In today’s worrying environmental climate, it seems that the future is geared towards going ‘green’!

The most common concern is reducing the carbon footprint - and the ‘greener car’ issue is a hot topic of conversation.

A ‘greener car’ is a vehicle that produces fewer emissions or less harmful emissions into the atmosphere than a regular car. 

However, you don’t necessarily have to buy an alternative fuel vehicle to reduce your emissions and do your bit for the environment.   The way you drive your car will affect the amount of emissions your car produces.  www.motorinsurance.co.uk provides some top tips for reducing emissions – and you could also save some money into the bargain!

·         Make sure your tyres are pumped up – under inflated tyres can increase your fuel consumption by up to three per cent

·         Remove any roof racks and clutter from the boot – this will reduce the engines workload meaning less CO2 is produced.  If you don’t need it, don’t carry it!

·         Drive smoothly.  Avoid braking suddenly or harsh gear changes.  Do not over-rev the engine - press the accelerator lightly and smoothly.

·         Don’t speed!  Speeding on motorways will consume more fuel, driving at 80mph can use up to 25% more fuel than at 70mph.[1]

·         Use the highest gear possible, and try changing straight from second to fourth or third to fifth – this saves time and fuel and reduces clutch wear and tear.

·         Switch your engine off if you know you won’t be moving for a while.

·         Keep your car well maintained – as it will then emit less carbon dioxide than one that isn’t looked after.

·         Air conditioning and other on board electrical devices, such as mobile phone chargers increase fuel consumption and therefore emissions; so only use them when absolutely necessary.

·         Drive a smaller and less powerful car – smaller engines usually use less fuel and save money on tax and petrol too.

·         Lastly, whils difficult to believe, you will use less fuel if your windows are closed.

Of course, a greener solution would be to consider a car that runs on greener fuels such as an electric or hybrid car. 

To help you decide www.motorinsurance.co.uk has compiled a list of some of the lowest emission cars in the UK[2]:

• Seat Ibiza 1.4 TDI Ecomotion – CO2 emissions 99 g/km
• VW Polo 1.4 TDI Bluemotion – CO2 emissions 99 g/km
• Mini Cooper Hatchback R56 – CO2 emissions 104 g/km
• Toyota Prius 1.5 VVT-I Hybrid – CO2 emissions 104 g/km
• Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-I – CO2 emissions 108 g/km
• Citroen C1 1.0i – CO2 emissions 108 g/km
• Citroen C1 1.4 HDI – CO2 emissions 109 g/km
• Mini Cooper Clubman R55 – CO2 emissions 109 g/km
• Skoda Fabia/Estate 1.4 TDI Greenline – CO2 emissions 109 g/km
• Honda Civic Hybrid 1.4 – CO2 emissions 109 g/km
• Peugeot 107 1.0 – CO2 emissions 109 g/km
• Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet – CO2 emissions 110 g/km
• Ford Fiesta 2009 model 1.4/1.6 Duratorq – CO2 emissions 110 g/km
• Peugeot 206 1.4 HDi – CO2 emissions 112 g/km
• Citroen C2 1.4HDI – CO2 emissions 113 g/km

Paul Cosh, Managing Director for www.motorinsurance.co.uk comments:

‘Over the next decade, the shift towards greener motoring can only become more prominent, with more cars being developed with recyclable parts.  New ideas such as hydrogen fuel cells seem to be the fore-runners and there is much development to be done still with regards to hybrid and electric vehicles.  With oil resources running low it’s clear that action needs to be taken, and green is definitely the colour of the future!’