If you’re buying a new car and want to save the planet as well as the pennies, you can now use a new website ranking vehicles by CO2 emissions.
The Department for Transport has just launched a league table for cars by class, naming and shaming the best and worst when it comes to a green drive – and granting road tax breaks for cars with low emissions.
Top of the table with the lowest CO2 emissions is the VW Polo Blue-Motion, coming in at 99g per kilometre – 25g less than the standard Polo and a shade under the 100g/km cut-off point for the zero road-tax rating.
Four out of the top five cars are diesel-powered, with the uber-fashionable Toyota Prius hybrid taking the other spot.
And it seems diesel is best when it comes to saving the planet – unless you can afford the more expensive but also more efficient hybrid.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), host of the DfT’s campaign launch, called on the Government to lower the diesel duty to reflect the fuel’s green credentials.
“Giving a duty incentive to switch to diesel is one of the quickest ways for the Government to achieve its CO2 targets,” said Chris Macgowan, the SMMT’s chief executive.
But the Energy Saving Trust called for more of an environmental incentive, and urged the government to double the top rate of road tax for the least efficient vehicles from £300 to £600.
Click here for the DfT website .
