To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day coming up this Sunday, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s top 5 “green” cars. NewsWatch rated these five eco-friendly cars are the best bet for saving the planet and your money.

Toyota Prius

Image via www.egmcartech.com

The Prius is unique enough that it has become a brand of its own. With the addition this year of a larger model (the V) and a smaller model (the C) that brand has expanded.  It is the best name for high-efficiency cars, having set the benchmark year after year.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Image via www.treehugger.com

Mitsubishi’s electric vehicle is a futuristic-looking electric car that is the most energy efficient vehicle available in America today.  This pure-electric car uses lithium-ion batteries to drive a 66-horsepower engine, enough to give it spunky performance for driving around town.

Honda Civic Natural Gas

Image via automobiles.honda.com

Natural gas doesn’t get the same hype in automotive design as electric power, but it’s green nonetheless.  Green enough, in fact, for the LA Auto Show to award the natural gas-powered Civic the Green Car of the Year award.  The range of this year’s model has been improved to 240 miles, which beats most electric-only vehicles.

Smart ForTwo

Image via www.smartcarofamerica.com

The ForTwo doesn’t achieve its high energy efficiency by using a small engine to power a small, lightweight car.  It makes up for its size with a unique, head-turning style.

Lexus CT200

Image via www.autoguide.com

The CT200 is a hybrid-only model (not available in a non-hybrid form) that gets 43 mpg.  Best of all?  For the same price as the Mitsubishi-i, the Lexus is, well, a Lexus.

And, of course, we had to add in one of our favorite green cars.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Image via madisoncowles.tumblr.com

This Italian high-performance exotic super car is known for its characteristic scissor doors that open upwards. But, unlike the other cars on this list, it’s neither very eco- nor budget-friendly.

In honor of President’s Day yesterday, here is a list of the top 5 cars owned by U.S. presidents. To see the full list, check out the article on cars.com.

5. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1939 Packard 12

This 12-cylinder Packard was such a unique piece of technology that Roosevelt said he couldn’t do without it. The car currently resides in Toyota’s Automobile Museum in Japan. This image is of the car being delivered to the White House in 1939.

4. Lyndon B. Johnson, Amphicar

It’s easy to see why this rare German car built in the 1960s was a favorite of Johnson’s. Johnson owned an interesting array of cars, including a Jolly 500 Ghia made by Fiat along with his more recognizable Lincoln Continental.

3. Ronald Reagan, Subaru Brat

Reagan is famously known as an actor-turned-politician, but in the late 1970s he secretly drove a Subaru Brat test car around his California ranch and sent progress reports to the automaker. It had to be hush-hush because political sentiment of the day toward Japanese car-makers was confrontational, to say the least.

2. Bill Clinton, 1967 Ford Mustang

The first baby boomer president owned the most iconic car of that generation, a 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. The car didn’t leave the president’s driveway from soon after college until he became president. During his presidency, he was allowed to drive it briefly at a celebration of the car’s 30th anniversary in 1994. The 250 feet covered was the longest distance a sitting U.S. President has driven their own vehicle.

1. Harry Truman, 1953 Chrysler New Yorker

Truman takes the top spot with his 1953 Chrysler New Yorker. Truman and his wife drove this car on a well-documented road trip after his presidency. The former president and first lady drove 2,500 miles from their home in Missouri to the East Coast and back again.

‘The Beast’ Cadillac Limousine

We had to add in one of our personal favorites. With enough armor to stop an RPG and a  price tag of $300,000, the President’s vehicle is a very resilient ride. It’s so armored-up and filled with gear, agents call it The Beast. According to the manufacturer, General Motors, the 2009 presidential limousine, based on the Cadillac DTS, is the first not to carry a specific model name.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so it is definitely time to decide the perfect gift for the car lover in your life. Luckily, there are a number of gifts out there that fit every budget and will satisfy every car enthusiast.

Image via blog.truecar.com.

Travel Coffee Mug – Spilling coffee in a car can be a disaster. It will stain the carpets and could even burn the driver. A good travel mug is an inexpensive solution that will be appreciated by any traveling coffee drinker.

Racing Video Games – Even if your car lover isn’t a driver themselves, there are some great video games to simulate the experience.

Some popular games include Forza Motorsport 4 on XBOX, with the best simulation available, and Gran Turismo 5 has the same role on the Playstation 3.

Driving Shoes – A good pair of driving shoes makes all the difference, especially in performance driving.

An accurate feel for the pedals allows for precise inputs, fewer missed shifts, and faster driving. That is what it should all be about.

Sunglasses – Quality sunglasses should be a requirement for all drivers. Sun glare causes accidents, so you can even say these are a safety feature.

Polarized lenses contain a special filter that blocks a type of intense reflected light, reducing glare from a long, flat surface such as the hood of the car or the road’s surface.

GPS – The latest generations of GPS sport more features than ever before to help you get from point A to point B quickly and safely. Some features include audible driving directions with text-to-speech (TTS), spoken street names, real-time traffic updates, Internet connectivity for points-of-interest search, and large easy-to-read screens, to name a few.

Also, there will never be any more stopping for directions, which is a huge plus. Some popular models include Garmin and TomTom. You could also try a GPS app like CoPilot Live or Google Maps.

Remote Starter - Most manufacturers of cars recommend adequately warming up your car before you drive. This protects the car’s start system, engine, and other critical parts. So, if your car enthusiast is ever running late, they can start their car from inside with a remote starter.

Race Tickets – Tickets to a major race like the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, or the Monaco Grand Prix will make for an unforgettable experience. These events are some of the oldest and most prestigious in motorsports.

Although the races mentioned above are the most popular, any race weekend is a great experience for a car fan.

Using some of these old school techniques to deice your car could cost you hundreds of dollars. Here’s what you should (and shouldn’t) do to deice your car this winter.

Video Transcription
Alright, getting ice off a car can be really tricky. Now, back in the day when this car was new, you could do just about anything you wanted that wouldn’t damage the paint and you’d be okay, but on modern cars you have to be very, very careful. There are some chemicals that you can use that will thaw out locks and things like that and that’s what you want to use. See primarily it’s what you don’t do with a modern car. The lock is frozen, well back in the day you took a cigarette lighter and you heated the key – don’t do that with a modern key, because there’s a transponder inside that key which can be damaged from the heat and in many cases there are going to be electronics in the lock that could also be damaged. So, getting your lock unfrozen could cost you several hundred dollars if you do it old school.

If I decide to buy a new car, what are the steps I have to take in order to transfer my extended warranty?

Transferring an Extended Warranty

When you sell your vehicle you have to contact the administrator of the contract. They will require a $50-$75 transfer fee. The contract will be transferred once they see documentation of maintenance as well as change of registration.