The words “eco-friendly motoring” are enough to have many of us looking skyward.

Immediately, we have a mental image of plug-in, high priced electric cars that creep along the Queen’s highways before needing re-charging after a few hours– or weirdly shaped futuristic automobiles that you feel a little embarrassed to drive; and which certainly wouldn’t prove a comfortable ride for the whole family.

Well … we’d be wrong!

This is because there’s a reasonable middle ground between the petrol-quaffing 4×4 monsters of the Nineties and early Noughties, and, frankly, the simply silly little “green” cars – as manufacturers increasingly recognise the good sense of the hybrid option. With cheaper excise duties, more miles per gallon, and the justifiably smug feeling you can enjoy having done your bit to satisfy the green lobby, hybrids are the way forward for today’s thinking, responsible motorists.

As the name suggests, the hybrid car blends a small, fuel-efficient petrol engine with an electric motor to give both you and the environment the best of both worlds.

With the electric motor helping out when needed, the petrol engine doesn’t need to work anything like as hard. So, the fumes are fewer and the mpg a lot greater.

OK, hybrid cars may not be absolutely brand new, but the performance and designs available are improving almost by the day – so there’s really no excuse not to at least consider the option for those of us with even the slightest environmental conscience.

And if you’re worried about the initial cost, there’s really no need, because the hybrids are also getting cheaper, pro-rata, in relation to both petrol or electric-only vehicles, as the demand for green fuel efficiency grows and grows.