Earth Day List Of Top 20 Green Cars For 2017 Less Than $40K

DETROIT, MI — Saturday is Earth Day, and you’re car shopping. You’ve got a top-line budget of about 40 grand to spend, and you want to make a sound, environmentally conscious decision when you choose your new ride. Motor City loyalists will find a handful of General Motors vehicles on Kelley Blue Book’s recently released list of the 20 most eco-friendly new cars available for less than $40,000.

“With each new model year there are more ‘green car’ choices than ever before,” Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said in a press release. “Whether you are looking for something that stands out as visually unique to proclaim your environmental friendliness, or if you prefer your vehicle to blend in with the more traditionally gas-powered crowd, automakers now offer several vehicles with a variety of eco-friendly powertrain options to accommodate both the lifestyle and budget needs of just about any buyer.”

No. 1 on the list of the 10 best electric cars is the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, which gets an estimated 119 miles per gallon and runs about 238 miles on a full charge, which takes about 9.3 hours. The car starts at $37,495. Among other accolades, the Bolt EV was named the Car of the Year at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January and the Green Car Of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Topping the list of hybrid cars is the perennial “king of hybrids,” Toyota’s 2017 Prius, which gets an estimated combined highway/city mileage of 52 mpg and has a 121-horsepower engine. The vehicle starts at $25,570. The Japanese automaker’s 2017 Prius Prime, starting at $27,895, is the best plug-in hybrid

Below are the rankings:

10 Best 2017 Hybrid Cars Under $40,000
1. Toyota Prius, starting at $25,570
2. Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, starting at $23,035
3. Honda Accord Hybrid, starting at $30,480
4. Kia Niro, starting at $23,785
5. Kia Optima Hybrid, starting at $26,890
6. Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, starting at $26,835
7. Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, starting at $29,990
8. Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, starting at $28,750
9. Toyota Camry Hybrid, starting at $27,675
10. Toyota Highlander Hybrid, starting at $37,230

For more on these cars, go here.

5 Best 2017 Electric Cars Under $40,000
1. Chevrolet Bolt EV, starting at $37,495
2. 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, starting at $30,335
3. Volkswagen e-Golf, with the starting price yet to be announced
4. Kia Soul EV, starting at $33,145
5. Nissan Leaf, starting at $31,545

For more on these cars, go here.

5 Best 2017 Plug-In Hybrid Cars Under $40,000
1. Toyota Prius Prime, starting at $27,985
2. Chevrolet Volt, starting at $34,095
3. Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, starting at $36,105
4. Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid, starting at $35,435
5. Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, starting at $39,850

For more on these cars, go here.

Kelley Blue Book, founded in 1926, is used by both the car industry and consumers to determine market values of different vehicles.

Photo: Alan Batey, General Motors President of North America, talks about the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV, which won the Car of the Year Award at the 2017 North American International Auto Show on Jan. 9 in Detroit. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images News/Getty Images)