How green is your car? - The survey's surprises

According to CNW's table of 96 cars sold in the UK, the Honda Civic Hybrid finished 73rd and the Toyota Prius 74th, even though they have some of the lowest CO2 emissions of any car and are usually regarded as the most environmentally friendly. Even 'gas guzzlers' such as the Range Rover Sport finished higher in the list. Top of the table was the Jeep Wrangler, closely followed by the Toyota Echo - the American version of the Yaris.

CNW executive Art Spinella says: 'Why do hybrids show up so poorly? It's because of the manufacture, replacement and disposal of high-energy-use items including the batteries and electric motors and lighter-weight materials used in construction.

'On the other hand, simpler vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler use established technologies that need less energy in manufacture and many parts that are shared among other vehicles, again reducing the energy used in manufacture. They also have a longer life cycle.

'We believe that basing purchase decisions solely on fuel economy or vehicle size does not get to the heart of energy usage.'