Compact | 2008 | $24,200    

Excellent safety features
Stylish and distinctive exterior
Good ride and handling

Tight rear seating and limited cargo capacity
Soaring price with options
Sliding electric front seats for rear access are slow and have no memory

City Car | 2008 | $11,590    

The 2008 Smart Fortwo is a very competent, fun-to-drive city car. But you can find better fuel economy and highway performance in a hybrid or another small car.

Responsive steering
Easy to park
Standard electronic stability control

Disappointing fuel economy
Bumpy highway ride
Lacks passing power at cruising speeds
Jerky automanual transmission

Compact | 2009 | $28,790    

The Golf is a bit slow and on the noisy side, but you can’t ignore the figures – which is what choosing a low emission car is mainly about – and on that front it delivers in spades.

Low emissions
High fuel efficiency
Good handling

Noisy
Firm ride

City Car | 2006 | $11,700    

Poor build quality and material defects

City Car | 2009 | $13,000    

Designed to outsmart Smart Fortwo

4 seats while being slightly larger than Smart Fortwo
Spacious interior for its size
Good stability and handling

Sports Car | 2008 | $109,000    

A sports car one would love to have.

Fast and fun to drive
Very quiet
Excellent handling

Powertrain issues

Compact | 2001 | $21,000    

A practical car overall
Sets the standard for environmentally friendly transportation

Practical car with great gas mileage
Lots of standard equipment
Roomy interior

Lackluster highway performance
Poorer mpg in winter like other hybrids

City Car | 2010 | $17,000    

Motors built into two rear wheels
High capacity Li-Ion batteries

Microcar | 2009 | $30,000    

Even at eye-popping fuel economy, Aptera Typ-1 is designed to be a practical car.

Highly fuel efficient
Designed for safety
Fun to drive