Thinking About Going Green? Take A Look At These 7 Electric Cars That Could Help Save The Planet

It would be difficult to find someone that would argue with you if you were to say that running a car at the moment is by far one of the most expensive times in memorable history. The AA is stating that unleaded petrol is at an all time high at the pump and new first year tax rates introduced in April 2010 can see some car owners paying just less than 1,000 pound for a year’s worth of vehicle tax on a brand new car.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of money that a car costs you is to go green. Ditch cars that run solely on petrol or diesel fuel and think about something that doesn’t have such a bad effect on the environment – LPG gas, for example, or better still, electric.

The reason behind this is that the UK government are in effect rewarding people who use cars that have low CO2 emissions, providing them with completely free road tax.

The following 5 vehicles are all electric (or electric hybrids) and they are all cars that are currently available to buy or are expected to be in dealers within the coming months

1. One of the most popular electric vehicles to be widely available is the Toyota Prius. Entering Toyota dealers in 1997, the Prius is now in its third generation, with official fuel consumption statistics from VCA Car Fuel Data showing that the Prius can achieve 72.4 miles per gallon of fuel used.

2. BMW showcased their first venture into the electric hybrid car market in 2007, when they produced their ActiveHybrid X6 at Frankfurt’s International Motor Show. Offering some fantastic features, one of the most notable about this BMW model is that it innovatively switches between the petrol and electric engine, depending on the speed at which the car is travelling.

3. The very first electric hybrid car to be developed by Honda was the Insight, a car that is still in production to this day, albeit in its second generation, 11 years after it first entered the market. Reputed to be able to exceed 80 miles per gallon, the Honda Insight is also one of the safest cars to purchase, receiving 5 stars in the European NCAP safety tests.

4. The Green Car Guide states that REVA’s G-Wiz is the biggest selling electric car of all time. Created for city driving only, the car may have some unusual aesthetics, but on a single 8 hour charge it can cover 50 miles and costing less than 10,000 pounds makes it affordable to many.

5. By the end of 2010, Nissan are expected to have debuted their first electric car, known as the Leaf (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car). A fully electric vehicle that utilizes a Li-on battery, the Leaf is said to be able to travel 100 miles on one charge, with All Cars Electric explaining that the Leaf can be charged to 80% of its battery power in approximately 30 minutes.