Prius proves cleanest car

The Toyota Prius petrol-electric family car is the UK's cleanest car.

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The Toyota Prius petrol-electric family car is the UK's cleanest car.

Honda's Civic IMA petrol-electric small family car and Citroen's C2 diesel supermini are close runners up in a table of the most environmentally friendly cars, compiled by What Car?.

Today is the deadline for franchised dealers to start displaying colour-coded energy labels – similar to those found on new white goods such as fridges and washing machines. Every manufacturer has signed the voluntary agreement to display the labels, which should help buyers compare the green credentials of different new cars more easily.

Colour-coded bands from A (cleanest) to F (dirtiest) show how much carbon dioxide a car emits. The label also displays the car's estimated fuel bill over 12,000 miles and the cost of road tax.

The rating system is stringent. To qualify for an A rating, a car must emit no more than 100g of carbon dioxide every kilometre – a standard that only niche electric cars achieve. The smallest diesel-powered superminis get a B rating, as does the Toyota Prius petrol-electric hybrid, and its rival the outgoing Honda Civic IMA.

What Car? has listed the cleanest cars from each sector of the market. Click here for the full results.

The full report on Britain's Cleanest Cars is published in the October issue of What Car?, on sale now.