Just because you don't drive a hybrid doesn't mean you can't be eco-friendly on the road. There are still vehicles manufactured that are fuel-efficient and won't necessarily cost the extra money you have to spend on a vehicle with the hybrid tag. The Office of Energy Efficiency for Natural Resources Canada recently released their list of the most environmentally-friendly vehicles for 2009, and while it did include some hybrids, regular vehicles were more dominant on the list. The testing process to determine the list simulates 20,000 kilometers per year, broken down as 55 per cent city and 45 per cent highway.

Two-seater: Smart fortwo
Mileage: 5.9 L/100 km in the city; 4.8 L/ 100 km on the highway
Fuel use: 1,080 liters per year at a cost of $1,188

Subcompact: Mini Cooper/Mini Clubman, Toyota Yaris/Yaris Hatchback
Mileage: The Mini Cooper and the Mini Clubman each get 7.1 L in the city and 5.3 L on the highway, while the Yaris gets 6.9L/100 km in the city and 5.5 L on the highway.
Fuel use: The Minis use 1,260 liters per year at a cost of $1,836, and the Yaris costs $1,260 for 1260 km (if your math is good, you'll realize that works out to $1 per km)

Compact: Honda Civic Hybrid
Mileage: 4.7 L/100 km city; 4.3L/100 km highway
Fuel use: $900 for 900 liters each year

Mid-sized: Toyota Prius
Mileage: 4.0 L/100 km in the city; 4.2L/100 km on the highway. That's right, even though other vehicles are fuel efficient, the Prius is still the King of eco-friendly cars.
Fuel use: The $1 per km trend continues, with the Prius costing approximately $820 for 820 liters of fuel annually.

Full-sized: Honda Accord Sedan, Hyundai Sonata
Mileage: 9.4 L/100 km in the city and 6.4 L/100 km on the highway for the Accord; the Sonata gets 9.5 L/100 km in the city and 6.2 L/100 km on the highway
Fuel use: Both vehicles are $1,600 per year for 1,600 liters of fuel

Station wagon: Volkswagen Jetta Wagon TDI Clean Diesel
Mileage: 6.8 L/100 km city; 4.8 L highway
Fuel use: 1,180 km for $1,180

Pickup Truck: Ford Ranger, Mazda B2300
Mileage: Both trucks offer 9.9 L/100 km in the city, 7.5 L/100 km on the highway.
Fuel use: The fuel use and cost for the two vehicles are also identical at 1,760 for $1760 per year

SUV: Ford Escape Hybrid
Mileage: 6.8 L/100 km city; 6.4 L/100 km highway
Fuel use: $1,220 for 1,220 liters.

Minivan: Mazda5
Mileage: This cool(er) new minivan alternative uses 8.6 L per 100 km of fuel in the city and 7.0 L per 100 km on the highway
Fuel use: 1,680 liters for $1,680 on an annual basis.

» Driving.ca