I am thinking of buying a more environmentally friendly car, partly in the hope that it will save me money in the long run. Those that run on electricity are not all that environmentally friendly, but are there any other viable options?
Tubes and trains are becoming too expensive for me, and for London runs perhaps an "e.f." car might be a good alternative.
How fast can other alternative models go (ie. are they suited to motorways / dual carriage ways) or purely town speeds?
Also, what's the initial outlay and where can I get one from?
Clare Bower, London, England
Answer
In many ways, you want three cars, not one.
The much-hyped Honda and Toyota hybrids will save you money in London because they are congestion charge exempt. They can also handle motorways. But they are not going to save you much money over time.
If you want to be really good to the environment and save money over the next ten years, here’s my advice: Buy a Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion diesel, service it regularly and hang on to it.
Unlike driving a ‘funky Hybrid,’ no one will know you are doing your bit. But it emits less CO2 than a Toyota Prius when above 30 mph. It is made in Europe so doesn’t burn 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel being shipped here. It doesn’t have nickel batteries, which is good, because mining for nickel causes acid rain.
Trust me, crazy though it sounds. You want a Volkswagen Polo not a Toyota Prius.
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