Which eco-friendly car should you buy?

Whether you are looking for an SUV to accommodate your growing family or a compact city car to zip through the traffic, there are some eco-friendly options out there that could help you save money and reduce your impact on the environment.

An eco-friendly car could be a great choice to save some money and reduce your carbon footprint. But not every eco-friendly car will tick all the right boxes for you. It’s important to compare your options before making a decision.

What makes a car eco-friendly?

Cars are major culprits when it comes to air pollution in urban areas. While switching to public transportation or walking could help reduce emissions by reducing reliance on private cars, it’s not practical for everyone. Purchasing a fuel-efficient green car that runs on technology that's kinder to the environment than conventional cars could be another choice to consider. 

Green cars, or eco-friendly cars, are vehicles that have reduced emissions. Their carbon footprint is smaller than traditional petrol or diesel cars. Most fuel-efficient petrol, electric, and hybrid cars fall in this category. However, the performance of these cars is not the same. 

Some of the eco-friendly features you can look for in a car include:

A hybrid or electric engine

Vehicles that run on batteries generally produce fewer emissions than petrol-powered cars during normal driving.

An Electric Vehicle (EV) runs entirely off an electric battery rather than petrol, and thus produces zero carbon emissions during normal driving. It does need regular recharging, preferably at a dedicated charging station at home or out and about, and generating this electricity may produce emissions.

A hybrid vehicle (HEV) combines a petrol engine with an electric battery. In many hybrid cars, the petrol engine is used to accelerate and to charge the electric battery, which runs the engine when the car is idle or cruising. This helps to reduce the emissions that the car would otherwise generate during driving.

While hybrid cars can recharge the electric battery using the petrol engine as part of normal driving, some plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) can also be charged from a charging station or power point, and may allow you to switch between electric only, petrol-only, and hybrid driving, which changes their emissions.

In the future, you may also be able to choose a hydrogen-powered car, which runs on hydrogen cells that are charged by electrolysing water. However, this technology is still very new and not yet widely available in Australia.

Fuel economy

If you can’t get your hands on an affordable EV or hybrid, you may be able to find a fuel-efficient petrol car. These vehicles can use less petrol than comparable models, limiting the emissions they produce. You can check the fuel efficiency of different car makes and models using resources such as the government’s Green Vehicle Guide.

Vehicles that are compatible with E10 fuel, which is composed of 10% renewable ethanol, may also be more environmentally friendly than those that run on petrol or diesel fuel. E85 fuel, which is 85% ethanol, also exists, but isn’t widely available in Australia.

Manufactured from lightweight and/or recycled materials

If your car is made from lightweight but strong materials, you may be able to enjoy improved fuel economy without compromising on safety. After all, a lighter car requires less power to move, so it can use less fuel and generate less emissions.

And while a car made from recycled materials may not necessarily generate fewer emissions while driving, you can be confident that it had a more environmentally friendly manufacturing process.

Water-based paint

While a car’s paint job won’t affect its emissions, using water-based paint may still be that little bit more environmentally friendly than using solvent-based paint.

Which is the safest eco-friendly car?

When choosing an eco-friendly car, it’s important to consider safety as well as emissions and fuel efficiency.

According to Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), some of the safety features to pay close attention to include:

• Passive crash protection (e.g. how well  occupants are protected in a crash)
• Active crash avoidance (e.g. auto braking, lane assist, driver monitoring)
• Seat belts
• Airbags

For eco-friendly cars like EVs specifically, ANCAP also looks at the battery’s safety systems, such as automatic cut-offs in the event of a crash, to help ensure that the car’s body does not become electrified, putting passengers and emergency services personnel at risk.

Using resources like ANCAP and How Safe Is Your Car could help you work out which eco-friendly car to buy based on their safety standards.  

Financing your eco-friendly car

Purchasing an eco-friendly car could be good for your pocket in more ways than one. Many credit providers offer green car loans specifically for buying eco-friendly cars. They generally offer more competitive interest rates or waive some of the fees and charges to incentivise buyers for making an environment-friendly purchase. 

Some lenders also offset your carbon emissions for the duration of your loan. However, lenders typically offer these loans for specific car types, and it's worth checking your preferred green car loan provider's lending criteria to see whether the car you want to buy is eligible for a green car loan or not. 

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