USwitch.com conducted a study revealing that UK motorists could each save up to £300 a year by driving more environmentally friendly vehicles.

The website defined these vehicles as cars with average carbon emissions of up to 116 g/km.

Investing in one of these green machines could lead to a national savings on fuel of up to £9.2m, the study said, with each motorist cutting their own bill by an average of £165 each year.

Road tax is another factor, and the study revealed drivers could save £125 each by going eco-friendly.

“A vehicle's green credentials are fast becoming a major selling point when it comes to buying a new car,” said Ashton Berkhauer, insurance expert at uSwitch.com.

“However, it is not simply a case of motorists blindly jumping on to the green bandwagon.

“With fuel prices soaring to a record high, motorists are increasingly becoming attracted to these fuel-efficient, lower-tax green vehicles, finding them to be kind on their pockets as well as on the environment.”

Despite the potential savings, however, only 0.2 per cent of all cars registered in the UK in 2008 will fall into the green belt of sub 116g/km.

Berkhauer said this phenomenon could be blamed partly on the misconception that environmentally-friendly vehicles are more expensive than “regular” cars.

“There is a perception that green cars are more expensive to buy,” he said.

“Over the course of a five year ownership, green drivers save on average £1,092 on running costs over a ‘standard' car on fuel and tax,.”