Hang your head in shame Dodge SRT-10 – for you are the most polluting car on Britain’s roads.
That’s the verdict of the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) following a study of more than 1,300 models currently on sale in Britain. It found that the American sports car churns out 488g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2) – meaning 322 oak trees would be needed to absorb its emissions over the course of a year.
At the other end of the scale, the Toyota Prius lost its crown as the country’s most environmentally friendly car to the Honda Insight which was named as the Green Car of the Year 2009.
This family-sized hybrid vehicle emits just 101g/km of CO2 – pointing out the huge discrepancy between the greenest and least green cars available in Britain.
Some of the other vehicles shamed for their emission levels included the Bentley Brooklands Coupe at 465g/km, the Mercedes R-Class R63 AMG at 387g/km and the Cadillac Escalade at 383g/km.
The greenest cars in the UK however, include the Toyota iQ VVT-I at 99g/km; the Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4-D six-speed at 109g/km; and the Vauxhall Tigra 1.3CDTi at 124g/km.
Here is a list of the winners and losers by category:
Greenest car overall: Honda Insight 1.3 IMA ES (101g/km). Least green car overall: Dodge SRT-10 (488g/km).
Large family – best: BMW 3 Series 320d with particulate filter (144g/km). Large Family – worst: BMW M3 (309g/km).
Supermini – best: Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4-D 6-speed (109g/km). Supermini – worst: Renault Clio Renault Sport 200 (195g/km).
Small family – best: Honda Insight 1.3 IMA ES (101g/km). Small Family – worst: Volkswagen Golf R32 4Motion (255g/km).
City – best: Toyota iQ 1.0 VVT-i (99g/km). City – worst: Ford Ka, Post 2006 1.6 Duratec Sportka (182g/km).
Sports – best: Vauxhall Tigra 1.3CDTi 16v (124g/km). Sports – worst: Dodge SRT-10 (488g/km).
MPV – best: S-Max 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (164g/km). MPV – worst: Mercedes R-Class R63 AMG (387g/km).
Small MPV – best: Renault Modus 1.5 dci 86 Quickshift 5 (119g/km). Small MPV – worst: Mercedes Viano 3.5 (284g/km).
Executive – best: BMW 5 Series 520d saloon with particulate filter (136g/km). Executive – worst: Cadillac CTS-V (350g/km).
Off road – best: Subaru Outback AWD (153g/km). Off road – worst: Cadillac Escalade 6.2 V8 (383g/km).
Luxury – best: Jaguar XJ 2.7L Diesel Saloon (209g/km). Luxury – worst: Bentley Brooklands Coupé (465g/km).
