Your choice of car is one of the most important decisions you will make in terms of your personal environmental impact. Before you buy a car, here are some things to consider.
Who will you be driving? Are you a single person or couple who just need a car to get from Point A to Point B? Or are you looking for a vehicle to haul a bunch of kids and all their gear around? Unless you already have a particular type of vehicle in mind, the answer to this basic question will help you start your search. If you’re in that first group, you’ll probably want to focus on small cars or family sedans; in the second, minivans or station wagons.
Where will you be driving? The same car can get significantly different mileage in city vs. highway driving. So ask yourself where you’ll be putting the biggest numbers on your odometer. Consumer Reports fuel economy tests are reported in our Green Ratings section for city, highway, and overall (a mix of city, country road, and highway) driving.
What will you be carrying? Hauling a lot of heavy cargo will not only increase your gas consumption but may also affect the safety of the vehicle by altering its center of gravity. The same is true for roof racks and anything else you put on the top of the vehicle. This is especially a factor with SUVs which already have a high center of gravity. Loading them up and adding a roof rack may increase the rollover risk. Bear in mind that more cargo space doesn’t necessarily translate into greater weight capacity. For example, a station wagon may have less cargo room than an SUV but accommodate heavier loads more safely. If you intend to carry a lot of weight in your vehicle, pay particular attention to its maximum load capacity. Keep in mind that load capacity includes both people and luggage. See our Green Ratings section for load and capacity numbers for each car tested.
Do you even need a car? While a car may seem like a necessity for anyone in suburbia or the country, city dwellers have other options. Car-sharing, for example, is taking off in a number of cities, such as Boston, New York and Seattle. You borrow a car when you need it and pay by the hour or day. Gas, mileage, parking and insurance are included. The cars are parked in neighborhood lots, and you reserve one online when you’re ready to hit the road. To find a car-sharing program near you, click here.
More and more metro areas, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Fairfield County, Conn., have also started ride-sharing programs to encourage car and van pooling. For more information, click here.
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