Hyundai

While the world’s fifth largest manufacturer doesn’t have a dedicated green brand, it does produce a number of very efficient machines.

Look at the price lists, and you’ll find 20 models emitting less than 145g/km of CO2.

The line-up kicks off with the excellent i10 city car, which has a keen 1.2-litre petrol engine – this puts out 119g/km and returns 56.5mpg economy.

It’s not the only model to produce less than 120g/km, though, as the i20 supermini is available with a 1.4-litre common-rail diesel unit that pushes out 116g/km.

Opt for the 1.6-litre diesel version of the family sized i30 – which we have been running on our long-term fleet (Page 54) – and its 119g/km output means an annual tax bill of only £35.

With sister firm Kia adopting stop-start, and Hyundai engineers currently developing a hybrid, the Korean firm’s eco credentials look set to grow.

BEST ECO BUY: i30 CRDi