Best low emissions green cars

Toyota Prius plug-in 2013 front action
Credits: Otis Clay
26 Mar, 2015 10:30am Sam Naylor

Fuel economy and low emissions are increasingly important for car buyers - here are the best green cars to buy

If you're looking for the best cars available with a green paint option, you've come to the wrong place: this is our top 10 list of cars that are 'green', meaning economical and efficient.

A green car in our book is cheap to run, with the added benefit of being kinder to the environment thanks to lower emissions and higher fuel economy. With pressure on manufacturers to create cars that are more and more efficient, there are now plenty of choices if you're looking for a truly green car.

Car makers are always innovating with petrol and diesel engines, and breaking new ground with electric and hybrid tech, so there are now many different types of car that can be called green. Whether you're looking for a big SUV or a tiny runabout, there's bound to be a green car out there for you.

Some firms focus mainly on green powertrain type - like Toyota, which is known for its hybrid technology or Nissan with its LEAF electric car. But whatever they do, the goal is always the same: make cars that are efficient but still attractive to buyers.

Choosing the best green car for you

The best green car for you depends on a number of factors. You'll need to work out how much you want to spend, plus what sort of driving you'll be doing. For long-distance travel, an electric car might be out of the question - it currently takes too long to charge them back up and would be a pain to do so at a service station.

However if you're using the car for commuting only then an electric car could be perfect, as you could charge it at home and then again at work. A hybrid aims to combine the best aspects of an electric car and a conventional one, but it's compromised in both areas.

Here we've listed our favourite cars that can claim to be green - note that these are not necessarily the most efficient cars out there, but rather the ones we think are the best to buy right now.

Tell us what you think of our green car picks in the comments section below...    

Best green cars: top 10

Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion front tracking
  1. 1. BMW i3
  2. 2. Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion
  3. 3. SEAT Leon Ecomotove
  4. 4. Vauxhall Ampera
  5. 5. MINI Cooper D
  6. 6. Toyota Prius Plug-in
  7. 7. BMW 116d  EfficientDynamics
  8. 8. Ford Fiesta ECOnetic
  9. 9. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
  10. 10. Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion

    Disqus - noscript

    Quite amusing really to see the Golf bluemotion at number 1 then another VAG product at number 2 but not unexpected from AE. When did the likes of Toyota and Honda start putting high tech hybrids on sale and how long did it take the likes of VW Group and others to catch up?!

    Toyota/Lexus Hybrids are now in their 3rd generation - they don't shout about it or get the credit they deserve. If it wasn't for Lexus doing Hybrids I doubt we'd see the the other premium manufacturers playing catchup.

    There are no green cars in any of the photos in this list, and I somehow doubt that many of them even have green as a colour option. At least the BlueMotion Golf is some shade of blue.

    The order of cars in the list is rubbish, and the inclusion of dirty black smoke belching diesels is ridiculous. CO2 is not the only pollutant that cars make.

    Autoexpress may not be aware but Europe is waking up to the fact that a diesel compact or sub-compact can never be as clean as a petrol engined car or perhaps Autoexpress is waiting for Volkswagen Group to make their versions of Toyota Prius before this magazine rehashed it's so-called green car list?

    Dirty filthy sooty diesels playing russian roulette with our respiratory health. Thank you for the carcinogens. Time to stop this lie that diesels are green. Regardless of CO2 and MPG, they carry diesel oil into our crowded town centre streets, then they burn that oil and emit their noxious gases within a few feet of where people are breathing.

    These cars may be relatively economical, but green they most definitely are not.

    Very true !!! Toyota and then Lexus are the original 'old school' hybrids that started the trend so much that BMW is using their technology !