Cars That Are Bad for the Environment

Cars are a standard in current society, playing many roles in day-to-day life. Cars are both a friendly addition to life and a destructive force upon the environment, with no end in sight. Cars today use more fuel than 20 years ago, due to a demand for larger and larger vehicles, stimulated by the federal government. While there are some good alternatives, there are still plenty of cars that are bad for the environment.

SUVs

The large Sports Utlity Vehicle (SUV)-type of automobile was gaining popularity in the United States for many years, as of 2011. However, the larger the car, the more power needed to move it and thus more emissions and road damage. SUVs are heavier than smaller cars and can cause more damage to roads. Their very size uses more raw materials in construction -- metal, fiberglass and paint. Many SUVs have smaller gas tanks than standard cars and get less gas mileage.

Sports Cars

Everyone wants one, except the environment.

If we believed the movies, everyone wants a two-seater sports car and nothing is better. But according to the website Fueleconomy, these superfast toys are extreme gas guzzlers. The average sports car averages 8 miles to the gallon in city traffic and 15 in highway traffic. Many sports cars are also loud, creating a noise disturbance on the environment. This can affect work, sleep and bring on mental stress.

Race Cars

Race cars are pollutant machines.

A very popular pastime in the United States is watching car races, with nearly 75 million people watching every weekend. But the cars used in these races are very poor for the environment, with the average mpg at a low 5 and most are not equipped with catalytic converters, which keep emissions at safe levels. Each gallon of gas burned emits 20 pounds of carbon dioxide and in one race there is an average of 6,000 gallons of fuel burned.

Small and Standard Pickup Trucks

Pickup trucks are an American standard.

The pickup truck is a popular style of automobile in the United States.They come in different shapes and sizes (two-door, four-door, extended cab), but they all have one thing in common: low gas mileage. The average mpg is 19.8 for city miles and 23.4 for highway miles, with some models going as low as 11mpg for city and 14mpg for highway. Larger, heavier body frames require more gas to push them along and more raw materials to build.