It’s not just car manufacturers that are feeling the need to think green - now it’s the insurers too, as More Th>n car insurance has launched a new eco friendly motoring scheme.

Known as ‘Green Wheels’, the service helps drivers assess how their driving affects the environment. It gives them access to information such as how they brake and accelerate and the number of short journeys they make. It is hoped that this technology will help drivers make more environmentally friendly choices while behind the wheel - and reduce the carbon footprint of Britain’s 31m cars.

The Green Wheels scheme utilises ‘green box’ technology - a small device that hooks up to the engine management system and effectively reads the way you drive. It then sends information to the More Th>n green box website where drivers can access their personal reports and confidentially read information about their driving style and how to become more economical.

Product director at More Th>n, Dowshan Humzah, commented: “Green Wheels is great news for anyone interested in taking more responsibility for their own carbon ‘tyre-print’.

“Furthermore, by helping motorists drive more efficiently the ‘green box’ can also help cut the cost of motoring which, with fuel prices rising, is top of many motorists’ agendas.”

It’s not the first time a car insurance company has ventured into the green market - indeed there are several car insurance providers that market exclusively to an environmentally conscious clientele by offering carbon offsetting schemes.

There is some debate however, as to whether it would make better environmental sense to shop around for the cheapest car insurance deal and then put the money saved towards an environmental project of your own choice.

Read on for more about green car insurance.

 When it comes to going green motorists are looking for a carrot and not a stick according to new research.

A car insurance comparison website has found that 21million drivers would consider converting to a green car (a low emission vehicle) if their prices were more competitive and the Government offered incentives for doing so.

According to the survey, 65 per cent of motorists would convert to environmentally friendly driving if the green cars were competitively priced compared to conventional vehicles. Indeed savings were the key for most drivers with 62 per cent saying reduced road tax could prompt them to make the switch and 36 per cent pointing to cheaper parking fees as a potential motivator.

It seems therefore that drivers are motivated more by incentives than the financial repercussions of not owning a green car, such as the increasingly high taxation of fuel at Britain’s petrol stations - only 25 per cent said they would consider a green car because of fuel price increases.

The good news is that many of these incentives are already in place. Green cars already enjoy reduced road tax with those with zero emissions, such as electric cars actually being exempt from taxation altogether. There are also further benefits in place, such as no congestion charges in the London area.

Insurers are calling on the Government to add car insurance savings to the list of reasons to move. Consumers currently pay around £50 more to insure a green car, such as a hybrid car, due to the higher cost of repairs. However, if the Government scrapped insurance premium tax for green cars these savings could be passed on to the consumer making green cars equally competitive.

What would persuade you to ‘go green’? Let us know.