South West hosts Sexy Green Car Show at Eden Project - and tops the table for green drivers

The Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project in Devon should attract its fair share of visitors from around the country. The South West is not only home to the Sexy Green Car Show but also to some of the UK’s greenest drivers, according to Tescocompare.com. Research from the car insurance comparison site shows that 2 million motorists in the UK claim to drive an environmentally friendly car – and nearly a quarter of those motorists are from the South West and Wales.*

People who are at home on the Devon moors, along the Cornish coast or up and down the Welsh valleys clearly have the interests of their green environment at heart. More than one in ten (13%) said they chose their current car because it had a low impact on the environment, making them the most environmentally concerned drivers in the UK. Just under a third of drivers in Wales and the South West said they were also swayed by their current car’s fuel efficiency (30%).

Indeed, over 3 million people in the region place environmental concerns high on the agenda in general, and half of those interviewed admitted they are troubled by natural resources running low and the rise in fuel prices (50%). The Scottish and Northern Irish are the most worried about preserving the environment (57%) for their children compared to the national average (52%).

According to Tescocompare.com’s Green Gauger index, the South West and Wales are home to the UK’s highest concentration of eco-friendly car drivers (12%) – three times as many as claim to in London (4%).

Since its launch in Sept 2007, Tescocompare.com has seen a 12% increase in the number of car insurance quotes for green or environmentally friendly cars – and is now seeing over 140,000 quotes each month for such vehicles.** Similarly – since 2001 there has been a seven fold increase in the numbers of ‘green’ or low emissions vehicles on the nation’s roads.

Paul Baxter of Tescocompare.com said: "It’s encouraging to see a significant number of the nation’s drivers doing their bit to help safeguard the environment by driving green cars. The Sexy Green Car Show is a fantastic showcase for the new eco-friendly cars on the market, and a great way to get people engaged in the subject."

"One step you can take to reduce your impact on the environment, other than buying an eco-friendly car, is to regularly check your tyre pressure as under inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by up to 3 per cent. Another way for drivers to decrease their carbon footprint is to offset their carbon emissions by insuring their cars via specialist providers such as iBuyeco and CIS. Consumers wanting to go green can find these and 34 other leading car insurance brands on Tescocompare.com."

* Survey carried out online by Opinium Research LLP between 25th - 28th February 2008 amongst a nationally representative sample of 2114 British adults. All results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.

** Analysis of quotes on Tescocompare.com since Sept 2007.