With its topnotch fuel efficiency, solar-powered ventilation system and various high tech features, Toyota‘s 50-mile-per-gallon Prius topped this year’s list of 10 greenest cars.

According to the Kelly Blue Book, the Prius remains the most fuel-efficient car in its class of hybrids, boasting 51 mpg city and 48 mpg highway. Aside from its hybrid powertrain technology, Prius was praised for its glass moonroof with a solar-powered ventilation system, voice-activated navigation and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Lane Keep Assist.

“To be considered for the green Top Ten, each vehicle was required to offer fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions superior to the bulk of vehicles in its class and at the same time provide all the safety, creature comforts and driving enjoyment that would make it pleasant to own,” Kelley Blue Book said in its website.

This year’s list was largely dominated by last year’s collection, but also included two newcomers — the Volkswagen Golf TDI, one of the newest “clean diesels,” and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which demonstrates SUV-like features that can co-exist with a hybrid powertrain.

Rounding up the top five are Honda Insight Hybrid (41 mpg), Ford Fusion Hybrid (39 mpg), Volkswagen Golf TDI (34 mpg) and MINI Cooper (32 mpg). Ranked sixth to tenth are the Ford Escape Hybrid (32 mpg), Honda Fit (31 mpg), BMW 335d (27 mpg), Toyota Highlander Hybrid (22 mpg) and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (22 mpg).

The New York Times reported that Toyota will introduce a third-generation Prius in May in line with Toyota’s plan to sell a million hybrid cars in the next few years, from about 250,000 hybrids in 2008.

Resale values of Toyota vehicles are gaining slowly after a boost in sales, as reported by the Japanese automaker earlier this month.

Consumers who currently own a Toyota have gained back “at least some of the resale value” they lost at the peak of the safety recall in February, Bankrate.com reports.

The automotive websites Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book have shown an uptick in resale values of used Toyota cars, in sharp contrast to their forecasts two months ago that prices would drop by as much as 10 percent.

“Values for three-year-old Toyotas are improving, though at a slower rate than the current industry average,” the news provider reported, citing Kelley Blue Book’s analysis.

Edmunds.com senior analyst Joe Spina also said that prices of used Toyota cars are “almost back to their pre-recall levels,” noting that a full rebound will not come until late summer.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles due to safety concerns, but its March sales increased 41 percent compared with those in the month a year earlier. The rebound has largely been fuelled by subsidized leases and interest-free financing.

On Wednesday, at a U.S. congressional hearing concerning automobile safety, Toyota Motor Company president Akio Toyoda apologized for the Japanese car makers’ numerous recalls, stating that his company’s rapid growth had “confused” the priority that it places on safety, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick,” said Toyoda, who testified in front of Congress for more than three hours. “I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced.”

Toyota’s president also said he believes that there are no problems with the electronics in his vehicles and that no cover-up was attempted to veil the automaker’s safety issues.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that Toyota has agreed to cover the cost of at-home pickup of vehicles that were involved in the recalls. In addition, the Japanese automaker will reportedly reimburse customers for supplemental expenses such as taxis or car rentals, the New York Times reports.