MODERN ELECTRICAL CAR.

MODERN ELECTRICAL CAR.

Super green cars have well and truly arrived, having first taken off in a big way in the US, helped by the huge savings made in fuel prices and now having a vast range to choose from, but are they really worth the high prices?

First climbing into an electric vehicle is interesting, to say the least. Take the Vauxhall Ampera for example, you get in, hit the power on button and loads of lights on the dashboard spring into life. The car starts off in electric mode, in which it can travel a maximum of 50 miles, the extra 310 miles that Vauxhall have made such a fuss about are courtesy of a petrol engine.

The car drives like any other in its class, but the lack of engine noise is eerie at first, although you soon get used to it. The interior will seem small at first, but is something else you will quickly get used to. This car has been hailed as the first true ‘e-car’ that finally has the range to take you wherever you want to go.

Guardian Money has this week examined a host of super green cars that have hit showrooms in the UK over the past few months and made an unbiased assessment as to whether they really are a serious contender to our conventional vehicles, or whether they remain toys for the rich.

The petrol savings are certainly a big draw, as charging the Ampera to travel 50 miles will cost you approximately £2.50-£3.00, or will cost nothing if you have access to a local council installed charge point. There is no road tax or congestion charges payable, but it will set you back £30,000, and even though you will get a £5000 government grant towards it, it still costs twice as much as the cheapest in the Ford Focus range.