Eco friendly cars are becoming more popular. There are several ways that a car can be this ecologically friendly. Fuel efficiency is a popular one. Some are manufactured and shipped in ways that are environmentally sound.

There are three types of eco or earth friendly cars. They are also called "green" cars.

The biodiesel vehicle uses fuel that is made from a blend of vegetable oil and diesel fuel. This type of fuel can be used on any vehicle that takes diesel fuel to run. There are no equipment conversions to use biodiesel.

Ethanol-based fuel is made from barley, corn or wheat. The most common ethanol is called E85 which is fifteen percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol.

This type of fuel reduces emissions and is less expensive.

Below are cars that use ethanol:

Chevy Impala, Silverado and Suburban

Chrysler Sebring

Dodge Durango and Ram

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Nissan Armada and Titan

Saturn Relay

Toyota Sequoia and Tundra

New models are coming out often. Ask your dealership what models they have available that are Ethanol Flexible Fuel Vehicles.

Hybrids are among the most popular of the earth-friendly vehicles. They combine gasoline with an electric engine. The put off less pollution than a conventional car. Hybrids capture energy why the car stops or breaks. The electric engine controls this aspect which makes it very efficient while driving in the city. The energy is stored in batteries and is used as fuel. Hybrids are generally quieter than most conventional cars. You don't have to find a special facility to fuel them. Some states offer the use of the carpool lanes if you drive one.

Below are the top-rated hybrid models:

Ford Fusion

Honda Civic

Lexus GS450h

Nissan Altima

Toyota Camry

Toyota Prius

Below are the top non-hybrid models:

Honda Civic GX NGV

Mini Cooper

Smart Fortwo

Toyota Yaris

There are federal and state tax incentives that helps to subsidize the greater sticker price of most "green" cars. But the top-rated vehicles may take five years or longer to pay for themselves with their fuel efficiency. This is good if you plan to keep the vehicle beyond this point.