Drivers value 'economy more than style'

Cheap driving is currently more important to motorists than looking stylish, according to a new survey.

The Carmony.co.uk website saw a 32 per cent rise in searches for petrol electric hybrid cars compared with the same month in 2010.

And there were other cases of increased searches for cars with greater efficiency, with a 36 per cent jump in the number of cars with a fuel efficiency of 40 miles per gallon or higher.

Carmony's Neil Packham commented that in addition to the wider economic problems, drivers have been motivated by specific impacts on fuel prices such as more expensive insurance and hikes in the cost of oil and VAT.

He stated: "Motorists are becoming more savvy when it comes to running costs and the change in search habits on Carmony.co.uk reflects this."

A moneysupermarket.com survey earlier this month found the average engine size for the top 20 searched-for cars was 1.6 litres, which insurance expert at the site Peter Harrison said was motivated by fuel economy and the lower insurance premiums such models attract.

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