How Much Cleaner is Your EV Than a Gasoline Car?

There are many changes happening with EV policy in the US right now, with the vast majority at the federal level aimed at undercutting support and slowing the transition away from gasoline to electricity to power our vehicles. While there is tremendous uncertainty with federal policy and regulation, the benefits of EVs to reducing climate-changing emissions are clear. Earlier this year we released our latest update on the global warming emissions from recharging EVs in the US and we found that driving the average electric vehicle produces global warming emissions equal to a gasoline car with 100 mile per gallon efficiency. While emissions from using an EV depend on where in the US you recharge (due to different sources of electricity generation), 97 percent of the country lives where driving the average EV is better on climate-changing emissions than the most efficient gasoline vehicle.

EVs are much cleaner than gasoline cars on average. But what about specific EVs where you live? To help answer that question, we built a calculator to show the specific global warming emissions of current and past plug-in electric vehicles, including the emissions from regional electricity grids. This tool was recently updated to include the most current data on electricity emissions and also has added newer EV models, including some upcoming 2026 models.

If you want to reduce your emissions and lower the cost to refuel, here are three basic tips:

1. Drive less. If you can avoid driving altogether by using transit, walking, or biking, that will almost always be cheaper and lower emissions than driving any personal vehicle.
2. Pick electric. If you can choose an electric vehicle over a gasoline vehicle, your emissions will be lower and for most drivers, so will the cost to refuel. Fully electric vehicles (battery-electric vehicles) are best for emissions, but plug-in hybrids can be better than conventional vehicles, as long as they are regularly plugged in to minimize gasoline use.
3. Choose an efficient vehicle. A vehicle with higher efficiency (whether gasoline or electric) is going to have lower emissions and also save money in refueling or recharging costs.

What are some of the most efficient and lowest emission EVs? Here’s a selected list of electric cars, SUVs, and trucks that are the most efficient, as of late-2025. Many of these vehicles are available in multiple trims and only the most efficient version of the model is listed.

Note: PHEV equivalent emissions assume that vehicles are fully recharged on a daily basis. If not recharged, the emissions equivalent from driving would be equal to the gasoline efficiency (for example, 38 mpg for the Toyota RAV4 PHEV).