The new rules mean that when you buy a new car in 2010 which emits more than 130g of CO2 per kilometre you'll get stung with a 'first year rate'
charge.............
The 'first rate' charge ranges from a minimum of £115 for a BMW 3 Series E90 right up to £950 for a Porsche Cayman S.
Obviously the way to beat the budget is to buy a greener car. But what if you don't have £30,000 to lay down on a Toyota Prius, much less a whopping £80K for a Lexus hybrid?
Worry not - we've hunted down 6 great motors that won't maul the planet or your wallet.
1: Peugeot 207 SW, 1.6 HDi
CO2: 119-123
Price: £13,900
Another big but green option. According to
Autoexpress it's a little dear, but it has everything you could want
in an estate.
This little diesel has all the solid German build
quality you'd expect, plus an incredibly economic engine that'll
make the man at the garage a distant stranger.
What’s green about a longer-wheelbase, heavier Mini? Quite a lot, actually: with the new five-door £15,400 version comes an average mpg reach of 68.9, auto start-stop, (so the 1.6-litre diesel unit doesn’t idle unnecessarily at lights), brake energy regeneration which feeds power otherwise lost when engine braking back to the electrical system via the alternator and a dashboard light to let you know the most economical time to change gear. Add a £35 tax disc, thanks to a hybrid-matching 109g/km of CO2, you have a model that’s thoroughly green-blooded!
If looks could kill, this should be locked up in
Broadmoor. You could be forgiven for thinking Alfa’s intensely pouting dragster, coutured by
Pininfarina, is just another droptop for the me-first generation. But push the racy red button on the dash and –
wahay! – a diesel engine clears its throat. The 2.4-litre JTDm, at £28,995, has 200bhp and a top speed of 142mph. Too naughty? Well it averages 41.5mpg and, with a CO2 rating of 179g/km drops you into tax band E, a very
un-cabrio-like £165 per year. Kit includes a particulate-free trap, so you don’t get soot in your hair.
Best secret green choice? Okay, this
one demands a little suspension of disbelief: it’s BMW’s – no,
the world’s – most powerful production 2.0-litre diesel. Armed
with variable twin turbos, the first ensuring instant pulling power
at low revs, the second kicking in for longer-legged performance.
The 123d (from £24,855) produces 201bhp, while maximum torque is
295lb-ft. So green-free then, surely? Well… despite all this the
emissions are 138g/km, so the 123d powerslides into band C and bags
a tax disc of £115 for a year. Which makes it hardly a demon,
despite that satanic performance. And the fuel bill only reinforces
the point: at 54.3mpg on the combined cycle, it’s just a few yards
thirstier than Mitsubishi’s i car. For that reason, it’s top
“secret” green model.
This is a brand new version of Britain's most
popular car. It's incredibly fuel-efficient and, if it's similar to
the Ford bioethanol Focus we reviewed, will make for a good reliable
drive.
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