So, it's official - it's time to join Leo DiCaprio's Prius gang. According to Friends of the Earth stats out today, the average UK family would save £630 a year by buying a Toyota Prius (pictured) instead of a Ford Mondeo. And if you're a small car fan, you could chop £125 off your annual fuel bill by eschewing a Ford Fiesta and rolling off the forecourt with a Citroen C2 [see also the C3]. As the FOE chaps and chapesses point out, that's a greater saving than Golden Gordon Brown cutting fuel tax by 10p. What they don't mention quite so loudly is that the Mondeo and Fiesta aren't the most fuel efficient of cars - hence the dramatic savings. Still, the Prius is a brilliant eco motor and its £17.2K tag is growing more attractive by the day as petrol prices continue nudging upwards.
While I still go "ooo" with glee when I see a Prius I still assert that you'd be better off with an efficient diesel. The Audi A2 for example gets over 60 mpg combined. And I get 60+ on the motorway in my Seat. Plus, if you can find it, you have the option of running on biodiesel and being almost entirely carbon neutral!
Another bet is the much less publicised Honda Civic IMA. Cheaper to insure and service than the Prius, and I got 700 miles out of my last tank, averaging 65mpg across the entire tank - which was a bit of motorway driving but mostly driving round towns and commuting through traffic jams.
At 70 on the motorway I get a steady 75mpg :-)
They come with all creature comforts and are £15k new, although an 18 month old one should set you back only £9-£10k.