Shropshire Star

Fiat 500 gets full marks in latest round of eco-friendly car testing

Electric supermini scored 10/10 in all three test segments.

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Fiat 500

The new electric Fiat 500 has been given full marks for its eco-friendliness in the latest round of Green NCAP testing.

The independent initiative is designed to promote vehicles that are clean, energy efficient and not harmful to the environment.

In all three categories – clean air, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas – the 500 scored 10/10, making it one of the cleanest cars on the road under this test scheme. It received a five out of five rating overall.

Testing currently only takes tailpipe emissions into account, which heavily favours electric vehicles as this gives it top marks in the greenhouse gas and clean air sections.

However, Green NCAP noted that the top marks for energy efficiency weren’t so clear cut. While the Fiat 500 naturally scores well here against combustion-engined cars, it didn’t fare so well against other electric vehicles.

It was also noted that the standard charging cable provided with the car is slow and inefficient, meaning owners will pay a little more for electricity in the long run than with a better unit.

Honda Jazz
(Honda)

Two more cars were tested by the organisation, with the Honda Jazz hybrid scoring 3.5 and the Peugeot 208 1.5-litre diesel getting three stars. Both scored well in the energy efficiency segments, with the Toyota also doing well in the clean air sector. Both vehicles saw greenhouse gas emissions as their worst sectors, but respectable scores show the latest diesels in particular are not as dirty as many suspect.

Other five star cars include the Volkswagen ID.3, Hyundai Kona Electric and Renault Zoe – all of which are electric vehicles.

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