Petrol cars under 100g/km

11 May 2012

Until very recently, if you wanted a car that promised very low CO2 of under 100g/km, you were forced to look at either a diesel or a hybrid. Both came with drawbacks for the green-tinged buyer.

Firstly, there was price. Diesel cars are typically more expensive than an equivalent petrol model, and hybrid cars have never been known for their low upfront cost – all those batteries and electric motors come at a price. And then there were nagging concerns. Does a complex hybrid start life with a deep carbon debt? And will a dirty diesel spit out nasty microparticles to harm the lungs of inner-city kiddies?

Emerging electric cars offer one answer, but it’s equally encouraging to see a range of highly efficient petrol engines coming into the frame, offering a different route to low-CO2 motoring.

Today, 11 different brands offer 14 separate petrol-powered cars that aren’t hybrids, but which still duck under 100g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle test. And more options are on the way.

Here’s a quick roundup of the 14 new cars 2012 currently has to offer:

Alfa Romeo Mito TwinAir
Alfa Romeo Mito
Model: TwinAir
Stats: 98g/km and 67.3mpg
Engine: 85bhp, 875cc two-cylinder
Gears: 6-speed manual
0-62mph: 12.5 seconds
Price: from £14,150

Chrysler Ypsilon TwinAir
Chrysler Ypsilon
Model: TwinAir
Stats: 99g/km and 67.3mpg (manual) or 97g/km and 68.9mpg (auto)
Engine: 85bhp, 875cc two-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic
0-62mph: 11.9 seconds
Price: from £13,195 (manual) or £14,395 (auto)

Citroen C1Citroen C1
Model: all manual models
Stats: 99g/km and 65.7mpg
Engine: 67bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 12.3 seconds
Price: from £7,995

Fiat 500 TwinAirFiat 500/500Cquickest
Model: TwinAir
Stats: 92g/km and 70.6mpg (manual) or 95g/km and 68.9mpg (auto)
Engine: 85bhp, 875cc two-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual or auto
0-62mph: 11 seconds
Price: from £11,660 (manual) £12,410 (auto) or £14,360 (500C convertible)

Fiat Panda TwinAirFiat Panda
Model: TwinAir
Stats: 99g/km and 67.3mpg (manual) or 95g/km and 68.9mpg (auto)
Engine: 85bhp, 875cc two-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual or 5-speed auto
0-62mph: 11.2 secs (manual) or 11.5 secs (auto)
Price: from £10,750 (manual) or from £11,815 (auto)

Fiat Punto TwinAirFiat Puntobiggest
Model: TwinAir
Stats: 98g/km and 67.3mpg
Engine: 85bhp, 875cc two-cylinder
Gears: 6-speed manual
0-62mph: 12.7 seconds
Price: from £12,100 (3-door) or £12,700 (5-door)

Hyundai i10 BlueHyundai i10
Model: Blue
Stats: 99g/km and 67.3mpg
Engine: 68bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 14.8 seconds
Price: from £9,345

Kia PicantoKia Picantocheapest
Model: all 1.0-litre manual models
Stats: 99g/km and 67.3mpg
Engine: 68bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 13.9 seconds
Price: from £7,795

Nissan Micra DIG-SNissan Micra
Model: DIG-S
Stats: 95g/km and 68.9mpg (Visia trim) or 99g/km and 65.7mpg (Tekna/Acenta trims)
Engine: 98bhp, 1198cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 11.3 seconds
Price: from £11,250



Peugeot 107Peugeot 107
Model: all manual models
Stats: 99g/km and 65.7mpg
Engine: 67bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 14.2 seconds
Price: from £7,995


Smart ForTwoSmart ForTwo
Model: Micro Hybrid Drive (which is not actually a hybrid)
Stats: from 97g/km and 67.3mpg (hatch) to 99g/km and 65.7mpg (cabrio)
Engine: 71bhp, 999cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic
0-62mph: 13.7 seconds
Price: from £9,200 (hatch) or £10,700 (cabrio)

Toyota AygoToyota Aygo
Model: all manual models
Stats: 99g/km and 65.7mpg
Engine: 67bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 14.2 seconds
Price: from £8,535

Toyota iQToyota iQ
Model: 1.0-litre manual models
Stats: 99g/km and 64.2mpg
Engine: 67bhp, 998cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 14.7 seconds
Price: from £10,815

Volkswagen Up!Volkswagen Up
Model: BlueMotion Technology
Stats: 96g/km and 68.9mpg
Engine: 59bhp, 999cc three-cylinder
Gears: 5-speed manual
0-62mph: 14.4 seconds
Price: from £9,330


Coming soon...

This summer, Skoda and Seat will introduce their versions of the VW Up. The 59bhp Seat Mii Ecomotive and Skoda Citigo GreenTech cars will match the Up BlueMotion’s 68.9mpg and 96g/km. Skoda will also offer a more powerful Citigo GreenTech with 74bhp, scoring 67.3mpg and 99g/km.

The Mii Ecomotiove will start at £9,180, while the Citigo GreenTech cars will be priced from £8,890 for the 59bhp model and £9,860 for the 74bhp edition.

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