Honda

As soon as the second-generation Prius arrived on the scene in 2003, the Civic Hybrid was cast in its role as runner-up in the hybrid world. It’s true that the Civic Hybrid is not quite as fuel-efficient, not quite as comfortable and roomy, and not quite as powerful as the Prius. But the gas-electric Civic, like Rodney Dangerfield, deserves more respect than it receives.

Honda's roller-skate-sized Civic put the company on the map in America during the first gasoline shock back in 1973, and since then, Honda has been cranking out successive--and usually excellent--iterations of its small car, regardless of where a gallon of unleaded was charting at the moment.