Good Garage Scheme reads buyers showing greater awareness of car emissions.

Car data firm HPI has revealed that there has been a marked shift toward focus on CO2 emissions when consumers have made car purchasing decisions in the last three years. Being “green” is becoming more and more prevalent when deciding what car to buy.

Consumer awareness has also led to many more dealers displaying information for customers concerning emissions, fuel consumption and running costs via a HPI CO2 Certificate, which can be downloaded from HPI.

Daniel Burgess, Director of Automotive at HPI comments: “Our survey results show that car dealers are witnessing a change in car buyers’ attitudes towards making greener choices. Ninety-three per cent of dealers surveyed by the leading vehicle information expert believe that today’s car buyers are more concerned with a vehicle’s emissions than they were a few years ago (72% in 2007).”

Being environmentally conscious is not the sole influencing factor however. The effects of rising fuel prices have been felt nationwide and this has heightened consumer awareness of ways to economise on their motoring spending. Cars with lower emissions and great fuel economy help lower costs because less fuel is consumed and they qualify for lower tax bands.

The result could be a shift toward more electric vehicles or hybrids being purchased in the coming year.