Automaker Rankings 2018

The 2018 Automaker Rankings by the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that while average emissions from new vehicles have reached record lows, the pace of reduction is slowing due to a market shift toward SUVs and inconsistent investment in efficiency technologies. Honda is the top-performing full-line manufacturer, while Tesla leads overall with an all-electric fleet. The 'Detroit Three' (Ford, GM, and Fiat Chrysler) consistently underperform compared to the industry average. The report details the deployment of fuel-saving technologies—such as gasoline direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and electrification—and argues that strong federal standards are essential to prevent manufacturers from prioritizing performance over emissions reductions.

• Average global warming and smog-forming emissions from new vehicles have reached their lowest levels in the history of the analysis, though the rate of improvement is decelerating.
• Honda is the highest-ranking full-line manufacturer for both smog-forming and global warming emissions, outperforming the next major manufacturer, Hyundai-Kia, by more than 5 percent.
• Tesla achieves the lowest overall emissions score (34 out of 100) due to its all-electric fleet, significantly outperforming all other manufacturers.
• The 'Detroit Three' (Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler) consistently rank below the industry average, with Fiat Chrysler often performing the worst among major manufacturers.
• A market shift from cars to SUVs has slowed overall industry progress on fuel economy, although efficiency has improved within every individual vehicle class since 2009.
• Many cost-effective emissions-reduction technologies are under-deployed; for example, gasoline direct injection is found in barely more than half of the new vehicle fleet.
• Plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs and BEVs) consistently produce lower global warming emissions than the average new gasoline-powered vehicle across the United States.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists has stopped awarding the 'Greenest Automaker' title to acknowledge that emissions are not the only measure of sustainability and to recognize the progress of smaller, non-full-line firms.

APA

Cooke, D. (2018). Automaker Rankings 2018. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/06/cv-automaker-rankings-2018-report.pdf

Chicago

Cooke, Dave. Automaker Rankings 2018. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/06/cv-automaker-rankings-2018-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cooke |first1=Dave |title=Automaker Rankings 2018 |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=June 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/06/cv-automaker-rankings-2018-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cooke2018automaker, author = {Cooke, Dave}, title = {{Automaker Rankings 2018}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/06/cv-automaker-rankings-2018-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }