The US's top ten fuel-efficient 2006 model vehicles have been announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy, with diesel and hybrids among the leading cars.

This year the top accolade went to a gas-electric hybrid vehicle, the Honda Insight. It attains an average of 60 miles to the gallon in the city and 66 on the highway.

It narrowly beat the popular Toyota Prius that, despite equalling the Honda Insight for city driving, recorded a mpg of 51 on the highway. Nevertheless, this still made the Toyota Prius the most fuel-efficient in its class of mid-sized sedans.

Volkswagen diesel cars also proved their environmental worth, with the company's Beetle, Golf and Jetta models claiming several of the top spots.

Ford's Escape hybrid was the most fuel-efficient SUV, achieving 36 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

These results suggest that hybrid vehicles are still streets ahead of their competitors, as the third ranking Volkswagen New Beetle and Golf models recorded city driving of 37 mpg, in comparison to the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius' 60 mpg.



Ÿ Adfero Ltd