The car you drive makes a big difference to your costs and to the amount of carbon dioxide you are producing as you drive. When buying a car you should think about:

What size and type of vehicle do you really need? How far do you drive? Do you carry lots of passengers/luggage?

Do you really need a bigger car? A smaller, more fuel efficient model can save money on fuel bills, tax and insurance and reduce emissions. It can work out cheaper to buy a small car and then hire a large one every now and then when you need extra space. Try to buy a vehicle with a 1.4 litre engine or less.

All cars are not the same. The fuel economy of similar sized cars can vary by as much as 50%. The Vehicle Certification Agency  gives fuel consumption figures for new cars. Or look in your newsagent for Parkers Guides or similar, that give fuel and insurance information for new and second-hand cars.

Cars older than J Reg (1992) do not have catalytic converters and can pollute more than 10 times as much as a newer car. Many, but not all, newer cars have better fuel consumption.

If you’re buying a new car look for the Efficiency Label  like the ones also used for electrical appliances that rate the vehicle from A to G. Use it to help you buy a more efficient car – if you can’t see the label then ask the car dealer.

Cars registered since March 2001 are subject to 7 bands of vehicle tax based upon the efficiency of the vehicle, as displayed on the Efficiency Label from A to G. You can check the pricing of each band and then search for cars in a particular band below.