Vauxhall Ampera Crowned 2011 Green Car Of The Year

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Fri, 09 Sep 2011

The Vauxhall Ampera has been named Green Car of the Year 2011 by the leading car buyer’s guide What Car?

According to the magazine’s chief editor, Chas Hallett, the Ampera "represents a massive step for alternative-fuel cars" as it "offers all the benefits of owning an electric vehicle with virtually none of the drawbacks".

"It gives motorists the ability to dramatically reduce their emissions without changing their lifestyle, which is exactly what green cars need to do," he added.

The Kia Picanto 1.0 1 Air was crowned this year's top green supermini, while the award for best green small family car went to the Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion.

Ford's Mondeo was voted the green family car of the year, the BMW 3 Series 318d picked up the best green executive car award, and Renault's Scenic scooped the title of best green MPV .

The green SUV award went to Peugeot for the 3008 2.0 HDi Hybrid4, the world's first production diesel hybrid, while the British-built Mini 1.6D Cooper picked up the fun car prize.

While electric cars are proving more popular this year, a recent survey revealed that UK car buyers are still not convinced of the value of pure electric vehicles, with nearly nine in ten respondents saying they would rather own a hybrid car given the choice.