Auto Club rates Tesla as greenest car

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Just in time for Earth Day, the Auto Club has released its latest guide to green cars.

The group rated three all-electric vehicles as the most environmentally friendly, but did note there are some gasoline-powered options that also have some green qualities.

At the top of the list was the Tesla Model S - also one of the more expensive options starting at $70,000.

"The Tesla Model S is a great car - great ride quality, it's very quiet," said Megan McKernan, manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California's Automotive Research Center. "It's electric so it has zero emissions."

The next two options are a little less expensive. The BMW i3 starts at about $41,000 and the Volkswagen e-Golf has a base of about $35,000.

All three scored high in the Auto Club's 100-point system. The Tesla scored 92.49, the BMW scored 88.47 and the VW got a score of 87.09.

The Auto Club noted that some gasoline choices do well, too. For example, Subaru's vehicle can be purchased as PZEV, or partial zero emission vehicle, which is as close to zero that a gasoline engine can get.

The complete printed green car guide will be available to members next month at Auto Club offices and is available now online.