10 Cars That Cause The Most Pollution

Cars are among the greatest air pollution problems in America. According to the EPA, “Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation account for about 28 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. GHG emissions. Between 1990 and 2022, GHG emissions in the transportation sector increased more in absolute terms than any other sector.”

There has been a measure of hope that EVs would cut this footprint. Four years ago, there was a plan for EVs to be 50% of all new car sales by 2030. There has been progress. Tesla became the dominant EV company in the U.S. Recently, almost every major car company jumped into the EV sector, with the belief that demand would be strong. As it turns out, the $7,500 EV tax credit was dropped by the Trump Administration on Sept. 30. That has undercut sales. Tesla’s monthly sales in November were the lowest in four years. 

These issues mean that America is very far off from solving its car emission problem. While car companies have made progress on miles per gallon, the figure remains about 27 MPG. There are almost 300 million registered vehicles on America’s roads. Almost all are gas-powered. Gas prices have dropped below an average of $3 for a gallon of regular, which means there is less of an economic incentive to buy a car that gets good mileage. 

Air pollution from cars is often labeled “tailpipe emissions,” which is another label for greenhouse gas emissions or smog. The “dirtiest” vehicles, or those that have the worst MPG, are usually large SUVs, pickup trucks, and high-performance vehicles.

The most authoritative recent ranking of MPG comes from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) “meanest” vehicles list for 2024, which evaluates tailpipe emissions, fuel/electricity use, and lifecycle impacts which includes manufacturing and upstream pollution). Most of these get between 10 MPG and 15 MPG. The researchers write, “The Meanest List of the worst-performing mass market automobiles consists of primarily large, inefficient gas guzzlers, with seven SUVs, three trucks, one sports car, and one sedan.”

This is the top 10 list of most polluting car models based on 2024 data:

1. Ram 1500 TRX 4×4 – Supercharged V8, ~10-14 mpg, ~16 tons GHG (greenhouse)/year.

2. Ford F-150 Raptor R 4WD – Supercharged V8, ~10-15 mpg, ~16 tons GHG/year.

3. Cadillac Escalade V AWD – Supercharged V8 luxury SUV, ~11-16 mpg, ~15 tons GHG/year.

4. Dodge Durango SRT AWD – High-performance SUV, ~12-17 mpg, ~14 tons GHG/year.

5. Jeep Grand Wagoneer 4×4 – Large luxury SUV with V8, low efficiency.

6. GMC Hummer EV SUV – Electric but extremely heavy/inefficient (63 kWh/100 miles), high lifecycle impact from battery/production.

7. Mercedes-Benz G-Class (AMG G63) – Iconic luxury off-roader with twin-turbo V8, very high emissions.

8. Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon (high-trim V8) – Full-size SUVs, poor mpg.

9. Toyota LandCruiser/Sequoia – Large V6/V8 SUVs, noted in real-world tests for high fuel use.

10. Lamborghini Urus – High-power engines, extreme emissions per mile.

Finally, try to afford some of these. The price for the Lamborghini Urus is $240,000. 

Finally, the car air pollution issue is made worse by the driving decisions of many Americans. The full-sized pickup dominates the list of the best selling vehicles each year. Ford’s  F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the US for 42 years. More than 41 million of them have been sold.

GM’s Chevy Silverado, another full-sized pickup, is usually second on the list of best selling cars. The RAM full-sized pickup is almost always in the top 5 annually. Several mid-sized pickups, which include the Toyota Tacoma and GMC Sierra, are best sellers. And, Americans cannot be without their outsized SUVs. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the top 25 selling vehicles in the U.S. 

American car buying habits would need to change considerably for the pollution level from transportation to drop much. One silver lining is that the car industry is selling more hybrids. This may be a bridge to the day when EVs are more popular. In the meantime, InsideEV reports, ​”This leaves just one solid option for many car shoppers who are skeptical about EVs or have already run all the numbers and come up short when considering switching to an electric car: hybrids or plug-in hybrids.”