2016 Chevy Volt is Green Car of the Year

Green Car Journal picks a car that is actually green this year for its annual award.

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt has been named the Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. The newly updated Volt was an obvious choice this year given its improved range and efficiency. Green Car Journal has not always picked the obvious choice, nor has the publication even picked green cars in the past. Its decision to call Volkswagen Group’s diesels Green Car of the Year (twice)was questionable since those cars were not the most fuel efficient vehicles in their EPA class, nor did they even produce less CO2 than other cars in the class. The choice was even more embarrassing when it was revealed that the VW’s were spewing up to 40 times the pollutants that a gasoline car the same size would.

This is the second time the Chevy Volt has been named Green Car of the Year by the Journal. When it debuted in 2010/11 it won that year as well. This year’s car’s new all-EV range was what impressed the editor of Green Car Journal, Ron Cogan , who said, “Chevrolet’s all-new Volt is a milestone, building on an already-technologically advanced ‘green’ car and delivering what buyers have longed for, including an impressive 53-mile driving range on a single charge.” The Volt is also quite green even when it is not acting like an EV, returning an impressive 42 MPG combined. That number is even more impressive when one considers the Volts very high curb weight.

Other nominees included the Audi A3-eTron, the Toyota Prius, and Hyundai Sonata. If there is any single reason the Volt may not have been a perfect choice it is that the Volt is not even sold in 39 U.S. states. The Volt also sells in tiny numbers compared to other green cars like the Toyota Prius.