Designed exclusively to run on CNG (compressed natural gas), 4-door, 5-passenger car Honda Civic GX first appeared in 1998 as a factory – modified Civic LX, a carryover from 2007.

This Japanese manufactured vehicle looks and drives like a Honda Civic LX except that it doesn’t run on gasoline but is powered by methane, a natural gas. EPA has rated Honda Civic GX as the cleanest burning internal combustion engine in the world since methane is considered the simplest and cleanest-burning hydrocarbon available. In fact, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) awarded the Civic the green ribbon as the greenest vehicle of 2008 and that’s the fifth consecutive year it’s taken the top prize.

Despite this green adaptation of the Civic Sedan’s very environment friendly character, there is one serious problem about the car and that is the very fact that natural-gas refueling stations are very few and far between. For example, there are only thee in Connecticut and there are about 1,600 CNG stations nationwide compared to the number of gasoline stations in the country which is close to 200,000.

The Civic GX costs $24,590 and an amount of $7,000 will come back to the buyer in the form of state and federal tax credits. But finding this environment friendly car is not easy because the car is only being sold in New York and California and Honda admits that they can’t build them fast enough.

The 2007 Honda Civic GX averages 24 MPG city and 36 MPG highway and the estimated fuel cost for this vehicle to drive 25 miles for a combination of city and highway driving is $1.47 using CNG. In an event of a leak, the gaseous CNG would not pool under vehicle but will dissipate into the air. CNG compared to gasoline is much safer since CNG has nearly twice the ignition temperature of gasoline and a very narrow range of flammability to be combustible.

Honda Civic GX requires low maintenance since the nature of the fuel is much cleaner. Tune-ups are required at above 100,000 miles and oil changes around 10,000 miles. Since there are no carbon deposits in the engine, there is no need for valve jobs therefore reducing cylinder and ring wear. The vehicle is permitted in California’s HOV Lane.