Consumers should be aware that having 'hybrid' in the name doesn't necessarily mean the vehicle will be green.

For years, we've been advising buyers that greener models are available to them no matter what type of vehicle they're shopping for. Today, with a bona fide gas-powered SUV on our Greenest Vehicles list, this advice rings truer than ever.

Hybrids are still the team to beat, as they generally have better fuel economy and cleaner emissions than other models in their respective classes.

There are 200 million cars on the road now. It's important for environmental, national security and economic reasons to wean ourselves off our immense thirst for oil.

Having a tool to see what cars are greener and to be able to compare them is important, especially since this information is not readily available.