If you're not in the market for clean, green supercar like Tesla's Roadster but you've still got a few hundred thousand lying around and you need a speed fix, then the McLaren MP4-12C supercar might be on your shopping list.

However, you could be forgiven for wondering what actually powers the McLaren given the latest data coming from the EPA.

According to Inside Line (via Motor Authority) the British supercar has managed to avoid the EPA's gas-guzzler tax, despite other high-end cars like the 2012 Aston Martin Rapide and 2012 Lamborghini Aventador being subject to it.

Unlike the Aston Martin or Lamborghini, the McLaren's 15 MPG city and 22 MPG highway result in an 18 MPG average, allowing it to avoid the tax. The car's main rival, the Ferrari 458 Italia, attracts around $3,000 in gas-guzzler tax with its 12/18 MPG city/highway.

Tony Joseph, director of McLaren's North American Operation, told Inside Line "[gas prices] are not a buying consideration, but it allows us to say we're an innovative company".

It may not be the greenest of cars overall, but McLaren's work on making the 200mph-plus MP4-12C an efficient car in terms of speed has clearly had benefits in other areas. Deliveries begin in January, priced from $229,000.

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