UK Sustainable Car Directory


If a UK driver would like to minimise the impact on the environment from their driving, there is now an ever-growing choice of options from car manufacturers. So, if a journey is essential and cannot realistically be completed by public transport, with a considered driving style, drivers can minimise their tailpipe emissions.  The main table below captures the main contenders available now, which have CO2 emissions at 50g/km, or less.  

To incentivise uptake, the Government has several regulations - Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), and Plug-in Grants.

Vehicle Excise Duty
For a long time now, Vehicle Excise Duty (or 'car tax', as it's colloquially known) has been tapered based on carbon dioxide emissions. Since April 2017, this has changed, so that only zero-emission vehicles will avoid the standard annual rate.  This may incentivise manufacturers to produce electric-powered vehicles in the medium-term, but means customers lose the incentive to buy cars with very low emissions (but more than zero).

Here are the rates for cars up to 50g/km of CO2:

Emissions (g/CO2/km) First year rate Standard rate*
0 £0 £0
1-50 £10 £140

* An additional £310 per year is payable for the first five years, if a car costs more than £40,000.
N.B. These rates do not take account of any additional incentives which may be introduced to move away from diesel, now more widely appreciated as a cause of health problems in urban areas. More details available here.

Plug-in Grants
The Government is currently offering plug-in grants of up to £4,500 for purchases of new vehicles which meet the following eligibility:
CategoryCO2 emissionsZero emission rangeGrantMaximum grant
1 Under 50g/km At least 70 miles 35% of cost £4,500
2 Under 50g/km 10 to 69 miles 35% of cost £2,500
3 50 to 75g/km At least 20 miles 35% of cost £2,500
Cat 1 or 2 cars, but with a list price of over £60,000 are NOT eligible (marked with an 'x' in the table below)

Notes - Data adapted from the Vehicle Certification Agency - the author takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions made (but would be grateful if you could let me know if you find any!)

Man.ModelPowerCO2PIG
BMW i3 Electricity 0 1
CITROEN C-Zero Electricity 0
HYUNDAI Ioniq Electricity 0 1
JAGUAR IPACE Electricity 0 ?
KIA Soul EV Electricity 0 1
NISSAN E-NV200 Electricity 0
NISSAN NEW Leaf Electricity 0
PEUGEOT iOn Electricity 0 1
RENAULT Zoe Electricity 0 1
SMART EQ fortwo/forfour Electricity 0 1
TESLA Model S Electricity 0 1
TESLA Model X Electricity 0 1
VOLKSWAGEN e-UP Electricity 0 1
VOLKSWAGEN eGolf Electricity 0 1
BMW i3 with Range Extender 19" wheels Electricity / Petrol 12 1? 
BMW i3 with Range Extender 20" wheels Electricity / Petrol 13 1?
AUDI A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI 150PS S tronic with 17'' wheels Electricity / Petrol 38 2
KIA Optima 4-door Electricity / Petrol 37 2
KIA Niro PHEV Electricity / Petrol 29 2
AUDI A3 Sportback e-tron 1.4 TFSI 150PS S tronic with 18'' wheels Electricity / Petrol 40 2
VOLKSWAGEN Golf GTE 1.4 TSI 150PS DSG Plug-In-Hybrid Electricity / Petrol 38 2
VOLKSWAGEN Golf GTE Advance 1.4 TSI 150PS DSG Plug-In-Hybrid Electricity / Petrol 40 2
VOLKSWAGEN Passat Saloon 1.4 Plug-In-Hybrid 156PS DSG GTE Electricity / Petrol 40
VOLKSWAGEN Passat Estate 1.4 Plug-In-Hybrid 218PS DSG GTE Electricity / Petrol 40
MITSUBISHI Outlander PHEV Electricity / Petrol 44
BMW 330e 7Jx16" wheels Electricity / Petrol 44 2
BMW 330e 7.5Jx16" and 17" wheels Electricity / Petrol 45 2
BMW 225xe 17" wheels Electricity / Petrol 46 2
BMW 530e Electricity / Petrol  46 2
VOLVO V60 D5 AWD Plug in Hybrid Electricity / Diesel 48 2
VOLVO S90 AWD Plug in Hybrid Electricity / Diesel 46 2
VOLVO V90 D5 AWD Plug in Hybrid Electricity / Diesel 46 2
MERCEDES-BENZ C 350e Saloon with 17'' rear wheels Electricity / Petrol 48 2
VOLVO V60 D6 Twin-Engine Plug in Hybrid  Electricity / Diesel 48 2
BMW 225xe 18" wheels Electricity / Petrol 49 2
BMW 330e 18" and 19" wheels Electricity / Petrol 49 2
VOLVO XC90 T8/T8 Twin Engine Electricity / Petrol 49 2
VOLVO XC60 T8 Twin Engine Electricity / Petrol 49 2
BMW i8 Electricity / Petrol 49 x
TOYOTA Prius 2017 Plug-in Hybrid Electricity / Petrol 22 2
MERCEDES-BENZ C 350 e Estate with 17" wheels Electricity / Petrol 49 2
MERCEDES-BENZ E 350 e with 18'' rear wheels Electricity / Petrol 49 3
AUDI Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI V6 quattro Electricity / Diesel 48 x
BMW 740e - 19'' & 20'' tyres Electricity / Petrol 50
MINI MINI Cooper S E ALL4 Countryman - 17'' & 18'' tyres without Runflats Electricity / Petrol 49 3
MERCEDES-BENZ S560e Electricity / Petrol 49 x


Jaguar I-PACE