We’ve rounded up our top 10 picks of greener cars for you to look at if you’re ready for a new vehicle but unsure on which would be the best choice for you and the environment around you.
Not all of the vehicles we’ve chosen are fully electric as we know not everyone is ready to make the switch to an electric car just yet, so we’ve opted for hybrids and petrol / diesel options with lower emissions as well.
Volvo recently announced their plan to have a fully electric fleet by 2030, which conveniently ties in with the UK government’s decision to ban the sale of all new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles from that date.
The company has already made great strides towards achieving this with the development of the fully electric brand Polestar and offering hybrid and fully electric versions of their Volvo models.
The model we’ve chosen to include in our top 10 is the XC40 Recharge which is available as a fully electric model and a hybrid version if you’re still concerned about changing to a fully electric model just yet.
The XC40 is one of Volvo’s most popular models and is an SUV that offers you the high safety standard that the Swedish brand is known for, with features like four high-definition cameras that give you a 360° parking view, intelligent driver assist technology and driver-assist with cross-traffic alert.
The fully electric model offers you a range of up to 259 miles and via fast charging can reach 80% in just 40 minutes.
The hybrid XC40 is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) so will also need charging in order to use the electric mode. A benefit of a PHEV compared to other hybrids is that they offer you a longer electric range and so have fewer emissions and better fuel consumption.
There are two versions of the XC40 Recharge hybrid, and they are the T4 Recharge and T5 Recharge. The T4 offers 211hp and the T5 offers 261hp, with its slightly more powerful engine. They both offer you an electric-only range of 28 miles.
Take a look at all our XC40 leasing offers, including the Recharge here. If you’d like to find out more about hybrids then check out this guide and for more info on charging a PHEV then have a look here.
When you think of BMW you usually think of a sleek saloon or coupe, but that’s not the i3 that stands out among BMW’s catalogue for it’s unique and funky design.
The BMW i3 is a four-seat hatchback that offers a dual-colour exterior, skinny wheels and a boxy shape that really makes it an eye-catching car.
This fully electric model offers you a range of up to 190 miles depending on the driving conditions. You can find out more about what might impact this range here.
Not only is the i3 better for the environment because it’s an electric vehicle but BMW have also used a number of measures to help reduce the impact that building the car on the environment. The carbon fibres used in the vehicle are produced in their Leipzig plant, where the production line is run entirely on renewable energy. Around 27 plastic bottles are recycled and their material used throughout the car including as parts of the seats and doors, and BMW have removed petroleum-based plastics with natural materials like Kenaf.
It’s packed full of high-tech features from smartphone connectivity and a digital driver information screen to the driver assistance systems like automatic stability control for better traction and stability, person warning for light city braking, and camera-based cruise control to name a couple.
To see all our great BMW i3 leasing deals just click here.
The Prius was the first car to really popularise hybrid technology when it first launched in 1997 and remains one of our favourites today, which is why it’s made it into our top 10 green cars for 2021.
Now in its fourth generation, the Prius remains a great choice for drivers looking for a larger hybrid hatchback and
The Prius is packed with technology beyond its advance hybrid system, including smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment centre, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert with steering control and many more.
There’s a range of different trims for you to choose from to ensure you get the spec and tech you want if you decide to drive a Prius.
If you think the Prius could be a good choice for your next vehicle then check out our best leasing deals on it.
Like Volvo Ford have pledged to go fully electric with the models they sell in Europe by 2030, and part of this plan is to have only full EVs or hybrids in their line up by 2026.
However, we’ve not opted for an EV for the Ford that made it onto this list, we’ve gone with the popular hatchback Fiesta with the 1.0T EcoBoost Trend 95PS petrol engine.
This variant offers you great fuel economy achieving up to 72 miles per gallon and has low emissions for a petrol hatchback.
It has all the key features that you look for in a modern vehicle including smartphone interface and Bluetooth to keep you connected on the move. There’s also a number of packs you can add to the vehicle to ensure it has all your must haves.
If you want to see our best leasing offer on this and other specs of the Ford Fiesta then click here.
The ID.3 is a hatchback EV that has one of the best ranges on the market with up to an impressive 336 miles on a single charge. A mileage range that put it in the fourth spot of our recent look at the 10 longest electric ranges.
Volkswagen is a brand known for their best-selling hatchbacks the Golf and the Polo around the world and the ID.3 lives up to the example set by these two.
It’s got a spacious interior and enough room in the boot to fit all your family’s essentials, as well as all the latest mod-cons you expect to see in a new car like smartphone connectivity, head-up display that projects key info onto the windscreen so you can keep your eyes on the road and voice assist technology to control the infotainment centre.
Want to see what else the VW ID.3 can offer you? Just click here to see more information and all our great leasing deals on the ID.3.
Tesla have been seen as the standard for luxury electric vehicles that don’t compromise on the long distance range of traditional engines and the current Model 3 is no different.
It’s a saloon that offers you plenty of leg, shoulder and headroom for the driver and all four passengers. The dashboard is free of buttons with just a large 15-inch touchscreen centre that lets you manage all the vehicle settings as well as multimedia and satnav functions.
Depending on the model you opt for and driving conditions you can get up to an impressive 360 miles on just one charge, which is why the Model 3 is also one of our top 10 electric cars with the longest range as well.
Check out all out current great Tesla Model 3 leasing deals here or if you want to see what other electric vehicles you have to choose from head over to our electric offers.
We mentioned Polestar as an offshoot of Volvo when looking at the first of our top 10 the XC40 Recharge however we think that the Polestar 2 deserves its own spot in our top 10 green car options for 2021.
The Polestar brand is one that’s set to rival the likes of Tesla and Jaguar in the luxury electric car sector.
The Polestar 2 is an electric saloon that has a large 78 kWh battery that provides you with a range of up to 292 miles on a single charge, putting it on par with the Jaguar I-Pace in terms of distance it can travel which makes it the third model to also be in our top 10 electric vehicles with the best range.
There are a number of additional extras that you can add to the Polestar 2 to ensure the car meets all your needs, from comfort and convenience to safety and driving performance.
The EQC is a fully electric luxury SUV that still offers you the luxury, high-quality finish that Mercedes is known for.
It has a mileage range of up to 259 miles and can be charged from 10 to 80 % in as little as 40 minutes depending on the charger you use and the model you opt for.
Mercedes have also used 99 components that are made from renewable materials like hemp, kenaf, wool, cotton, paper and natural rubber so the materials used in producing the vehicle are also more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
The latest models include MBUX system for touch and voice control of the vehicles settings and infotainment systems, keyless go and navigation as standard as well as a host of optional features.
Take a look at how cheaply you could lease a Mercedes EQC for your next car here.
The TFSI e version of Audi’s popular large A6 saloon is a PHEV and offers you much better fuel consumption and lower emissions and a pure electric range of 34 miles. We’ve included it in our top 10 because it’s a great choice over another large saloon that has a petrol or diesel engine but still offers you the same level of luxury comfort and power.
It offers you a range of high tech features and driver assistance systems, like Pre Sense which uses sensors to detect vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and initiating emergency braking if necessary, along with the luxury finish that Audi is known for from the stitching on the leather steering wheel to the high-quality surround sound.
The A6 TFSI e is currently available in four trims including the Sport, S Line, Black Edition and Vorsprung.
To check out our current best A6 offers across all specs just click here or for more info on charging a PHEV then have a look here.
The Fiat 500 is well-known as one of the smallest hatchbacks on the market, and the ideal car for first-time drivers earning it a spot on our top 10 best first cars.
It’s currently available in its various iterations with petrol, diesel, hybrid and fully electric engines.
The latest model is the first time a fully electric version of the Fiat 500 is available in the UK and it offers two battery options in both the hatchback and convertible with a range of 120 to 199 miles depending on the model you opt for.
We’ve chosen not to specify the electric version in this post and include all Fiat 500s as we think that even with the petrol and diesel engines they have low emissions and still offer you great fuel economy, low road tax and a whole host of other benefits.
To see all our Fiat 500 leasing offers just click here.
It didn’t make it into our top 10 but we couldn’t do this post without mentioning the Audi e-tron.
It’s a fully electric SUV that rivals the Mercedes EQC in terms of high-quality finish, power and performance.
It has a mileage range of up to 248 miles and is one of the only electric vehicles on the market that has charging points on both sides of the vehicle.
We highlighted the e-tron as one of our top five electric vehicles and Xcite Car Leasing have personal experience with it as one of our directors, Tim McNally, currently drives one and lives it.
Take a look at our current leasing deals on the e-tron here.
If you would like to discuss your leasing options on the above vehicles, or any car then please give us a call on 0330 221 0000.
For more information about electric vehicles and fuel types there’s a number of helpful guides on our guides homepage that you might find useful.
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