Green Car Guide launches new car running costs comparison tool

Green Car Guide has launched a new, free tool that allows visitors to compare running costs for all new cars on the market.

The new feature at www.GreenCarGuide.co.uk also provides a quick and easy way to view CO2, mpg and VED data, as well as fuel costs, for all new cars.

Uniquely, the tool uses more realistic real-life fuel economy figures for cars such as plug-in hybrids and E-REVs than the misleading official NEDC figures for this type of technology, providing more accurate costs for real-world use.

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Motorists want cars that have affordable running costs, and this is more important to car buyers than how ‘green’ a car is. Green Car Guide’s new Car Running Costs Comparison tool allows visitors to compare petrol cars v diesel cars v hybrid and electric cars. Comparisons between vehicles with different fuel and powertrain technologies provide some interesting results.

The Car Running Costs Comparison tool is provided by Clear Vehicle Data (CVD) and is supported by independent data from International Decision Systems (IDS).

“We are delighted to be partnering with Green Car Guide on this exciting venture,” said Ian Hare, director and co-founder of CVD. “This is the first application of a number of Total Cost of Motoring partnerships, and we are soon to launch a business-based version of the product in addition to this first consumer version.”

Paul Clarke, editor and founder of Green Car Guide commented: “Adding this extra functionality to our newly re-launched website provides visitors with extremely useful information when making important decisions about which car to buy. This feature is based on real data and will enable consumers to compare the full running and operating costs for an electric or hybrid car against conventionally powered vehicles.”

The new tool complements the recently-launched animation, ‘Which car is most efficient for you?’, produced by Green Car Guide and supported by the Energy Saving Trust and Fleetdrive Electric. Featuring a voiceover by TV presenter Robert Llewellyn, the animation explains the differences between petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, extended-range electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles, and guides people about which technology is likely to be most efficient for their driving. There are short animations about each of the individual technologies, lasting around two minutes each, as well as a longer ten-minute version for people who are keen to learn more about low and ultra-low emission vehicles.

Visitors to Green Car Guide can view the ‘Which car is most efficient for you?’ animation to gain an overview about different fuels and technologies, and then use the new Car Running Costs Comparison tool to discover which actual vehicle will be cheapest to run.

The new www.GreenCarGuide.co.uk site also features the Electric Car Guide animation, which provides a user-friendly and engaging introduction to electric vehicles.

Green Car Guide also includes the latest updates to its well-known and popular features such as the Top 10 Green Cars, Top 10 Best MPG Cars, Top 10 Green Company Cars, Top 10 Electric Cars, Top 10 Hybrid Cars, Top 10 Green 4x4s and Top 10 Green Drivers' Cars.

The site has always featured its own unique Green Car Guide, highlighting the most economical and lowest emission cars - petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric - in ten different categories.

Green Car Guide carries out its own reviews and recommends cars that offer a best in class driving experience and which also deliver good real-life economy.

Keeping up with the constant stream of new green cars is difficult, so Green Car Guide’s latest news stories highlight the latest models that offer high levels of economy and low running costs.

Green Car Guide was the UK’s original green car news site, established in 2006. For over seven years it has reviewed and promoted cars that are the most efficient in class - as long as they are also great to drive.

Green Car Guide is a project of Automotive Comms, one of the UK’s leading consultancies specialising in communication about low and ultra-low emission vehicles. Automotive Comms directs the communication for projects such as the highly successful Ofgem-funded ‘My Electric Avenue’, hosted by Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD), and led by EA Technology. With other partners including Nissan and Fleetdrive Electric, the My Electric Avenue project is testing the impact of electric vehicles on the local electricity network.