Green car grants could help 40% of drivers to improve air quality

The government's green car grants could encourage 40 per cent of people to purchase environmentally-friendly vehicles, which will improve the country's air quality.

Research from TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk has found that the £5,000 allowance off the price of certain low-carbon vehicles provides motivation for many car users to buy new green automobiles.

The Plug-in Car Grants funding was rolled out at the beginning of 2011 and is available on the purchase of nine vehicles, including the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, smart fortwo electric drive and the Peugeot iON.

Faye Sunderland, TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk's editor, recognised that electric vehicles are still a "bit of a mystery" for many car owners.

However, she added: "It will be the potential savings in running costs which will convince many people to make that final leap of faith and buy an electric car."

A recent survey by Glass's corroborated Ms Sunderland's comments, revealing that the number of people considering a green vehicle rose from nine per cent to 53 per cent between July and December 2010, which could also be the result of the government's funding initiative to boost air quality.

Posted by Lauren Steadman