Drive Green On A Budget

There�s never been a better time to go green with your next car purchase. A few years ago, the Toyota Prius was the go-to model. But today there is such a wide selection of fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicles that even those on a budget can afford to go green.

Honda�s new Insight is the first hybrid gasoline-electric car available new for less than $20,000 (starting at $19,800). It�s rated at 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway.

Toyota�s Prius is still the world�s top-selling hybrid. Its cost has dropped some, now starting at $22,400, and it claims a combined city-highway rating of 50 mpg.

Hybrid versions of Honda�s Civic ($23,800), Nissan�s Altima ($26,780), Ford�s Fusion ($27,625) and Escape SUV ($31,500), Mercury�s Milan ($31,590) and Mariner SUV ($29,995), and Toyota�s Camry ($26,150) and Highlander SUV ($34,700) are also in showrooms.

Many smaller cars with regular gasoline engines also get great mileage with low emissions for even less money.

Those include the Corolla ($15,350), Matrix ($16,550), and Yaris ($12,355) from Toyota, Honda�s Fit ($14,900), the Mazda3 ($16,045), Chevy�s Aveo ($11,965) and Cobalt ($14,990), the Hyundai�s Accent ($9,970) and Elantra ($14,145), Pontiac�s G3 ($14,335), the Kia Rio ($11,495), the MINI Cooper ($19,500), Ford�s Focus ($15,995), and the Smart Car Fortwo ($11,990).

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