Honda, makers of the...

Honda, makers of the Civic petrol-electric Hybrid, claimed that British drivers don"t understand greener cars, or the reasons for them. This accusation is backed up by a TNS survey showing that 51% of drivers have never heard of hybrid cars and 77% would be likely to change their driving habits only due to financial pressures, rather than through any desire to protect the environment.

Meanwhile, Renault has dismissed the need for hybrid cars by highlighting that its latest Megane dCi diesel engines sit in the same emission level category as Honda"s (and Toyota"s Prius) much-vaunted hybrids. The dCi 86 achieves comparable mpg (62.8 to the Honda"s 61.4) and acceleration (12.7 seconds to the Honda"s 12.1). The overall message? Why pay чЈ3000 or чЈ4000 more for a hybrid when an efficient turbo diesel achieves 90% of the same result?

And in the, er, green corner is Citroen. With a similar stance to Renault, they are championing their new "stop and start" petrol-engined C2. Using a reversible alternator that doubles as a starter-motor, the car, as its name suggests, stops the engine as soon as the car comes to rest in traffic, restarting within 0.4 seconds of the driver hitting the accelerator. The stopped period saves on fuel and cuts down on CO2 emissions - reducing both by up to 15%. It is claimed to reach 50.4mpg.

To back up its boasts of environmental friendliness, Citroen is paying buyers "a year"s congestion charge" (чЈ1,696) which owners of hybrid vehicles would be exempt from.

Hopefully all the arguing over who is greener, and cheaper, will lead to better deals for the public, as car makers strive to be the market leader in the next growth market.