The 2014 edition of the Nissan LEAF is the cleanest production vehicle in the whole of the US, according to the Automotive Science Group (ASG).
The rankings figure in the entire wheel-to-well lifetime environmental impact of the cars studied — accounting for everything from the materials used in the construction of the vehicle, to the fuel/energy used run it, to its end-of-life processing. More than 1300 vehicles, across nine different categories, were included in the rankings — all needed to feature at least four seats.
The Nissan Leaf took the top overall spot, and also won several subcategories. The praise that the LEAF has received in the media has been well matched by its success in the real world, as recent sales figures have shown. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with sales this year — what do you think, will they climb, plateau, or drop this year?
Notably, electric cars won numerous categories. All the winners are listed below, with the electrics bolded:
2014 MINI-COMPACT CARS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Mitsubishi Mirage
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Mitsubishi Mirage, Scion iQ, Chevrolet Spark, Toyota Yaris, Mazda2
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Mitsubishi Mirage
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Chevrolet Spark
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Mini Cooper Clubman
2014 COMPACT CARS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Ford Focus Electric
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Ford Focus Electric, Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius c, Honda Insight, Nissan Versa Sedan
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Ford Focus Electric
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Ford Focus Electric
2014 MID-SIZE CARS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Leaf
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Leaf, Ford C-Max Energi & C-Max Hybrid, Toyota Prius Plug-in and Prius Hybrid, Honda Accord Plug-in
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Leaf
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Nissan Sentra
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Leaf
2014 FULL-SIZE CARS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Hyundai Sonata
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Impala, Tesla Model S, Ford Taurus, BMW 328 Gran Turismo
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Tesla Model S
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Hyundai Sonata
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: BMW 328 Gran Turismo
2014 WAGONS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Toyota Prius v
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Toyota Prius v, Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, BMW 328 Turbodiesel, Honda Crosstour, Toyota Venza
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Toyota Prius v
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: BMW 328 Turbodiesel
2014 CROSSOVER SUVs
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Mazda CX-5
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Jeep Patriot, Buick Encore, BMW X1
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Mazda CX-5
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Jeep Patriot
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: BMW X1
2014 MID-SIZE SUVs
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Rogue
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Rogue, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Kia Sorento, Subaru Forester
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Lexus RX 450h
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Nissan Rogue
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Rogue
2014 FULL-SIZE SUVs
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid
BEST 5 ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid
BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Nissan Pathfinder
BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid
2014 MINIVANS
BEST ALL-AROUND PERFORMANCE: Nissan Quest
BEST ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE: Honda Odyssey BEST ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Dodge Grand Caravan BEST SOCIAL PERFORMANCE: Nissan Quest