Vauxhall Corsa named greenest full electric car, finds Green NCAP

Green NCAP has revealed its greenest vehicles with the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa Electric crowned best-performing full electric car and earning the highest overall score in 2024.

 This year, a diverse group of eight cars from China, France, Germany, Japan, and the US have set a new standard for minimising environmental impact through their emissions and road performance. Notably, electric vehicles dominated the awards, but hybrid, diesel, and petrol cars were also recognized for their efficiency and low emissions.

Green NCAP noted that although electric cars tend to excel in these awards, it also recognized the impact of hybrid, diesel, and petrol vehicles in reducing emissions and improving efficiency. The Peugeot 308 topped the diesel category, the VW Taigo led the petrol category, and the Honda Civic was lauded for its hybrid efficiency.

Other top category winners include:

• Large Family Car Hyundai IONIQ 6 First Edition Electric
• Small Family Car BYD DOLPHIN Design Electric
• Small MPV Jeep Avenger Summit Electric
• Small SUV Hyundai KONA Electric
• Diesel Car Peugeot 308 1.5 BlueHDI Diesel
• Petrol Car VW Taigo 1.0 TSI Petrol
• Hybrid Car Honda Civic 2.0 i-MMD e:HEV Hybrid

In an effort to help consumers make more informed decisions, Green NCAP also noted that future testing would include a life cycle assessment of the vehicles, focusing on various aspects like charging behaviour, cold weather performance, and energy efficiency.

Dr Aleksandar Damyanov, technical manager at Green NCAP, said: "We aim to improve the understanding of the real value of electric vehicles, and the results will help guide buyers on the environmental impact of a wide range of available cars."

Each of the category winners was selected based on their performance in three key indices: clean air, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gases, with the highest average score determining the winner in each category.