The Green Car Journal recently announced the five vehicles that will be considered to earn the title of Green Car of the Year for 2012. The winner will be announced at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show on November 17. The five cars being considered for the title – the Ford Focus Electric, Honda Civic natural Gas, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius v and Volkswagen Passat TDI – were chosen as the publication's top five green cars for 2012 because of their different approaches to "going green," but only one of these cars can be named top dog.

"This year's Green Car of the Year finalists underscore that there is no single solution to our transportation challenges," said Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and the editor of GreenCar.com. "Here we have five exceptional answers to the question of how we're going to increase efficiencies, reduce tailpipe and CO2 emissions and decrease petroleum use."

The Passat TDI, for example, uses clean diesel fuel to both reduce emissions and get better mileage – it is rated 43 miles per gallon on the highway, according to the AutoBlog.

Drivers can improve their current vehicles' mileage by getting regular maintenance and oil changes, and an extended warranty can help them save money in the process.