles side by side or search by class of vehicle.

For instance, a 1995 Honda Civic gets a combined city and highway score of 28 miles per gallon... while a 2005 Honda Civic gets a combined score of 32 miles per gallon, the new Guide shows.

Much more information is also listed. The cost to drive 25 Miles in the 2005 Civic is $2.18 and the car burns .78 of a gallon. It costs $33.15 to fill up the tank and the car will run for 380 miles on one tank of gas. The annual fuel cost is estimated at $1310.

Comparable figures are available for all cars, SUVs and trucks in the Guide.

Visitors can glance down as list of all the 2008 pickup trucks and compare the most fuel efficient Ford Ranger 4 cylinder which gets 21 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway with the least fuel efficient of the major brands - the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. This four-wheel drive truck runs on 8 cyclinders and gets just 12 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.

The joint DOE-EPA Fuel Economy website is at: http://www.fueleconomy.gov

The Green Vehicle Guide is maintained by the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.