High ownership costs are a main reason why only one hybrid--the Toyota Prius--made our list.
The Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids get a combined city-and-highway rating of 58 miles per gallon from the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Those looking to minimize their carbon footprints are able to choose among a growing number of part- and full-time electric vehicles like the new Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid and the Ford Focus Electric and Mitsubishi i.
Today, Enterprise offers roughly 300 electric cars (including the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt and Toyota Plug-in Prius) and about 3, 200 hybrids (which run on both gasoline and electric power) throughout the United States, including California, Hawaii, Seattle, New York and Washington DC.
Automaker Toyota, maker of the best-selling hybrid Toyota Prius, earned the number one spot.
In 2004, it was a finalist in both categories, with its slick XLR roadster and SRX suv-looking crossover, but the Toyota Prius and Ford F-150 were the winners.
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The Toyota Prius Plug-in and Ford C-Max Energi plug-ins are both well reviewed and are in demand from consumers.
It's clear the Detroit automaker is going after the hybrid juggernaut that is the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid with this one.
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Ford says fuel economy is now the top purchase consideration for car buyers and that customers are excited about having an alternative to the top-selling Toyota Prius hybrid.
Unlike cars like the Ford Focus Electric and the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid, the Model S follows a similar strategy to BMW's ActiveE when it comes to regenerative braking.
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The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the Vauxhall Ampera (which will also be sold - with some modifications - as the Chevrolet Volt) are due to see their first UK deliveries in early 2012.
Their legal fight began in 2004, shortly after Toyota introduced its second-generation Prius, which was vastly improved in both performance and efficiency.
It will be interesting to see how The Green Book does with such future cars as the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius and the Fisker Karma.
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The average hybrid vehicle, such as the Toyota Prius, contains 20-25 pounds of rare earths.
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The competition is thickening on the plug-in front, with vehicles from Honda Fit EV, Nissan Leaf, CODA Sedan, Toyota RAV4 EV and Prius Plug-In making their appearance on showroom floors.
The goal is to give consumers a valid comparison point between different vehicles, so if one is shopping for a new Ford C-Max or a Toyota Prius, the numbers for fuel economy can be accurately gauged.
Until now, battery power has been seen as primarily a way to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, whether with relatively conventional hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, with plug-ins, such as the new Chevrolet Volt, or with pure battery-electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf.
But any consumer comparing the C-Max Hybrid and Prius v also quickly will see that Ford claims 47 mpg overall for C-Max Hybrid while Toyota claims only 40 mpg for Prius v.
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Like the powerful nickel-metal-hydride battery in the Toyota Prius that he drives to work every day, the one with the license plate OVONIC.
Toyota Motor , the leader in hybrid vehicles, has settled a patent-infringement dispute that had threatened to block the sale of the best-selling Prius and other Toyota hybrids.
By comparison, many of the hybrid and plug-in models making the Greenest Car list this year are practical enough to be everyday drivers, including two family friendly station wagons, the Toyota Prius v and Ford C-Max Hybrid.
And I have to admit to a smug feeling of superiority when we passed a hybrid-electric Toyota Motor (nyse: TM - news - people ) Prius.
With combined sales among its four model variations registering 236, 659 units last year, the venerable Toyota Prius was not only the most-popular hybrid car in the U.S. it was the 13th best-selling vehicle overall.
For example, the venerable Toyota Prius line of hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars continues to handily beat all comparable comers across the U.S., with combined sales among its four model variations registering 236, 659 units last year, representing a 73.4 percent increase.
And of course, Toyota has come out with its Plug-in hybrid Prius, selling 12, 750 units in the last last year alone.
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Entries included a Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Honda CR-Z, Honda Civic GX, Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Jetta TDI, a Volkswagen Golf TDI that runs on French Fry oil, and the Judy Sunhawk, a solar car capable of going 90 miles an hour.
The Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Toyota Prius are all available as a plug-in hybrid, while General Motors uses a smaller motor and battery pack to give a little electric assist to cars like the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu.
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Toyota did just that in energy-efficient alternative vehicles with Prius, which first hit U.S. roads in 2000.
Ford has launched a daring first TV-advertising campaign for its 2013 C-Max hybrid, aimed right at the Toyota Prius franchise.
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Smart was a green-minded statement car that predated the hybrid Toyota Prius and the electric Chevrolet Volt when it officially launched in 1998 in Europe.
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