Superminis and hatchbacks make some of the very greenest cars on the market thanks to their diminutive dimensions. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to drive with your knees next to your ears, many people currently drive a car much bigger than you need. A lot of motorists would be surprised by how much they can fit into a ‘small’ car and just how much they can save in fuel costs as a result of downsizing. If you are looking for a small yet mighty green car, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has the rundown of the ‘Top 5 Green Car Hatchbacks and Superminis’:
- smart fortwo CDi Passion with a tiny 86g/km of CO2 and 85.6mpg on a combined cycle.
- Toyota Auris HSD with 89g/km of CO2 and 74.3mpg combined.
- Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion TDi with 91g/km of CO2 and 80.7mpg combined.
- Ford Fiesta 1.6 Duratorq TDCi with 98g/km of CO2 and 76.3mpg combined.
- SEAT Ibiza 1.4 TDi Ecomotive with 98g/km of CO2 and 76.3mpg combined.
- Toyota iQ 1.0 VVT-i 2 3dr with 99g/km of CO2 and 65.7mpg combined.
Last updated: August 2010
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No Automatics then ?
Isn’t it about time that “green” automatics were offered ?
Comment by Steve — May 15, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
all noisey diesels -what about noise abatement in the enviroment? -imagine thousands of these “eco friendly” motors on the road in city centres chugging out diesel fumes and paeople not able to hear each other for the continuous drone!
Greens need to smell the air -they might see the ideas are just hot air.
Comment by Roadhog — May 22, 2009 @ 8:31 pm
Like Steve, I don’t like diesels and the Toyota iQ is not a diesel. I quote: “Available in the UK as petrol-only, the iQ debuts the new carbon dioxide-cutting technology that squeezes emissions below 100g/km, making the iQ road-tax free – unheard of for a petrol. I have no connection with Toyota neither do I have an iQ as I doubt they will be included in the ‘scrappage’ scheme!
Comment by Scott — June 8, 2009 @ 9:30 am
All Smarts are automatics, I drove the Smart Fortwo cdi yesterday along with the Fiesta Eco-netic – the Smart is £4k cheaper
Comment by Gerard Huke — August 25, 2009 @ 5:51 pm
If you believe in the AGW scam and class low C02 as green then the diesels are great. If you think, like me, that a diesel chugs out filth that irritates your lungs no matter its engine condition, then the IQ is the only green car on the list.
Comment by David Smith — September 3, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
The Smart is a very uncomfortable ‘car’ and by having only 2 seats is compromised is every way – it is just a gimmick car to get Mercedes Benz’s CO2 emissions down. Agree on the diesel comments, they emit a whole raft of nasties that petrols don’t. I have driven an iQ and it is fantastic – 99g/km is amazing and the car feels like a premium C segment product (A3, 1 series etc).
Comment by Smog Buster — December 11, 2009 @ 10:22 am
Most of you guys are on here are a bit simple. Diesels have always had cleaner emissions than petrols. That’s why four of the five cars here are diesel, it’s no scam it’s logic. You are probably from the era when diesels were un-refined and smelly i.e. Peugeot 304, Mercedes 240D etc.
Comment by Manny — January 14, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
The reason why diesels do more to the gallon is very simple. They are more efficient. Petrol cars have an apparently nicer exhaust but the gases are far more insidious.
The catalytic convertor is to burn off (break down) any unburnt fuel. They always shove in too much fuel to keep the exhaust valves from burning up.
Whats this about diesels being noisy? Stand on the side of some ‘A’ road and I’ll challenge anyone to tell if a car going down the road is petrol or not. The tyre noise is always well above any engine.
Comment by Andyj — February 1, 2010 @ 5:28 pm
This “top 5″ is based purely on CO2 emissions, which is slightly disingenuous. Diesels are not so bad these days, but their emissions are so much more than just CO2. They emit soot, NOX and other nasties that petrols do not. Cycle along a road with lots of diesels, and you get a noseful of this filth, even with modern cars.
The fact they get good mpg is down to the fact that diesel is more energy-dense than petrol. It doesn’t make it more “green”.
Regarding the comment about “why are there no automatics?”
That’s because automatics generally suck! Just compare the CO2 ratings for the auto and non-auto IQ. There is a 10% difference in efficiency. Not to mention the fact they are slower and unpleasant to drive.
Comment by Rick — May 26, 2010 @ 10:31 am
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