Cars that don’t kill the planet

Cars that don’t kill the planet

In this day and age we are constantly exposed to different facts and figures regarding the current climate of the planet that we live on.
Cars are often implicated as one of the main antagonists in the battle for a healthier planet, but in this article we are going to take a look at some of the more eco-friendly options, and we shall include electric cars, electric hybrids as well as some efficient alternatives, for whilst we are ‘Electric Current’ we wouldn’t want to be bias now would we!

Toyota Prius

One of the most well-known cars at the forefront of cars which have a greener foot print is the Toyota Prius. The Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle to ever hit the market when it was introduced in 1997. A hybrid is basically a car which combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. As a result a Hybrid car can boast better fuel economy as well as lower CO2 emissions. The Prius has received good reviews and is heralded as the best ‘real world’ answer to the green car phenomenon. Prius’ hold onto their value, so you might struggle in finding a second hand Toyota Prius bargain unless you get a model from the early 2000s.

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Mitsubishi i-MiEV

The MiEV in Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, so you know it means business. It was first launched in 2009 but wasn’t really marketed to the worldwide until late 2013 so as of now you may not have seen many on your roads. The MiEV is entirely electric and therefore there are no CO2 emissions. The battery can be fully charged by £2s worth of electricity and a fully charged battery can take you 93 miles. There are also further perks to owning the MiEV as it is Road Tax exempt and you can park it for free in certain places. Whilst the i-MiEV is incredibly cheap to run it is also very expensive to buy, currently around £28,554. You can of course get a second hand Mitsubishi i-MiEV to take the edge off a bit as you can get a used one for around a third of the price if you are lucky.

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Volkswagen Up

The Up is a city car produced by Volkswagen that was introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show based on some previous concept models.  Depending on which model you buy the Up can do up to 62.8mpg and only give off 105g/km of CO2 emissions. Obviously if you are looking to buy a second hand Volkswagen Up you will need to check which model you are buying to get an accurate figure with regards to running costs and emissions. The Up has some of the best residual values in its class and whilst it might not be quite as green as the likes of the MiEV, it is a lot more practical and it looks a lot better.

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Peugeot 308

The Peugeot 308 is another compromise for anyone who wants a car that is better for the environment but is still practical and a good choice if you need to be able to do long drives regularly. If you opt for the 1.6 – litre BlueHDi 120 Active model you will get a staggering fuel economy of 91.1mpg and your CO2 emissions will sit at a nice 82g/km. Often, when a car is this good in terms of fuel economy you might expect the driving experience to suffer, but with the Peugeot 308 it doesn’t. The 308 is pretty expensive and can cost you the best part of £20,000 so it might be worth having a look at contract hire Peugeot 308 deals to see if paying monthly can take the edge off a little bit.

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