For all the fun-to-drive excitement Mazda vehicles are known for, it is reassuring to know that these Mazdas are also a friend to the environment. According to the latest Environmental Protection Agency reports, every one listed below is among the greenest and cleanest on the road.

The all-new 2010 MAZDA3 4-Door (all trims) and MAZDA3 5-Door (all trims), 2009 MX-5 Miata (all trims), MAZDA5 (manual transmission), all-new MAZDA6 i trim (automatic transmission), B2300 (manual transmission sold in certain states*), Tribute 2WD (manual transmission and select automatic transmissions sold in certain states*) and the Tribute Hybrid (all trims) have all received the U.S. EPA's SmartWay certification mark, identifying each one as among the cleaner and more environmentally friendly vehicles available.

The criteria for a SmartWay certified vehicle is based on the vehicle emission scores that can be found on the U.S. EPA's Green Vehicle Guide (www.epa.gov/greenvehicles). The vehicle emission scores include the Greenhouse Gas Score and the Air Pollution Score.

The Air Pollution Score is based on the vehicle's officially certified exhaust emission standard as indicated on its Certificate of Conformity. In simpler terms, the less a vehicle contributes to smog, haze, poor health conditions and general air pollution, the higher the score will be.

The Greenhouse Gas Score for SmartWay certified cars is based on the combined adjusted fuel economy label value determined according to the Code of Federal Regulations, based on vehicle fuel type. Thus a higher score means that the vehicle has a higher fuel economy and emits less greenhouse-gas-causing emissions.

The SmartWay certification mark is achieved if a vehicle receives a minimum of 6 out of 10 on both the Greenhouse Gas Score and the Air Pollution Score, AND receives a combined score of 13 or higher.

* The 2009 Tribute 2WD with the automatic transmission come in a clean-burning SmartWay certified version for vehicles sold in CA, CT, MA, ME, NJ, NY, OR, PA, RI, VT and WA. All 2009 MX-5 Miatas except for the Federal emission version with automatic transmission come in a clean-burning SmartWay certified version. For full details, visit http://epa.gov/smartway/index.htm.