Car owner are blamed for much of the environmental pollution and yet as a car leasing company we find that on the whole motorists act very responsibly and are very aware of the effect of carbon emissions on the environment. Many of the enquiries we get nowadays are for green cars.

A recent report by The Institute of Advanced Motorists has dispelled the myth that the majority of the UK’s pollution comes from cars; in practice only 14% comes from cars. Whilst 32% comes from electricity generation – not something people think about when they buy an electric car – and 24% from industry.

So perhaps those green cyclist who shout at passing 4x4’s, for polluting the environment, should also be shouting as they cycle past power stations and industrial estates. Also along with cars, planes were seen as a major contributor to accelerating the end of the world, by poisoning our skies. It has emerged in this study that aeroplanes are only responsible for 7% of the UK’s pollution.

Now those members of the cycling green movement can stop shouting abuse at large cars, starting jetting off to the sun instead of taking walking holidays in the rain and start thinking more about insulating their home properly.

Interestingly whilst carbon emissions in the UK are set to increase, emissions from car are expected to fall. There are some four million more cars on the UK’s roads than there were in the year 2000 and yet carbon emissions are slightly lower than they were eleven years ago.

There are some very fuel efficient cars on offer nowadays; some of them are listed below:

The Honda Insight which is a petrol hybrid can achieve an incredible combined fuel cycle of over 83 mpg. It is also an excellent car to drive and there is plenty of room inside; the boot is also a good size. For those who worried about hybrid parts going wrong, Honda offer an eight year warranty on all hybrid components. Honda Insight  contract hire starts at a very reasonable £232 plus Vat per month.

Another very economical car is the Citroen C1 1.4 HDi. This vehicle is diesel and gives a combined fuel cycle of over 68 mpg. It is cheap to run and cheap to lease; you can lease a Citroen C1 for £131 plus Vat per month.

The Renault Clio 1.5 dci is another diesel car that has excellent fuel economy; over 67 mpg. It’s a great car and it has class. Renault Clio leasing costs start at £165 plus Vat per month.

A petrol vehicle with very good fuel economy is the brilliant Toyota Aygo 1,0. It has a combined fuel cycle of over 54 mpg, although some tests have shown the car to achieve over 60 mpg, Don’t be fooled by its one litre engine; it’s very nippy. You can lease a Toyota Aygo for £142 plus Vat per month.