Durham Wheels - This Earth Day, NADAguides.com, a U.S. provider of pricing information and market Research has announced its Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars of 2009, suggesting that hybrids aren’t the only choice for those who wish to minimize the environmental impact of their driving.

In fact, four of the five cars on the list put out less air pollution than some hybrid vehicles.

To provide consumers with an option to alternative fuel vehicles, the NADAguides.com Market Data Analysts evaluated fuel economy and emissions data and determined that the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, MINI Cooper, Pontiac G5 and Hyundai Elantra are the Top Five Cleanest Conventional Cars of 2009.

Despite improvements in production efficiency and material costs, the prices of gas-electric hybrid vehicles remain considerably higher than those of their gasoline-only counterparts.

The Chevrolet Cobalt LS, Ford Focus S, Pontiac G5 and Hyundai Elantra GLS all qualify for (US) PZEV (partial zero emissions vehicle) certification, while the MINI Cooper is designated as an ULEV (ultra low emissions vehicle).

Several independent tests have shown that the exhaust coming from the tailpipe of a PZEV vehicle is often cleaner than the surrounding air in many metropolitan areas.