Consider Fuel Efficiency When Buying a Car

Driving a car is one of the top two pollution-causing activities Americans do daily. It's also one of the most costly of our daily activities. Whether for environmental or economic concerns, the fuel rating has become a car's most important feature. But with all the cars and all the ratings, it can be difficult to figure out which car is the best for you.

First, you need to understand how the miles per gallon translates into cash in your pocket. Based on an average annual use of 12,000 miles, a car that averages 15 mpg will consume 800 gallons of gas. At $2.50 a gallon, you will spend $2000 to fuel your car. And add about nine tons of greenhouse gas pollution. Increase fuel efficiency to 30 mpg, and your fuel costs and pollution are cut in half. Buy a super efficient car that gets 50mpg, and you'll spend $600 on gas, and add less than 3 tons of pollution to the environment. (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/)

Now that you understand the numbers, you can start shopping for cars. Fortunately, the American car industry has responded by adding several fuel efficient models to their lines. Now all you have to do is compare features, prices and pick a color. Before you visit the local car dealer, do your research. There are several sites on the Internet that rank and compare different models of cars. Yahoo Auto (http://autos.yahoo.com/) assigns a green rating to cars and lists the top 100 Green Cars. The U.S. government gives fuel efficiency rating by make, model and year at its Fuel Economy website.