Press Release: The year of the hybrid

May 12, 2011.

Choosing a hybrid car over an equivalent petrol car can be a fantastic way for motorists to save money as fuel prices soar towards 140 pence per litre mark*. As more hybrid models are launched, they are becoming available to an ever wider audience of car buyers.

TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk analysed the fuelling costs of a number of hybrid models now available to buy in the UK and compared them to an equivalent petrol car.

The results were impressive, on average it was found that buying a new hybrid car instead of a petrol equivalent** could save you on average over £500 pounds a year in refuelling costs***.

While the purchase price of a hybrid model tends to be higher than an ordinary petrol model, the difference in MPG capabilities means that you could recover the additional outlay within four years, meaning that a hybrid model can make economic as well as environmental sense.

In the case of the Auris, the hybrid model starts from £2,460**** more than the range-topping 1.6 SR V-Matic of the non-hybrid range. But with a discrepancy of 31.5 mpg in combined fuel economy, the hybrid could save you £630.95 a year in fuel, meaning that you could recoup your initial additional outlay in four years. Add this to the strong residual values for a typical hybrid model and you could find that the initial expense is well worth it.

“More and more hybrid models are now reaching the market, and while 2011 was widely predicted to be the year of the electric car, in terms of real market presence and accessibility, then 2011 is a breakthrough year for hybrids,” explains the website’s editor, Faye Sunderland.

“Once the choice was limited to a couple of cars from just a couple of manufacturers; now more and more car makers are getting in on the act and introducing hybrid cars into more vehicle segments.

“This year sees the launch of the first B-segment hybrid; the Honda Jazz, the launch of Infiniti M35 hybrid and Peugeot’s first hybrid and the first diesel hybrid in the form of the 3008 HYbrid4. Range-extended models such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Vauxhall Ampera should be available to order before the end of the year, for delivery in 2012,” she adds.

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Notes to Editors:

• * Average price listed on PetrolPrices.com on 11/05/2011 was 137.43p.
• ** To give a fair comparison, hybrid models were compared to petrol equivalents with automatic gearboxes, as most hybrid models are only available as automatics. While diesel cars can offer low CO2 and high MPG much like hybrids, they emit higher levels of NOx and particulates.
• ***All fuel cost calculations assume a constant petrol price of 140p per litre, use the official combined mpg figure and assume an annual mileage of 10,000 miles.
• **** The Auris 1.6 V Matic SR has a list price of £17,435-£2,460 less than the base model Auris hybrid. The Auris 1.8 Hybrid CVT T4 has a list price of £19,895.

Calculations below correct at time of publication on May 12, 2011:

About TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk: The award-winning definitive guide to green cars, providing a wealth of information on everything from electric cars, efficient petrol and diesel cars to biofuels and hydrogen technology. The green car advisory website is also the best place for all the latest news and events relating to green cars. Since its launch on 16^th June 2007, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has experienced a tremendous growth in traffic and now attains more than 225,000 page views a month.

TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk is owned and maintained by Really Good Domains Ltd, which run more motoring websites than any other company in the UK. As the UK’s largest internet advertising and marketing company for the motor industry, Really Good Domains also run the popular websites ContractHireAndLeasing.com, SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk, TheVanWebsite.co.uk, RoadTestReports.co.uk, CarSupermarkets.co.uk and FleetDirectory.co.uk to name a few.

For further information or interview, contact: Faye Sunderland on 0161 482 7650 or email fayes@reallygooddomains.com. Really Good Domains, Domain House, 4 Watchgate, Newby Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, SK7 5DB.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/greencarwebsite

See also

• Cost of owning a car soars 14 per cent in one year
• Hybrid sales suffer in the US
• Biofuel rules could price older car drivers off the road
• First drive: Land Rover Range_e plug-in hybrid
• SMEs already decided against electric vehicles
• Fuel to overtake depreciation as biggest car cost
• Young drives named ‘least environmentally friendly’
• Peugeot’s first diesel hybrid set to slash emissions
• Greener drivers before greener cars, says IAM
• New Volkswagen Sharan to slash emissions