Green car buying guide

11 April 2008
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  • Drivers are reaping the rewards of owning greener cars
  • Cheaper tax discs and lower fuel bills
  • But how do you spot a more efficient car and 'go green' in the first place?

Our guide to greener buying explains all. We tell you what figures to look for, which cars to avoid and why the wrong choice could be costly.

So, if you want to go green but don’t know how, we’re here to help.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Look at the car’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, firstly. This figure gives a good indication of its green credentials and the lower the emissions in grams per kilometre (g/km CO2), the better.

Find out your car's emissions here.

Tax costs

Road tax bands are heavily based on emissions, so a greener car is cheaper to tax.

Many cars with small, frugal engines and low emissions are completely free to tax– meaning you pay no vehicle excise duty (VED) per year – and London congestion charge exempt, too.

You can easily calculate your yearly car tax costs here.

Fuel thirsty

Another useful gauge of environmental friendliness is the car’s fuel consumption. It’s measured in miles per gallon (MPG), and cars with higher figures require refuelling less often.

As a guide, Honda Insight (00-05) is very frugal and returns 83mpg. On the contrary, the Aston Martin DB7 Coupe (94-03) only manages 12mpg.

Does your car measure up to our list?

 

City cars returning over 60mpg are frugal City car
Small hatchbacks returning over 58mpg are frugal Small hatchback
Small family cars returning over 55mpg are frugal Small family car
Large family cars returning over 50mpg are frugal Large family car
Small people carriers returning over 50mpg are frugal Small people carrier
Small 4x4s returning over 40mpg are frugal Small 4x4
Large 4x4s returning over 33mpg are frugal Large 4x4
Large people carriers returning over 33mpg are frugal Large people carrier

 

Jargon busting 

It's easy to be confused by motoring gobbledygook and dealerships can be daunting places as a result. That's why we've explained every puzzling term in our comprehensive glossary. 

So, don't worry if you don't know your hybrid from your Bluetec. You're not alone and we've got everything you need to know here.

 

What if I don’t want to change cars?

You can also cut costs and go green without buying a new car. Try our seven steps to greener motoring and find out how to save a packet.

 

 How green are you?

Use the Parker's carbon footprint calculator to find out how green you and your car are. 

Calculate my carbon footprint