Car choice: Golf or Avensis for a green drive?

Oonagh Jaquest is looking for a new car that fits in with her desire to be as environmentally conscious as possible.

(VW)

A car for the head

Oonagh is perplexed that the only choices seem to be expensive luxury hybrid saloons like the Toyota Prius or Lexus on the one hand, and compact cars like the Smart which Oonagh believes are only really suitable for city driving. She needs a VW Golf-sized car that can cope with motorway driving, can accommodate a six-foot male and, as Oonagh is just starting to learn to drive, it needs to be insurance friendly. My advice is to buy an old Golf then, the most environmentally responsible thing a car buyer can do. A 2010 69,000-mile 1.6 TDi model can be found for for £5,000. Perfect.

(Toyota (Toyota)

A car for the heart

Chatting to Oonagh about the way her family uses cars and what they can afford, I don’t think that a Toyota Prius would be worth buying. What she needs is a conventional car which also happens to be economical. As ever I don’t think she should get too hung up on the environmental side of the automotive equation. Buying a used car is a great way of recycling, as the amount of energy involved in buying something new is horrendous. A 2011 Toyota Aventis 2.0 D-44D TR for £5,000 is ideal, though I acknowledge more of another “car for the head” than the heart. Still, this is a family car which will return over 50mpg, and is, therefore, good for the ideal of saving the planet.